“What will Princess Marya Aleksevna say?” - every schoolchild knows this phrase by Famusov from Griboyedov’s “Woe from Wit”. Its meaning is also clear: everyone, to one degree or another, depends on public opinion. Living in society, a person cannot be completely autonomous from the assessment of his activities by other members. He is approved or condemned, accepted or rejected...

How does a person depend on society? Each member of society performs one or another role or activity. Success or failure in this matter depends on public assessment - recognition or censure. Ultimately, the social position of a person depends on the totality of such assessments, and, accordingly, his success in life is measured (what he has already achieved and what still needs to be fought for).

Actions for its benefit are usually approved by society. ;How to be useful to society? First of all, this is expressed in patriotism. Love for a large and small homeland can dictate many noble deeds. “Little things” for the benefit of your own street, yard, city or village will already be important. After all, a country cannot live without the participation of its citizens in solving common problems. And simply by doing his own work well, a person benefits society.

Man and society constantly interact with each other. ;How does society influence personality? This mainly happens through the social environment, because the approval and positive assessment of loved ones and acquaintances is important for everyone. And humiliation (although sometimes it will be a “hardening”, helping to develop the ability to admit and correct one’s mistakes) has a negative impact on the individual, giving rise to a feeling of dissatisfaction and helplessness. We should also not forget that a person cannot help but be influenced by the moral norms and values ​​accepted in the environment where he lives. Such criteria participate in the formation of his personal attitudes, culture, and norms of behavior.

But where have they gone now, these norms? ;How to live in modern society, where it seems that moral standards have fallen to a level “below the baseboard”? Religious norms are not of interest to the masses, the institution of the family - the “cradle” of society - has collapsed, becoming increasingly discredited and being attacked by apologists for “non-traditional” forms of family existence... Sometimes it seems that people have forgotten how to think and follow only animal instincts.

But everything is not at all hopeless. As Igor Talkov once sang: “This world will not become better and it will not become kinder if we ourselves do not become kinder.” Not only does society influence people, but people also influence it. How to manage society? The easiest way - the same way it influences its members - is through the social environment. One person cannot change the whole world, but he is quite capable of influencing the part of it in which he lives. Through his activities, personal example. Nothing has such an impact on people as the positive experience of a successful important person in life. Everyone is important and significant for their loved ones and environment, and therefore can influence them.

If you have a positive influence on at least a small part of society - your close social environment, then the world around you and the people living in it will gradually change for the better. And many people are already capable of changing not only themselves and their loved ones, but also the attitudes of society, determining what is important in it and what is not. That is, one person is still able to change the world, acting together with others.

Hello! In this article I would like to touch on the topic influence of society on a person.

This topic is one of the most key in achieving success in life. What is the essence of the influence of our environment (link) on our success? Remember, there have probably been examples similar to the one below in your life.

Well, let's take the most understandable and common case. In the evening after work, men gather in the yard to drink beer and play dominoes or cards (in most cases, dominoes). Everything goes on day after day according to the same scenario. It seems that the men are not alcoholics, but there are no other interests in life. Everyone is happy with everything.

And suddenly a very out-of-the-ordinary case occurs. One of the players, let’s call him “Petrovich” for example, was hit on the head by an amusing thought: “Yes, I put all this on me! I want a prosperous and successful life!” And Petrovich decides to branch out from the news of society in order to do something useful. And so our Petrovich misses one evening (does not come to the beer and domino party). Doesn't come the second time. Well, society is not particularly worried yet. Well, you never know what happened, a person fell ill. And then the moment comes when Petrovich’s lack of presence in society begins to be felt and disturbs the team. A society of gentlemen goes to Petrovich and begins to inquire about the reasons for his absence. And then Petrovich gives them something they never expected: “I’m tired of drinking beer and playing dominoes. I want to become an exemplary family man and climb the corporate ladder in production. I went to advanced training courses to study.”

