Social Psychology Perspectives – Page 3 – Applying social psychology to the world around us

AnD THe bESt FAtHEr aWaRD GOeS tO…

Lavar Ball (52) father of NBA player Lonzo, LiAngelo and his youngest son LaMelo is co founder of the Big Baller Brand. The brand is also co founded by Alan Foster and they sell clothing, sporting gear and sneakers. One of the main problems with this brand is that the prices are not reasonable. Sneakers started from $400 and clothing started from $50, sales were so bad that they had no other choice than to drop the prices and hope that people would start buying their clothes. The brand was starting to get off the ground until a scandal happened where Lonzo (Lavar’s oldest son) accused Alan of stealing $1.5 million dollars from him. This caused Lonzo to leave the brand because he wanted nothing to do with Alan. Lonzo is the only son in the NBA so once he left the brand so did his fans which put the brand in a bad spot.

On an episode of “Ball In The Family” Lavar and Lonzo got into a disagreement over the brand’s name. Lonzo suggested that his father should change the name due to the scandal with Alan Foster. According to ftw.usatoday.com Lavar then said to his son “When I come out with a name and somebody asks me to change it, that’s like people saying change Lonzo’s name to Alfonzo on the fact that he been damaged goods for the past 2 years.” Many people found this comment to be very disrespectful because when Lonzo first joined the Lakers his father had nothing but nice comments to say about him. Now that Lonzo has been traded to the New Orleans Pelicans and just got off from an injury he was called damaged goods by his father. Lavar is a Free rider, which is someone who benefits from people around them but gives back little to nothing in return. Lavar is not in the NBA and he has never played basketball professionally but he continues to stay relevant and make money off of Lonzo. Since his Lonzo made it to the NBA Lavar has managed to start his Big Baller Brand. Lavar is ultimately making money because his son plays basketball professionally. Lonzo is working for his money and Lavar is riding on his son’s coat tail. Instead of Lavar saying that to his son he should’ve been more supportive of him being that the Lakers was his son’s dream team and his son is the reason why he is making so much money.

At this meeting Lonzo went on to ask a partner of the brand what he thinks. Lavar immediately shut it down and said “I don’t care what he thinks.” Lavar is only Lonzo’s father but he spoke to the other three men at the table as if they were his sons. The men said nothing and they just listened to Lavar rant. Obedience is when an authority gives orders and people comply to it without questioning what they were told. This situation shows obedience because Lavar was rude and dismissive to anyone else’s ideas but his own and it showed. Lavar is the head of this company so this allows him to say and do what he wants because he is the boss. One of the factors that causes people to be obedient is legitimate authority. Lavar has legitimate authority over the men at the table which causes them to not say much because Lavar has the power to fire them at any given time. Which essentially leads the men to listen to him even if they don’t agree with what he is saying

Nesbitt, Andy, and Email. “Lonzo Ball Needs to Finally Ditch LaVar Ball after Being Called ‘Damaged Goods’.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 17 Sept. 2019, ftw.usatoday.com/2019/09/lonzo-ball-needs-to-finally-ditch-lavar-ball-after-being-called-damaged-goods.

Uighur Muslims vs. China’s Persecution

While those in the United States may be well accustomed to the idea of religious freedom, people in other countries don’t have the luxury of those similar benefits. China is one such country where religious persecution is a daily occurrence, and recently more serious crimes against those who practice another religion have been accused of happening in China. The Uighurs, who are Muslims that live in the province of Xinjiang, have made accusations that the Chinese government is throwing their people into prison camps, and in general attacking their way of life. Many have fled to Istanbul for refuge. Gulbahar Jalilova, a previous prisoner of one such prison camp, states during an interview, “I never imagined this could happen in the 21st century: innocent people subjected to cuffs on their hands, shackles, and black hoods over their heads” (Schifrin & Sagalyn 2019).

But why is China able to succeed in persecuting a whole group of people? Of course Uighurs themselves have taken issue with it, but as for the rest of China’s population, there doesn’t seem to be much outcry from them. This appears to be a result of conformity. Conformity is when one follows a certain set of rules or norms deemed appropriate by their society. Although unrelated to the specific situation at hand in China, the Asch study mentioned in Myers (2018) offers insight as to the nature of the conformity that could be occurring. In the study, participants went along with the group in order to gain acceptance and avoid rejection, as well as believing others were more correct than they were. Thusly, the people of China who are not Uighurs could be conforming to what the government says in order to stay in favor, and potentially avoid similar punishments as suffered by the Uighurs. As for another potential reason, the population could believe that the government is correct in their persecution, perhaps due to information they have accumulated and the majority may not know. A government is typically meant to be looked at with trust, so many might not question it.

Another potential factor that could result in the continued persecution is the concept of obedience. Obedience is a willingness to follow orders. Myers (2018) states several factors that lead to obedience that could be reflective of China’s population: emotional distance, legitimacy of authority, and diffusion of responsibility. For emotional distance, if those in China are not acquainted with any Uighurs or even reside near them, their persecution might not mean much to them, as they have no emotional involvement with these people. Additionally, the authority of the Chinese government is extremely legitimate – and could even be described as somewhat tyrannical – and so many people might either be unwilling or too afraid to object to the government’s views. A legitimate authority generally does increase obedience, whether they are benevolent or not (Myers 2018). Finally, the diffusion of responsibility among the Chinese population could make them feel as though they are not solely responsible for protecting Uighurs, as someone might have already done so, when in reality, it doesn’t appear that many have.

