Social Influence

Paper Summary:

The paper explains that social influence is the phenomena by which people are coerced into behaviors that they would not normally display. The paper asserts that the soldiers involved in the inhumane treatment of prisoners of war at Abu-Ghraib should not be held individually responsible for their actions. The paper contends that only due to the social influence of the group mindset, coupled with the daily stresses of being in a war zone, they acted in such a way.

Outline:
Introduction
Social Influence

From the Paper:

"In January 2004 upper level military personnel received word that a SGT had filed concerns that some of his fellow military police guards were treating prisoners of war badly(Hasenauer, 2004)."
"The ensuing investigation lasted seven months and was conducted by several agencies before the final determination was made that prisoners of war in Abu Ghraib were treated inhumanely by American soldiers. It was a story that was heard around the world as anger mounted against the Americans who claimed to be fighting against Saddam's regime and inhumane treatment of people and then did the same thing to prisoners of war."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Abernathy, Thomas J.(1993) Predicting cigarette smoking among adolescents using cross-sectional and longitudinal approaches. Journal of School Health
• Hasenauer, Heike (2004) Righting the wrongs of Abu Ghraib: in January 2004 a concerned military police Soldier at a prison near Baghdad reported what he believed to be a pattern of inappropriate behavior by his fellow MPs. Soldiers Magazine
• Paynton, Carolyn F. (1995) The effects of status cues on choices of social power and influence strategies. The Journal of Social Psychology
• Thye, Shane R. (2002) Social influence and the power of the pyramid. Skeptic (Altadena, CA)

More papers on Social Influence:

• Essay # 42286 : "Attitude and Behavior in Social Influence"
• Essay # 84455 : "Biological and Social Influence"
• Comparison Essay # 8869 : "Social Influence in "Lysistrata," "Oedipus Rex" and "A Raisin In The Sun"

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