Why did communism fail? Tragedy of the Commons

Although many have attempted to justify the fall of communism, only social psychology can give a concrete explanation to it. According to Social Psychologists, when people own everything in common then no one feels responsible for taking care of things. This can be understood in terms of the commons dilemma. The commons dilemma states that resources that are owned collectively are more likely to be depleted or destroyed then when they are owned by individuals. The essence of communism was that everyone would own everything in common; the outcome was that no one wanted to maintain the "common" because no one would actually own "it".

If you want to learn more about the tragedy of the commons, click here to read this current article that claims that the overuse of common resources such as Wikipedia, can have many negative consequences. Since it is not owned by anyone, people can do whatever with it, such as putting inaccurate information that can mislead its readers.

Why do men want more sex than women?

In a post on Web MD featuring sexual health stories named “Sex Drive: How Do Men and Women Compare?", Richard Sinne emphasizes how endless studies have proven that men's sex drives are stronger than women's and are driven by innate, biological needs.

Here is an excerpt from the actual study:

"Sexual desire in women is extremely sensitive to environment and context," says Edward O. Laumann, PhD, a professor of sociology at the University of Chicago and lead author of a major survey of sexual practices, The Social Organization of Sexuality: Sexual Practices in the United States.

***

So why do men want to have sex all the time? Evolutionary theory emphasizes that the sex drive was shaped by natural selection. According to the social exchange theory, sex is viewed as a resource that women have and that men want and are willing to exchange other resources for. Since women’s sex drive can be shaped and altered by social, cultural and situational forces, women, unlike men, can survive without sex. Men on the other hand can’t survive without it, that’s why you see them taking more risks and expending more resources to get sex.

To learn more click here:

Effort justification

Have you ever cheated on a test and got a good grade on it? How did you feel after this “achievement”? Did you experience the same feeling when you got a good grade on a test you did not cheat? Which “achievement” gave you more satisfaction?

Well if I had to answer the last question I would say that getting a good grade on a test I did not cheat would give me a better satisfaction. Why? Because according the effort justification theory, I as a human being will find something appealing and valuable only if I suffer and put a lot of effort to have it or achieve it. Getting an A on a difficult test after spending endless hours of studying, would be more appealing to me than just getting an A without any effort. Even though I would get rewarded in both cases, the reward that I actually deserve would be the one that I would attribute a greater value to, because that reward would only justify my efforts.

Hooligans: How Social Psychologists justify their behavior

Why does hooliganism exist? What causes sports fans to act the way they do? Why do they throw garbage onto the playing field or scream until they lose their voices?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BM1Q_S_hXEA

According to Social Psychology this happens due to deindividualization. Deindividualization is the loss of self awareness and individual accountability in a group. Many would assume that this is a good thing but the reality is more problematic. Deindividualized people often behave badly because once they become part of a group, they cease worrying about what others would think of them. The chances of becoming more violent increase when the group is bigger and its members are anonymous. Being part of the “mob”, these people are more likely to cease feeling individually accountable for their acts and go along with what others are doing at the moment, even if what they are doing is socially unacceptable. This helps explain why hooligans act the way they do.

Stereotype threat and its effect on women in mathematical tasks

We live in a society that tends to classify people in groups, and attribute a defined set of characteristics to them. This phenomenon is called stereotyping and it is an everyday habit for many people. Many of us do it on a regular basis, unintentionally most of the time, without putting into consideration its consequences, because we think it is harmless. But how can it not be harmless when most of the classifications and generalizations we make about these people are negative and can cause harmful effects on them? And what happens to these individuals?

Well obviously these individuals find this very disturbing because they experience an apprehension of being treated unfairly. Let’s take for example women. The most prominent stereotype is the way women are seen as incapable of competing with men in mathematical tasks. Living in a society that puts them in this category, women often times, despite their fear of confirming this stereotype (stereotype threat), feel stereotyped on tasks of mathematics when being compared to males. This can be proven by this field study in the latest issue of the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, which investigated whether introducing a stereotype to women would inhibit their mathematical performance compared to a group of women who were not faced with the stereotype. Those women who took the test that was described as free of gender differences did better than their female and male counterparts.

Here are some excerpts taken from the study:

"This research has always carried the positive message that stereotype threat could be overcome-and women's test performance boosted-by small changes in the way tests were presented," says Aronson, a professor of psychology at NYU's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development.

***

One group of students in the study received the test under normal testing conditions; that is, they were informed that the test was designed to measure their math abilities and knowledge. Among these students, the women performed just as well as the men, reflecting the fact that these were high-performing women. The surprise came from the second group of students in the class, who took the test under the same instructions but who were additionally informed that the test was free of gender bias. The researchers found that the women in the no-gender-differences group outperformed all the other test-takers in this high-level math class, even the men.

***

"We now have really compelling evidence," says, Aronson, "that women at the very highest levels of math ability are held back by cultural images that portray their math abilities as inferior to men's.

You can download a copy of the article for free here.

Homophobia

What is homophobia and why does it exist? Why are heterosexuals so afraid of homosexuals? Why some people who would never admit to holding a negative stereotype about another race will freely and openly admit that they are homophobic? Why is it more socially acceptable to say that you are homophobic and less when you say that you are racist? These and many other questions have raised a public debate about homosexuality and our ability to socially accept it, just like the controversy raised when Miss California Carrie Prejean delivered an opposing response to a question about same-sex marriage. Before we go on to explain why we hold these negative beliefs about homosexuality, let’s watch the clip of the long-standing competition what and how the girl responded judge Perez Hilton’s controversial question.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LPv9L6sy5c

What if Miss California was asked whether she supported interracial marriages or not? What would she respond to that? Well like it was mentioned above, people find it easier to admit that they are homophobic than racist. Why? Despite that homosexuality has always been existing since ancient Greece, people still fear it and don’t understand it. It is built in to humans to be wary of the perceived unknown and it is a human survival trait to be hostile to the different. It takes a long time for humans to change and accept the one socially unacceptable. Racism for example was socially acceptable before but not anymore. It took years of effort until it became a taboo and so will happen with the issue of homophobia.

