Social Influences on Behavior Research Paper

Behavior

Social Influences on Behavior

The specific social setting in which an individual finds themselves can have profound effects on their behavior, and might even lead to behavioral changes that warrant therapeutic interventions, in some cases. At the same time, many of the changes in behavior that occur as a result of change sin social setting are entirely normal and even desirous based on certain social mores and customs. The following paragraphs present two different general scenarios in which social setting can have an impact on behavior, demonstrating the degree of extremity that social setting has on behavioral processes and choices in normal scenarios and when it comes to certain abnormal problems. Relevant research is cited in support of the descriptions and explanations of the phenomena identified.

Code Switching

One very common, very normal, and most of the time very subtle behavioral change that occurs as a result of changes in social setting is something known as "code switching." This essentially refers to the habit individuals have of changing their language patterns -- word choice, sentence structure, and even pronunciation -- based on who they're talking to (Auer, 1999). This is a behavior change that has been observed in many contexts in many if not all cultures, and can be as simple as the decision not to swear in front of one's grandparents when one does swear in front of friends (Auer, 1999). There can also be more complex and pressing examples of code switching, and for most people code switching occurs on a daily basis (Auer, 1999).

The precursors and the consequences of code switching are highly interrelated, generally arising out of instilled social values and expectations and serving to cement social relationships and general social facilitation through group identification and membership verification (Auer, 1999). Not swearing in front of grandparents, for example, comes from having values of respect for elders and ideas about the appropriateness of language instilled, and serves to promote a specific image of innocence that grandparents are expected to desire while reducing the potential for conflicts. Swearing might be more expected in front of friends, and overly polite language or language that does not include the slang of the social group might lead to being outcast from the group. In this way, code switching serves simply social facilitation needs, and definitely doesn't warrant therapeutic intervention.

Social Anxiety

Other types of behavioral changes are less common, more extreme, and potentially more damaging to the quality of life of the individual in question. Social anxiety…