Week 9 Social Psychology Paper

Social Psychology Paper
Jennifer Hogue
PSY 201
03/09/2014
Ann Reed
Social Psychology Paper
Sarah’s upbringing in such an affluent household meant that she was held to a certain level of standards and is expected to act a specific way according to the way her parents have brought her up. She is a bright and smart girl, which is shown in the fact that she exemplifies exceptional grades and is taking a majority of honors classes. The profile we were given about Sarah did not specify the type of friends that she had previously, which could be speculated that she did not have very many friends. Meeting these new girls, who showed interest in gaining a friendship with Sarah caused her to question her good judgment when it came to obeying the rules set forth by her parents, which she followed in the past. She has never missed her curfew in the past.
Wanting to fit in with these new friends that she has become close to, when they suggested her break her curfew, she was met with a moral dilemma- go home and risk losing her new found friendships with these new girls, but she knew breaking curfew would disobey her parents, which she has not done to this degree, if ever. It was an internal struggle she was facing- do want she really wanted to do, or do something she knew she needed to do.
Sarah conformed to her new friends when they asked her to go to this party, even though she knew it would probably result in some form of punishment for neglecting the rules her parents gave to her by breaking her curfew. She was more than likely excited, due to the fact it would be the first party she had ever attended, and possibly nervous because she did not really know what to expect. She felt peer pressure in a way, because she wanted to fit in and build a better friendship with these girls. Once they got to the party and Sarah realized that her new friends were some of the popular girls at school and that could possibly elevate her social stature, she let go a bit of the remorse she felt for disobeying her parents.
Jack admitted that he though Sarah was beautiful, and physical attraction plays an important role in adolescent attraction. They tend to be attracted to what’s on the outside at first and then get to know them for their personality and traits afterwards. Jack and Sarah, while conversing, found they lived in the same neighborhood and shared some common interests, which made Jack more inclined to ask Sarah out on a second date for the following weekend.
When the fought broke out, there seemed to be an unsettling chaos and the fight put a damper on the party. Once the commotion was over with, people may have been afraid of the police being called due to the disruption and decided it was time to leave the party and call it a night. The enjoyment was ruined by a few individuals with less than tasteful behavior.
Sarah experienced a whirlwind of emotions and behaviors throughout the night. Being an intelligent girl, she knew the difference between right and wrong, but felt inclined to conform to what her new friends wanted her to do. Not wanting to be shunned or be seen as an immature girl, unable to make her own choices, she decided to defy her parents’ rules and succumb to the peer pressure and attend the party. She was overcome by the excitement knowing that she was hanging out with the popular crowd and once at the party, she possibly felt the punishment would be well worth it. It was not made clear if she did anything wrong other than disobey curfew, no mention of drinking or doing anything else that she knew was morally wrong. When she started talking to Jack the feeling of remorse dissipated the more she talked to this guy, who was a grade higher than her, and interested in her. She was not thinking about the possibility of punishment when she accepted the date for the following weekend.
With the information that we have been given, this sounds to be her first offense, but with the statement given that her parents are strict, it is unclear how harsh her punishment would be. So there may be a possibility that date will not happen, but I think Sarah experience at her first party will be a party that she will not soon forget, due to the positive and negative things that happened there. She got to hang out with her new friends and met a boy where there was a mutual attraction and the compatibility, she was experiencing a new set of emotions she may have not felt before. I think she thought about all the pros and cons of disobeying her rules and decided the experience is a new experience and would take the consequences that lay ahead of her.