After this, the society makes its first modest attempt to return the lost sheep to the fold. Petrovich is adamant and stands his ground. The next day the persuasion becomes more persistent. Let's assume that our hero holds up well and doesn't give in. Then heavy artillery enters the battle: “Do you Petrovich not respect us?” Ridicule begins, then insults. They may even assign our Petrovich to the “Left Hand Adventists” sect.

But Petrovich is decisive and adamant. And now the moment comes when the portrait of our hero appears on the honor board at the production site. And his salary is increased and maybe even moved up the career ladder. And then suddenly insults and ridicule are unexpectedly replaced by respect and reverence. Everyone is whispering in the corners: “Look, this is our Petrovich! How the man rose! Lucky. We would like that.” All! Petrovich from an outcast of society suddenly, somehow magically turned into a respected person, after the ingratiating “handling” with whom he did not wash his hands for a week.

And most importantly, everyone around sincerely believes in luck and intervention in the matter beyond natural forces.

But in fact, everything is simple. The man wanted it and achieved it. And he did not cave in to society, but stubbornly and purposefully moved forward.

Now let's look at the anatomy of the entire process.

The whole story can be divided into three main stages.

Stage 1 - persuasion

Stage 2 - ridicule

Stage 3 – respect and honor

Based on this whole story, it is clear that if you have made a decision to seriously change something in your life, especially to achieve success and wealth, then be prepared to go through three stages:

  1. They will pull you back and talk you out of your decision. Moreover, the absolute majority of people with whom you share your plans will often dissuade you.
  2. When people see that persuasion does not help, they will “spit” after you. And if you are lucky, they will not care, but simply laugh at you.

You shouldn't be offended by people for this. Most of us have behaved this way towards others at some point. I think that the roots of this phenomenon are in natural instincts and trivial herd feelings. Our nature is like this.

Therefore, I suggest being aware of this, not holding a grudge against people, and not stopping at the first and second stages. Moreover, the third stage is our reward!

  1. At the third stage, you achieve your plans, and those who laughed at you admire you. They will do this openly or you will hear rumors about yourself that will flatter you.

Finally, I’ll tell you that all this is not a theory. I have experienced all this myself. Believe it or not, they even classified me as a sectarian and took me to a psychologist, and there is plenty of ridicule and jabs.

However, unlike the gray herd, I am growing and will achieve my goals, but they will remain in their warm comfortable swamp, where vacation is only when the great guru and teacher allows it, income is limited by the salary ceiling and there is not enough money for my son to buy a bicycle.

Now think seriously. What are you willing to do for a better life, which is in beautiful dreams and dreams? Are you ready to go through all the stages of social pressure? Write in the comments

By the way, those who leave their first comment will receive a good gift.

By the way, I give practical advice on the topic of the influence of society on a person. I didn’t follow him at the time and regretted it. Now I try to strictly follow it: Talk less to those around you (unless they are successful and positive people who are always ready to support you) about your goals and plans. This rule especially applies to relatives (including parents). If you follow this rule, then the second stage will be the least painful for you. The fewer people know about your plans, the fewer people will drag you back into the swamp. Agree, it is easier to overcome the resistance of a couple of people than of the entire society as a whole.

In conclusion, I suggest you watch a short excerpt from the movie “Rocky Balboa”. Very wise and correct words. I repeat them now to my eldest son.

Christianity arose in the 1st century AD in Palestine. The history of early Christianity is not very publicized by clergy, although it is logical to assume that over 2 thousand years of various transformations and changes, early Christianity should be very different from the religion that has come down to us at the present time.

A number of authors dealt with the history of Christian teaching. Erich Fromm considered the emergence of Christianity from the perspective of psychology. According to him, the teaching was popular among the lower classes of Jewish society. Thus, it allowed part of the population to unite and try to rebel against oppression by the rich inhabitants of Judea and the power of Rome. While the Romans were fighting Christians, they could consider themselves rebelling against the established system.

