Thinking, Feeling and Believing
Summary of the case study
The case study is about two great friends who are planning to host a great party. The two are looking for the best way to make their party as enjoyable as possible. In the middle of the preparations, they are trying to choose the people they can invite to their party. They do not have friends to invite to the party. Moe is considering asking a random lady he has frequently been meeting at the coffee shop. According to him, from the lady’s looks and the way she carries out herself, it is evident that she is thriving. He believes that she attends college in the computer since every time he bumps into her, she is always on her laptop typing.
On the other hand, Joe is not sure of whom to invite to the party, but since Moe has suggested that he thinks of a lady that he has ever seen around since they will never go wrong with local girls. He, therefore, decides to invite a certain lady he has been seeing in the local pub for some time now. Joe, however, believes that this is not the right way to look for love, but his friend Moe tells him that they are not looking for love. In his words, they are only trying, and in case it fails, then there is no harm in trying another lady until the day they will find one that will work in their favor. With this statement, Joe agrees and follows what his friend Moe suggests.
Literature Review
According to the study conducted by Bradley, Roberts, & Bradley (2019), there is an increase in social media relationships, and it is having an impact on the individuals involved. However, it is worth noting that there has been an under the exploration of the cues that the observers place on social media. An analysis showed that the followers and likes determine the likability of an individual. Besides, the physical appearance of an individual also determines the extent through which the other users like them. According to the findings, physical appearance is not anywhere related to the number of selfies that an individual post to increase their likability.
Another aspect that determines the likability of an individual is gender, as well as the amount of time the person spends on Facebook. For instance, women are likely to have higher likability compared to men. However, this depends on the hours that the lady spends on the internet. Hence, the number of selfies posted is likely to diminish the likability of the individual.
The study by McMillin (2019) shows that most peers who are popular assume that they are liked by others. It is evident that there is a relationship between self-perceptions and popularity. This is because, over a period, there is a positive relationship between the two. For instance, the perceptions of likability increase with peer-nominated popularity. Between the boys and the girls, the impacts of likability and peer popularity differs. Besides, the boys who are in the same grade experience different impacts of peer popularity. Therefore, it is possible to conclude that the negative behaviors and the aggressive and prevalent behaviors that are witnessed in the popular teens are because of the thought that they are liked more, which is actually not true. As compared to the girls, it is evident that boys in their middle school are more aware of their likability. This explains the reason as to why the impacts differ between the girls and the boys even though they may be of the same grade.
Explain how social psychological research studies relate to a particular social psychological theory.
According to behavioral psychology, the individual’s behavior is affected by external stimuli. This is because people tend to react and adapt to the environment in which they are. The happenings are likely to influence the manner in which the individual is going to react. According to this theory, the individuals do not care about what others may think of their behaviors, what matters is them getting what they are looking for.
Apply an ethical reasoning concept to a chosen case study
Ethically, what the two friends Moe and Joe, are planning to do is not correct. They do not need to try different ways to determine what works for them. Instead, they should consider being patient such that they get to fall in love gradually and experience the best relationships. Their direction simply implies that they are not sure of what they want and are probably going to hurt the feelings of the others. Besides, appearance should not be used to determine whether a person is good or not. What matters is their behavior and how they carry out themselves.
Apply a critical thinking concept to a chosen case study
Critically thinking of the case study, it is evident that the two friends are not sure if what they want. However, they are only moved by the behaviors that they see in society but are not sure of how to go about it. For instance, they are aware that people have lady friends but are not sure of how love is found. This explains the reason as to why Moe is suggesting that they keep trying their luck since nothing hurts if they have failed with their current choices. They still have the option to try again and again.
References
Bradley, S. W., Roberts, J. A., & Bradley, P. W. (2019). Experimental evidence of observed social media status cues on perceived likability. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 8(1), 41.
McMillin, K. (2019). Exploring the Relationship Between Peer Popularity and Self-Perceived Likeability in Adolescence.