Social Psychology W5 P2

Social pressure is often a big part of persuasion to do something for another person. One of the more powerful pieces of social conformity is the idea of social validation, or conformity. It’s something that is seen used all over the place; for example, people are more likely to donate money to a charity if they are able to see a list of the people who have donated before them. When the ice bucket challenge was going around, plenty of people felt pressured to do something crazy because people they knew were doing it too, and for a good cause. Also, liking someone, or being their friend, makes a person more likely to do something for them. For example, Tupperware parties worked well because people wanted to buy things to support their friends. They knew that they were getting some of the money from their purchases, and were considerate of the effort they put into hosting so many people. These parties were extremely successful for the Tupperware company, and so much so that Tupperware because the generic name for any container used to store food or other products.

While linking to attitude and behavior, this concept is helpful for communicating mostly when someone is on the receiving end of these tactics. If a person knows how to identify them, mostly when used through advertisements or a manipulative person, one can avoid being pulled into something they don’t want to participate in, or know when they are being fooled by deceptive advertising. Of course, a person can use these for their own benefit as well, but only in moderation. Building up a persons hopes too high by combining these ideas while ultimately letting them down in the end is poor business practice.