Over time, Christianity spread more widely and was no longer the teaching of the protesters everywhere. For the first time this religion became the state religion in Greater Armenia in 301. Somewhat later, Christianity began to become the state religion in the Roman Empire. At this time, there was no longer any need to talk about the protest nature of Christianity; on the contrary, it began to play the role of unification for the peoples of a particular country recognizing it as a state country.

Later, Christianity began to split into various branches - Catholicism, Protestantism. Politics already played a significant role here. The rulers of the states did not want the influence of the Pope or anyone else on state affairs, and some of them were out of the control of the Vatican and other Christian centers.

Every third inhabitant of the planet today considers himself a Christian. Among Christianity, the largest branch is Catholicism.

In the Middle Ages, the power of the church in Europe was great. Perhaps this is the time of greatest influence of Christianity on society. Then everyone, from ordinary people to great scientists, had to take into account the opinion of the church, risking being burned at the stake in case of disobedience.

The influence of other religions on society

The second most followed religion in the world is Islam. At the very beginning of its appearance, it allowed the Arabs from a number of disparate tribes to become perhaps the most significant force of their time. The Arab state occupied the territory from the Arabian Peninsula to the Iberian Peninsula.

In those countries where Islam is the state religion, it plays a very significant role. In Iran, for example, priests have more power than civilian rulers. In Saudi Arabia and the emirate of Sharjah in the UAE, the population lives according to Sharia law. In Egypt, Afghanistan and many other countries, residents are also guided by the Koran in many everyday affairs.

Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism and many other religions also have a significant influence on the life of society in specific regions. In general, all religions present to the world moral standards that are designed to stop people from evil deeds.

Almost 10% of the world's inhabitants consider themselves irreligious, but this does not mean that religion cannot indirectly influence their lives.

Unfortunately, it cannot be avoided that some people in power use incorrect interpretations of religious teachings for their own selfish purposes.

The formation of personality is affected by the influence of society. This is reflected in a person’s life form, his interests and success.

Methods of influence

For the full development of a person as an individual, communication with other people is necessary. This contributes to the rapid perception of social norms, established moral laws and value orientations.

Influence is a process that results in a complete or partial change in a person’s behavior, his interests, life goals, attitudes, and principles.

It can be negative or positive, is spontaneous, but is intrusive. Public influence is not subject to any control. Can be used to achieve positive or negative goals.

Psychology claims that influence should not have a negative impact on the formation of personality. Literacy, correctness, reasoned thought are the main requirements for psychological influence.

Positive influence

It consists of a positive change in a person, his personal growth. The environment matters. For the result to be truly positive, it is necessary to communicate with successful, intelligent, promising individuals from whom you can learn. Criticism from them will be reasoned, presented in a polite, tolerant manner. Being around such people will motivate a person to become better, to try to achieve the same high level of development and self-organization.

Psychologists and sometimes hypnologists have a positive influence on personality change. These are representatives of such types of professional activities that require developed perception and correct personal assessment. Using various NLP techniques and suggestions, they help a person get rid of phobic and other mental disorders, understand their mistakes, and see possible prospects.

There are no two identical individuals in the world. Therefore, it is very important to learn to accept the opinions of others, evaluate them with dignity and not deny them.

A person who is able to accept thoughts that are completely contradictory to his thoughts is capable of self-improvement and work on himself. This will have a positive impact on decision making in the future.

Proper upbringing is another manifestation of a positive influence on the formation of personality. It is the basis for education of a certain nature. Parents teach the child how to behave correctly in society, what to do in a specific situation and what is best not to do. They are taught the basic laws of morality and norms of behavior.

The positive influence of society is manifested in:

  • eliminating complexes;
  • full formation of beliefs;
  • the ability to argue your opinion;
  • understanding that each person is a unique individual with his own beliefs and
  • reasoning that may not coincide among several people;
  • stimulating human development in the chosen direction;
  • eliminating negative emotions, replenishing positive ones, etc.

Modern scientific analysis has proven that some features of an individual’s behavior disappear when he leaves the social environment or leaves the sphere of influence of a certain group of people. Such a group is a place where a person can express himself - work on communication skills and suggestion techniques.

