Thursday, May 19, 2016
What Causes Someone to Behave "Badly"?
There is a lot of situational attribution and situated identity that causes people to behave in ways they would never think that they would. But what does that mean? These terms mean that people's behavior changes in different environments like what kind of power they hold, and who they are with. Their behavior changes so much, that they might think they would never do something but the power of the situational attribution causes them to do it. For example, someone might go against their morals if it meant being part of the group, or conforming. Another reason is because of the pressure from authority to obey. People do not want to go against authority, so they will carry out immoral acts especially because they feel the authority has more responsibility than they do. This is another cause, diffusion of responsibility. When there are others present to take the blame, doing immoral acts isn't as bad. The guilt is also reduced when victims are deindividualized and dehumanized. When put in the situation, it is so easy to reaffirm our actions that dehumanizing the victim is as easy as just describing them badly. People will feel pressured to act immorally, but they know they will not be able to carry out or continue the act unless they can convince themselves in some way that their guilt can be lessened. How would you explain "normal" people's "bad" behavior?
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I agree. I think that people often break their moral standards in order to feel like part of a group because they realize their standards might be unrealistic or be set too high.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I believe that situational attribution is a key component of the way people act. I believe anyone is vulnerable to doing something morally wrong because of the influences of certain people and environments.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I believe that situational attribution is a key component of the way people act. I believe anyone is vulnerable to doing something morally wrong because of the influences of certain people and environments.
ReplyDelete