discussion question

explain whether or not you found your colleague’s response persuasive and why. Support your explanation with social psychology theory and research.

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It is said that many important decisions are made by groups rather than one person; supreme court justices are nine and not one (Aronson, 2019). An individual is subject to their own biases when making choices but when you “join two heads together”, they can point out each other’s errors, exchange ideas, and reach better decisions. This is the approach I would take when attempting to persuade an individual to do “what is his or her best interest” and defying the group. If the individual is going to defy the group alone, then they may not go through with it because they want to fit in and be accepted. If they are “alone” and defy the group it would lead to being excluded. If there is more than one, the individual and myself, weighing out the pros and cons of the situation and why it is best to defy the group, then the individual will be more confident to make the choice to defy the group. By becoming a group of two, we now have some say in the group to be listened to or for the individual’s choice to be accepted. 

Individuals tend to be followers and want to fit in (Aronson, 2019). If I help boost the individual’s confidence into making a choice that defies the group, it can cause the rest of the group to follow. Another role I can play is the leadership role. I would need to  make sure I am not being biased and proposing valuable opinions in order to be persuasive. 

Aronson, E., Wilson, T. D., Akert, R. M., & Sommers, S. R. (Eds.) (2019). Social Psychology 

(10th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.