A properly formed team makes it possible to learn to perceive yourself and others, notice the mistakes of others and be able to see your own. A person learns to filter information; in the process of discussion, he forms his own opinion or views on specific situations and behavior patterns.

Negative influence

There is a period in everyone’s life when the environment is dominated by unsuccessful, unpromising people who drag a person to the bottom. Their criticism does not teach anything, but is only reflected in the form of psychological deformation of the individual. As a result, such an individual, under pressure from society, often acts to the detriment of his own interests.

There are 3 main reactions to such group behavior. Each of these components has its own characteristics:

  1. Suggestibility. A person unconsciously agrees with the opinions of others and accepts the behavior of the group. He doesn’t notice how his manner of communication and type of thinking are changing.
  2. Conformism. A state in which an individual outwardly agrees with certain statements, but internally remains with his own opinion. There is a divergence from the thinking of the individual and the group.
  3. Conscious agreement. An individual really changes his attitude towards something. The interests of the group are actively defended.

Under such negative influence of a group, a person may not have his own opinion. The degradation process is activated.

Consequences of negative influence:

  • increased emotionality;
  • decreased level of self-knowledge and self-expression;
  • depersonalization – renunciation of one’s interests and opinions;
  • development of interpersonal conflicts;
  • increased levels of anxiety and puzzlement, etc.

Another possible negative consequence of group influence may be the inability to unleash creative potential. The main reason is the reluctance of society to perceive a person with a distinctive type of thinking and a different vision of the world. All creative ideas are rejected. As a result, creative potential may disappear altogether or be stuck in development for a long time.

Even when an individual wants to show his independence, he is not allowed to do so. Self-esteem falls, and a person is unable to give an adequate assessment of himself, his actions and certain actions. He does not feel supported by others.

Dependence on the opinion of society

Codependency is a condition that arose due to the fact that a person was unable to resist the influence of others. The phenomenon is associated with decreased self-esteem and the predominance of negative emotions (anger, melancholy, irritation, nervousness, worry, anxiety, etc.).

Codependency not only negatively affects the nature of the individual, but also the emotional and psychological state of a person. He constantly worries about what others will think of him - whether they will judge him or encourage him, whether he will be able to fulfill the expectations of others or whether he will disappoint someone.

Codependent people spend all their vital energy and strength on processing negative emotions. They may have a desire to get rid of the negative impact of society, but they may not have the strength to take any action in this direction.

The main manifestations of codependency created on a negative basis:

  • intrusive help, even when there is no need for it;
  • feeling of insignificance without a relationship with someone;
  • energy is spent on maintaining relationships with others to gain security and peace of mind;
  • fear of doing something contrary to public opinion;
  • perceiving other people's problems as one's own;
  • extinction of creative potential;
  • lack of positive thinking and original decision making;
  • there is a sense of responsibility for the actions of others;
  • helping others even in cases where a person is forced to do something he does not want,
  • so as not to disappoint anyone;
  • may express indignation at injustice, but is unable to protect his own interests;
  • always feels like a puppet; there is a deviation of praise, compliments, and pleasant statements;
  • the patient blames himself for literally everything, even when he is really innocent;
  • always considers himself not good enough.

A codependent person does not know how to say “no”. Because of this, he often does things he doesn't like. He is literally addicted to helping other people. He constantly has a feeling of victimhood or his own insignificance.

The main problem of such people is the lack of a life goal. They constantly help someone, satisfy other people's desires, sacrificing their own dreams.

This public influence is reflected in the physical condition of the patient. Sleep disturbances appear, mental disorders and central nervous system diseases actively develop.

A codependent allows others to hurt themselves. He never speaks openly about his needs. Always agrees to the conditions of others, even if they do not satisfy him.

Such a person is afraid of mistakes and failures. Loses interest in his life. As a result, he becomes a workaholic. Doesn't trust anyone, not even himself. She is very worried when others let her down, which is why she becomes depressed. Suffers from eating disorders and is unable to control emotions.

