Adjacency Paper

In his often cited essay, “The Formation of In-Groups,” Gordon Allport offers his theory on how the groups with which one identifies directly influence the development of one’s individual identity. An “in-group” is a group where members share common traits such as societal status, religion, values or sexual orientation. All the members are alike in some way and that similarity unites them as a group. Allport suggests that one belongs to many in-groups throughout his or her lifetime. Individuals are born into some in-groups, such as one’s family, race or socio-economic level; this Allport terms as an “ascribed status”. People also obtain “achieved status” in a group such as one’s circle

The world has a lot of coffee drinkers and many coffee shops to accommodate these people’s needs. There are so many coffee shops that sometimes it’s hard to choose where to go. I have personally experienced many different coffee shops and they are all the same, calm music, sit down places, with the same variety of coffee. I have found a shop that is different, it’s now my favorite place to go for coffee. It just so happens to be Dutch Bros Coffee.

The attraction theory of similarity is described in the book as simply that “people tend to like other people who are similar to themselves” (Social Psychology, 98). There are five main reasons that similarity

As humans, we have always stayed in groups of similar interests, and we can see this is clearly

Blau states that “social attraction is the force that induces human beings to establish social associations on their own initiative and to expand the scope of their associations once they have been

As well as the social factors that lead to interpersonal relationships there are a number of different theories that also account for the formation of interpersonal relationships. The matching hypothesis by Walster et al (1966) is such a theory. In the study a computer dance was organised in which the participants were randomly allocated to partners. Midway during the dance the participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire regarding the view of their partners. The views were recorded and compared to judges views of the physical attractiveness of the

Our behaviour is also influenced by the presence of other, no matter how much we believe ourselves to be individuals.

This essay aims to explore and describe some of the key studies within Social Psychology and show why social psychology is still important within the science of psychology today. Social psychology was once described by Allport (as cited in Lindzey & Aronson, 1985, p.5) as, “the scientific study of how people’s thoughts, feelings and behaviours are influenced by the actual, imagined or implied presence of others”. One of the first psychologists to study social psychology was Kurt Lewin. Lewin is considered the “father of social psychology” by many as he took a stand against the dominant behaviourist approach during the 1920’s through his belief that interaction between the individual and their environment is key to affecting behaviour, rather than environment alone. His revolutionary ideas matured into the study of group dynamics, which is widely used by many organisations today (Collin, 2012).

People of the same social class tend to be friends. People of the same level of attractiveness tend to be drawn to each other. Athletes that play the same sports flock to each other. I feel as if often times, we fall ignorant to the real world. Sometimes, I think we close our minds off to possibilities and opportunities just because we don't expand our network and step out of our comfort zones. Everyone has a story. Growing up and going to a private Catholic school, I’ve seen this happen my whole life. The rich kids are friends with the rich kids, and everybody else just kind of coexists. My mom always told me to not be friends with someone just because you share similarities. I have carried this value on through life. By closing yourself off to one group people, you limit your exposure to different experiences. Through meeting other people and people that are different from yourself, you can expand your

Kiderra ties this idea to being obese. She stats “if a person you consider a friend becomes obese […] your own chances of becoming obese go up 57 percent” (1). The bonds we make with others goes beyond mental, they can affect our physical appearance. Kiderra also goes on and explains that it isn’t our immediate family that has the greatest effect on us physiologically, but our friends. Also “further analysis also suggest that people’s influence on each other’s obesity status could not be put down just to similarities in lifestyle and environment” (1). We feel comfortable around people with the same trends as us not only in obesity, but any activity that makes us similar. This leads people to do what their friends or people around them

I have made many really good connections in my life with friends, family, and my current boyfriend. Having a specific connection in mind, many things led up to this. The first step is always me observing a person. This person in particular really had personality traits that I look for in being able to developing a good connection. They were positive, loyal, funny, and empathetic from what I saw with how they interacted with others around them. I am a very cautious person when it does come to relationships, since I have experience many disconnections, so I really analyze the situation before I go in. Usually once I feel safe enough to approach a person, I will go in and make the first move, but this person made the first move,

Everyone possesses attributes that can make him/her similar to another, the same attributes that can make someone unique. No two people look the same. While there may be characteristics that make them similar, in the end, everyone has, at least, one physical trait that makes one different from another. In addition, no two people will ever share personalities which is what makes human interaction interesting. Everyone is unique. All of these attributes can affect relationships. The novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie, and modern sources explore how mental and physical attributes affect friendship quality.

THE DOG and Friends products that include toys, apparel, calendars, gift items, stationary are sold all over the world. Our products are customized and sold online, mass retailers and specialty stores in the U.S., Asia and Europe. THE DOG and Friends art and products appeals to a wide range of consumers from kids to teens, tweens, adults and the pet industry. THE DOG and Friends is art photography that is unique for it’s strange ratio look. Thousands of images that translate into any product and brings out an “awww” in everyone. “THE DOG” is irresistible, see for

The Golden Triangle is region of Southeast Asia encompassing the countries of Thailand, Burma and Laos. The region is accredited as one of the world leaders in opium production, behind Afghanistan. Although, the region also produces heroin, meth and marijuana (Swanson, 2011 Pg. 569). The Golden Triangle is responsible for supplying the regional demands of predominantly the refined form of opium, or heroin, as well as the demands of Northeast Asia, Europe and the United States of America. In a 2014 the United States saw a total of 47,055 deaths attributed to drug overdose becoming the leading cause of accidental death in the country (American Society of Addiction Medicine, 2016).

Various factors determine how we perceive other as well as ourselves. One major factor that shapes our perceptions is the things we are exposed to in our daily lives. Moreover, social distance arising from factors such as age difference may determine how we perceive other. For example, Umphrey & Robinson (2007) argue that that the other-person perception is greatly determined by age.