Narcissism: A good or a bad ingredient to a healthy marriage?

HOLLYWOOD DIVORCES
Eddie Murphy and Tracey Edmonds
Madonna and Guy Ritchie
Star Jones and Al Reynolds
Liv Tyler and Royston Langdon
Kate Walsh and Alex Young
Britney Spears and K-Fed
Hogan and Linda Marie Bollea
Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt
Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey
Chad Michael Murray and Sophia Bush
Sir Paul McCartney and Heather Mills
Kelis and Nas
Mel Gibson and Wife
Anne Heche and Husband
Amy Winehouse and Husband
Patricia Arquette and Husband
Kelly Rutherford and Husband
Alex Rodriguez and Wife
Robin Williams and Wife
Donnie Wahlberg and Wife
Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe
Christina Applegate and Husband
Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman
Renee Zielwager and Husband
and many more!"

Take a look at this long list of celebrity divorces. Why do Hollywood actors/actresses and singers get married and divorced so often? Why can’t their relationships survive? Many would believe that publicity and temptation may be the factors that can weaken their marriages, but social psychology has a different explanation for this; narcissism. Narcissism is a personality trait that involves regarding yourself as a superior being. Narcissists have high levels of self-esteem and selfishness, so high that can prevent them from keeping a stable relationship with one person. They seek out beautiful and successful people to date because they believe that the glamour or prestige of their partners makes them look good. These people tend to be less committed and are always ready to seek out better alternatives that might come along, simply because they always think that they are superior beings. This helps explain why celebrity marriages often end in divorce. Fame and money tend to push them become more narcissistic and this leads to relationship problems, especially when attractive new partners come along.

Click here to watch more celebrity divorces:

The Need to Belong: Abusive relationships/ abusive partners

Almost in every teen magazine we come across stories written by teenagers who have been or are in abusive relationships. Most of these victims are women; women who are reluctant to end a relationship, or even if they do, after they leave the relationship, they begin to harbor new ideas of why things happen and most of the times they return to their abusive partners. For instance, the women that were abused come to see that their abuser had a difficult month/week/day and end up giving them a second chance. Let’s take for example Chris Brown’s and Rihanna’s case. They were a very happy couple. All their fans were fascinated with their relationship because it appeared ideal; ideal until the relationship started showing the signs of abuse. At first she would hide the abuse under make up, hair and sunglasses. However, that was not the case at the Grammys this year. That day neither Rihanna nor Chris Brown showed up. That day was when Rihanna actually understood that it was about time to stop the abuse by calling the police. However after a while we heard rumors that she got back together with Chris Brown.

Now why did she stay in that type of relationship and when she ended it, why did she go back to it? Well social psychologists can answer this question. According to them, all human beings have the need to belong; the desire to form and maintain close, lasting relationships with some other individuals. The need to belong drives people to affiliate, commit and remain together despite the obstacles. Even if the obstacles get bigger and bigger and the relationship is in crisis, people still try their best no to put and end to even bad relationships. Why? Because breaking off relationships goes against the basic tendencies of human nature, since we are designed to connect rather than separate.

If you want to read more about abusive relationships check these real stories out:


Here are some excerpts from one of the stories:
“I dated Eric off and on for a year. In the beginning, we had so much fu. But after a few months into dating, we were in his car one day and he got so angry at me that he pulled over, pushed me out, and drove away.! I was shocked, but as I picked myself up and started walking home, I told myself that it was a onetime thing.

***

I became a pattern: If one day was a good day, then the next day something would set him off. I stayed with Eric because I thought I could be the one to change him- and because I was scared of what he’d do if I stuck up for myself.

***

I understand exactly what Rihanna is going through- you think you love someone and will be with him forever. But ask yourself: Do you really want that the rest of your life?”
- Danielle, 22, Villa Park, IL

Bystander Effect: Another Genovese Case

In a post in June, 2008 ABC News Medical Unit writers Lauren Cox and Radha Chiatle told a news story about an accident in which a 78-year-old hit-and-run victim was left unconscious lying in the street and no one seemed to help him. There were bystanders and motorists passing by him, but none bothered to help the old man. This entire scenery, which was captured by a surveillance camera, has triggered a public debate over the issue. This story reminds us of the Genovese case, a famous case occurred in the early 1960, where Kitty Genovese was attacked and eventually murdered over a 45 minute period during which 38 people witnessed the attack and did not lift a finger to help in any way. Like Genovese, the old man was not helped by any of the bystanders simply because there were many of them and none of them did not know what to do, or expected others to help in their stead.

Here are some excerpts from the story.

Hartford, Conn., Mayor Eddie A. Perez announced his disgust Thursday after watching the footage, showing several cars swerving to avoid Angle Arce Torres, who was lying paralyzed and bleeding from the head.

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Tragically, some experts say the public's inaction is a classic social occurrence. "It's kind of a textbook case of bystander phenomenon," says John Darley, a professor of psychology and public affairs at Princeton University.

***

Bystander phenomenon, sometimes referred to as bystander apathy or the Genovese effect, is a psychological phenomenon in which people are less likely to respond to an emergency when there are others around.

You can download a copy of the article for free here.