Codependency also affects an individual's lifestyle. Instead of a cheerful and cheerful state, he is constantly irritated, sad, despondent and complains about everything he can. He points out mistakes to everyone without noticing his own. It combines responsibility and irresponsibility at the same time.

Correction

The best solution is to become independent on a psychological level. Stop being afraid to express yourself, break generally accepted norms, and act contrary to others. The main rule to follow is the absence of a negative impact on society.

Independence is the main characteristic of a strong personality. She is responsible for every action and is not afraid of condemnation or failure. Has financial independence. She is conscientious, listens to the opinions of others, but compares them with her own interests. There is healthy egoism.

Rules to follow if you need to protect yourself from the negative influence of the public:

  • Remember that you cannot please everyone. If the other person is not happy with something, don’t try to please him. This will eliminate the need to constantly obey the orders of this person.
  • Stop paying attention to inadequate or eternally dissatisfied people. This takes a lot of strength and vital energy, which can be put to more worthy use. If someone begins to pour out their soul or often share their problems, be able to stop such a person in time. You should explain that you are not ready or do not have time to listen to such complaints.
  • Relax more in the fresh air. Overwork has a negative impact on all aspects of health. It is important to learn meditation and often repeat motivating affirmations. Exercising helps a lot (even a regular walk in the park will do).
  • You must take responsibility only for your own actions and actions. Then there will be no time to think about others. You should create situations that enrich you with positive energy and make you happy.
  • Never give in to rudeness. This is one of the most effective methods of manipulation. Cold contempt can be used to make it clear that such communication is unacceptable. Know your worth.
  • Constantly conduct self-analysis. This will help you keep yourself in good shape and not succumb to social pressure. Try to develop only good qualities. Clearly define your goals, set your priorities, and think about your plan of action. Such an action makes a person strong and independent.
  • Learn to reject people who show pity. You can sympathize with someone, but doing it all the time is a bad decision. Remember the basic rule - no one owes anyone anything.
  • Get rid of the influence of social stereotypes. The most popular of them is social deception. Someone does good, and the other individual should also do something good in return. In this primitive way, many manage others to achieve their own goals.
  • You can try to get rid of communication with unpleasant individuals or reduce any contact to a minimum. This will save vital energy and use it more productively.

  • SOCIETY
  • HERD
  • INSTINCT
  • INDEPENDENCE
  • HUMAN

The influence of society on a person. the herd instinct, embedded in us even before our birth, undoubtedly evolves, but at such a low speed that in half a century this difference becomes not so noticeable. And in order to learn to think independently in a crowd, a lot of time must pass and a lot of effort must be spent on each individual in order to change our society for the better.

  • Automation of the process of transporting petroleum products
  • Calls technologies, features, application and effectiveness
  • Development of a model of an information system for the legal department for support and conclusion of enterprise contracts

Should you trust the opinion of the crowd? Herd instinct - good or bad? By following the crowd, are we heading towards degradation?

There are a lot of questions to which we would like to know the answers. So let's try to figure out what a crowd is, a herd, how they are interconnected, what the herd instinct is and whether it is always necessary to fight it.

Referring to Ozhegov's dictionary, we can define the words crowd and herd:

Crowd - 1. A crowd of people, a gathering. 2. transfer A faceless mass of people in contrast to outstanding personalities (outdated).

A herd is a group of animals of the same species.

From these definitions it can be noted that these two concepts are close to each other. The phrase “herd instinct” itself originally applied to animals. For them, a herd lifestyle is natural. In other words, the herd is a hierarchical system where everyone has their own role. The herd instinct in this case is sometimes called the herd hierarchy instinct and is genetic. This strict hierarchy can be seen in the example of a herd of rats: each rat has its own rank, and lower ranks are subordinate to higher ones. From biology we remember that individuals of the highest rank are called alpha, and the lowest are called omega. In animals, the determination of rank is influenced by such important qualities as impudence, physical strength, etc. Also, some external signs can determine rank. For example, in roosters - the size of the comb.

