The Social Psychology - Essay Example

PSYCHOLOGY Proximity contributes to attraction in the sense that it increases the time for exposure as well as interaction since there is reduced cost of meeting between two parties. This is known as the exposure effect which relates to the tendency of people to show a lot of preference for novel stimuli especially when they are encountered repeatedly. Similarity influences attraction based on what people have in common. Such factors include religion, personality and race among others that people find so hard to change hence they prefer those who share similar values.

Men and women have different prefferences for their partners’ skills set. Men tend to be attracted by physical beauty than women who focuses more on personality. Physical beauty relates to the outward appearance of an individual. People tend to be more attracted to those they consider to physically attractive. Men put a lot of consideration on this factor than women. Emotional arousal creates a form of attachment towards an individual which goes beyond the physical looks. Mutual liking promotes attraction by enabling people to each others company and to further their friendship.

Behavioral cues provide a defined form of communication which is specific to some individuals. It promotes mutual liking leading to attraction (Shaver, 409). 2. Family relationships provide a major form of attachment by reflecting all the four attachment styles. It creates a safe haven which acts as a comfort net under threat and fear. Family relationships are a secure base through which people can adventure around their surrounding environment as they remain connected to it and the bond created in the family is so hard to break away from.

Similarity plays a key role in formation and establishment of friendships. People who share similar personal characteristics and activities will be drawn towards each other thus becoming friends. Romantic relationship is brought about by mutual attraction which exists between two people leading to intimacy. Romantic relationships lead to passionate love which is characterized by sexual attraction, deep affection and intense emotions. It is composed of three basic elements namely care, intimacy and attachment.

Romantic relationships need to be reciprocated for one to feel a form of acceptance (Dovidio,033). 3. Prosocial behavior is motivated by the desire to further the development and existence of people’s genes through helping close relatives. This is known as keen selection which further motivated by the expectation ones expectation that they will also be helped when they are in a problem. Altruistic personality can motivate an individual to be more helpful to others than expected. Defensive helping is a motivation to prosocial behavior in the sense that people help when they are forced to do so by the surrounding circumstances.

Or example some people may help when they feel that those in need may cause harm to their lives (Fiske, 109). 4. One of the factors that reduce helping behavior is the crowd effect in which it is difficult to identify those in problems and to know if they really need ones individual’s specific help. Cultural beliefs may hinder individuals from helping other. For example so cultures believe that helping others creates laziness in them and reduces their incentive to work hard. Those who are being helped may develop a positive or negative reaction depending on the motive of the person helping them.

For example if one is helped with the intention that he/she will also do the same or with strict conditions, they feel intimidated. Work Cited Dovidio, John F. The Social Psychology of Prosocial Behavior. Mahwah, N.J [u.a.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2006. Print. Fiske, Susan T, Daniel T. Gilbert, and Gardner Lindzey. The Handbook of Social Psychology: Vol. 2. Boston, Mass. [etc.: McGraw-Hill Companies, 1998. Print. Shaver, Phillip R, and Mario Mikulincer. Prosocial Motives, Emotions, and Behavior: The Better Angels of Our Nature.

Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2010. Print.