The herd instinct manifests itself not only in animals. We should not forget that man is a biosocial being, and he also has an instinct for herd hierarchy. The main difference between a “herd of people” and a herd of animals is the basis on which qualities the rank is determined. For animals, as we have found out, strength plays the greatest role, but for people it affects much less. Much more important is the position in society, the size of the salary, etc., but this is only an external manifestation of the herd instinct. In fact, in humans it is almost no different from animals. Although, if we compare the lifestyle of people and, in fact, animals, we will not notice any strong differences. Under the slave system, whoever had the most slaves had the highest rank. In animals, everything happens similarly - rank is proportional to the number of subordinate individuals of lower rank. Also, in animals, the rank may depend on the territory that “belongs to a given herd. Among people, rank was determined by the number of buildings - under a feudal system.

The simplest manifestation of the herd instinct is the solution of any issue in a group of people; in this example, let’s consider a group of students. Each group has a leader, an activist who will offer his opinion on solving a specific problem. Most of those present agree with this decision, but not because they agree, but because they are most likely not sure that they are right or do not want to take responsibility for their words, and uncertainty is one of the signs that strengthens the herd instinct. Regardless of whether the person who made the decision was right, everyone who followed him in the “herd” will think that he is smarter than them. This is called subconscious associations, because of which we wishful thinking.

In each person, the instinct of herd hierarchy is expressed to varying degrees. In addition to the fact that the herd feeling is inherent in the genotype, we get used to it in everyday life. Most of it is laid in childhood: mainly by the example of parents. Next comes kindergarten, school, teachers, friends. The media (mass media), television, and the Internet come to their aid. And finally, neighbors and surrounding people (see Fig. 1).

Figure 1. The influence of various factors on the formation of the herd instinct

Pros and cons of the herd instinct

By studying the herd instinct, we can identify a number of its positive and negative influences on human life.

First, let's look at the positive influences.

First, the herd instinct is a basic survival mechanism in both humans and animals. If several people are looking up, passers-by will involuntarily look up to see what has attracted the attention of the group of people. And there is nothing wrong with this, since there may be danger from above from which you need to hide. In this case, the herd instinct works as a self-preservation instinct.

Secondly, based on the opinion of the crowd, we can make a choice in an area that is not entirely familiar to us. An example would be choosing a computer or phone. Not all people understand the characteristics, but based on the analysis of model data by other people, their reviews and statistics carried out on websites, you can find out a lot of useful information and choose a product. This applies not only to searching for products on the Internet. When we are going to buy a product, we resort to the help of sales consultants who help in choosing, and we trust their opinion.

If there is a crowd around a person, i.e. some gathering of people, he begins to move, think and act differently from what was expected of him. Why does the human mass have such a strong influence on an individual? There are several answers to this question.

Basically, a large number of attachments arise in a group of people due to a lack of independence and initiative in certain individuals.

Well, the second option for why a crowd can influence a person so much is that the person himself allows the masses to think for him, without bothering himself. An interesting factor is that in a crowd, not only the leader, but also each individual can have a suggestive influence on each other. Often we listen to other people's opinions because they are based on simpler facts.

Another disadvantage of the herd instinct is the ease of managing large numbers of people. The reluctance to break away from the general team, so as not to lose one’s status in society, is one of the main problems of our time. People begin to depend on the opinions of others so much that they allow themselves to be controlled. The individual begins to act not for his own purposes, but for the purposes of society, so as not to stand out and not be the object of discussion. For example, consider a group of schoolchildren who decide to leave class. When most of the class agrees to skip class and are about to leave, the remaining guys begin to think and unwittingly join the crowd. In most cases, approximately 3-10% of the entire team will remain for the lesson.

A person, without experiencing any influence and being in the company of people, spontaneously “infects” their behavior and copies their habits. Once a few people start moving at a red light, most people start moving too, without thinking about whether they are doing the right thing.

For some, the herd instinct is a way of protecting themselves. Protection from the outside world and external influences. The complexity of decision-making pushes them to follow public opinion.

Herd instinct in everyday life

We all understand that people have a tendency towards herd instinct. This is why it becomes possible to manipulate people for your own purposes. A famous example is an episode from Mark Twain’s book “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” about how the main character forces the neighbor boys to paint the fence instead of him. The question immediately arises: how was he able to do this? And the answer is very simple! Using the herd instinct. Seeing that there are already two people in line to paint the fence, the others begin to think that there is something valuable in this work and they are even willing to pay for the opportunity to participate in this process.

This technique is often used in promoting online stores that have a system for evaluating purchased goods. Previously, we looked at an example of how, based on statistics and reviews, you can select the desired product, but it is worth considering that not only buyers, but also “dummy people” can give ratings and write reviews, i.e. the author himself, the manufacturer or competitors. But people trust reviews and ratings on websites more than, for example, advertising.

The herd instinct also affects relationships within the team. We begin to relate better to those people whom we consider “our own”. It is not at all difficult to understand the principle by which selection for “friend” or “stranger” occurs. Mainly because of marital status, common interests, belonging to a group, etc., and, oddly enough, we listen to the advice of “our own” more often, and even allow ourselves to follow their example.

Having analyzed the behavior of people in various situations, you can notice a very interesting thing called “spontaneous herd instinct.” The individual begins to follow what he himself has already done several times. It turns out that a person considers a certain action to be correct based on his behavior in the past. In sales, it is believed that the most important purchase from one customer is the second. Then the person “gets in line” and can buy again and again, often making larger orders and spending more money.

The topic of herd instinct has been of interest to people for a very long time. In 1971, a popular science film was made in which various experiments were carried out on children. Let's consider one of the experiments carried out, called “sweet or salty”. Three quarters of the porridge in the plate was sprinkled with sugar, and the remaining area was sprinkled with salt. Children take turns trying the porridge from the same plate and answer what it tastes like. The first three get the sweet parts, and they sincerely say that the porridge is sweet. The tested child (the fourth) gets an over-salted piece. Despite this, most of the subjects stated that the porridge was still sweet. At the same time, many of them actively refuse another spoonful of such “sweet” porridge.

After this, several decades later, psychologists conducted the same experiments on modern society, but no significant changes were revealed. This means that the herd instinct, inherent in us even before our birth, undoubtedly evolves, but at such a low speed that in half a century this difference becomes not so noticeable. And in order to learn to think independently in a crowd, a lot of time must pass and a lot of effort must be spent on each individual in order to change our society for the better. But nevertheless, we see that in each of the experiments conducted there are about 10 percent of people who did not respond to the opinion of the crowd, but trusted only their own. This means we have a chance to correct the current situation and move towards a more rational future. We should always try to think with our own heads, but if we imitate something, then we need to choose worthy examples for this. Let the herd instinct manifest itself to you in the right form.

Bibliography

  1. Criminal crowd. Experience of collective psychology / RAS. Institute of Psychology; comp. A.K. Bokovnikov. - Moscow: Publishing House of the Institute of Psychology, 1999 .- 320 p.
  2. Psychology of crowds / comp. A.K. Bokovnikov; RAS. Institute of Psychology. - Moscow: Publishing House of the Institute of Psychology, 1999. - 416 p.
  3. Social psychology: Reader / E. P. Belinskaya; O. A. Tikhomandritskaya.- M.: Aspect-Press, 2000.- 475 p.
  4. Wikipedia website resources https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/
  5. A. N. Leontiev and modern psychology: Collection of articles in memory of A. N. Leontiev / ed. A. V. Zaporozhets. - Moscow: Moscow State University Publishing House, 1983 .- 288 p.
  6. Kravchenko, A. I. Sociology in questions and answers: textbook / A. I. Kravchenko. - Moscow: Prospect, 2009 .- 240 p.

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