It’s clear that action needs to be taken in order to protect these people that are being unjustly persecuted. As for if it will come from China itself is uncertain, and so perhaps it’s time for other countries to take a stand instead.

Liz Fontanilles

Works Cited

Editors, F. P. (2019, October 26). For Uighur Muslims in China, Life Keeps Getting Harder. Retrieved from https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/10/26/uighur-concentration-camps-surveillance-spies-china-control/.

Myers, D. G., Twenge, J.M. (2018). Exploring Social Psychology (Eighth Ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Schifrin, N., & Sagalyn, D. (2019, October 4). China calls it re-education, but Uighur Muslims say it’s ‘unbearable brutality’. Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/china-calls-it-re-education-but-uyghur-muslims-say-its-unbearable-brutality.

(n.d.). Retrieved from https://ethicsunwrapped.utexas.edu/glossary/obedience-to-authority.

Doesn’t Matter Who You Are, You’re a Superstar!!

According to recent articles by People and CBS, Megan Fox opens up about her son’s decision to wear dresses. Megan encourages her son to be himself and to be confident in what he wants to wear or be in his life. She explains how her son, Noah, is really into fashion and wears whatever he wants to school despite what his classmates say. Noah hears all the time from other children, “boys don’t wear dresses,” or “boys don’t wear pink.” Noah had stopped wearing dresses to school due to how much he was bullied, however, he recently started wearing dresses again thanks to his mother who teaches him to be confident no matter what. His father, Brian, is also very supportive. He told People magazine, “It’s his life, they’re not my clothes … I feel like at 4, at 5, that’s a time when he should be having fun. He’s not harming anyone wearing a dress. So if he wants to wear a dress, good on him” (Goldstein).

Noah is breaking society’s gender roles at such a young age. By wearing what he wants and not caring, it’s mind blowing that a four-year-old is taking a stance. By wearing dresses, wigs, and the color pink, he breaks the typical gender role for a boy. A gender role is how males and females are expected to act in terms of their behaviors. The typical gender role for a boy would be wearing blue, dressing in shorts and a t-shirt, not wearing wigs, being a football player instead of a cheerleader for Halloween, and not acting “girl like.” The stereotypical boy would not find interest in making fashion statements, commenting on what his mom would look better in, and would rather tag along with his dad, not to his mother’s dress fittings. Rather than telling their children what they should be wearing and doing as a boy or girl, the Fox/Green family does not conform to gender roles.

At such a young age of four years old, you would think Noah would want to fit in and be “one of the boys,” yet he doesn’t care what people say and does his own thing. He does not conform to the opinion of groups even though there is so much pressure to do so. Conformity is when there is an alter in behavior or belief due to group pressure that is real or thought to be real. Noah doesn’t let society change his mind about who he wants to be or what he wants to look like. Normative social influence suggests that people conform in order to fit in and not feel as though they will be rejected; Noah does not conform for the reason that he does not care about what other people think about him. Additionally, Noah’s parents are also going against society’s opinions about their son and what he should be or wear. With the presence of dissenters, Noah’s parents provide support for his not conforming by acting as his allies in his decision to wear dresses and not follow typical gender roles. They are constantly encouraging him to step out of social roles and be his own person, no matter what. Megan Fox and Brian Green speak out against everyone’s opinion on their son’s appearance. It’s appalling how people are judging Noah so harshly for being who he is. He is four years old and is being ridiculed for being confident in his own skin. If that was your son, wouldn’t you mirror Megan and Brian Fox’s behavior?

Brianna Cotza

Sources:

Goldstein, Joelle. “Megan Fox Opens Up About Son Noah’s Decision to Wear Dresses: ‘Be Confident No Matter What’.” PEOPLE.com, 19 Sept. 2019, https://people.com/parents/megan-fox-son-noah-decision-to-wear-dresses/.

O’kane Caitlin. “Megan Fox Opens up about 6-Year-Old Son’s Decision to Wear Dresses.” CBS News, CBS Interactive,

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/megan-fox-son-actress-opens-up-about-6-year-old-son-noahs-decision-to-wear-dresses-on-the-talk-today-2019-09-20/.

The Dolphins say “Ight ima head out”

Miami Herald presented the latest in a recent news article on the Miami Dolphins and the start of their new season. The Miami Dolphins’ roster is usually what’s blamed for the unsuccessful outcomes of their games. However, ever since the football team was given a new coach named Bryan Florez for the season, and the team took a historic loss against the Baltimore Ravens on September 8th, 2019, The team members and fans are beginning to look at Coach Flores sideways. Coach Bryan Florez is an American football coach who has taken on multiple roles with the New England patriots. He’s mainly known for his long-time job as a defensive assistant for the Patriots, and his work has shown through Patriots’ success. As new head coach of the Dolphins, he decided to put the team’s most talented players on defense: Xavien Howard, Reshad Jones, and Charles Harris are just to name a few. This decision may have been a mistake even though as an ex-defensive assistant, you’d think Flores would know the right strategies to bring home a win.

The Ravens scored 42 points within the first half of the football game. According to the article, Coach Flores was the first coach in 100 seasons to allow the opposing team to gain the most points in an opening half of a game while it being the beginning of a new season (Columnist). The defensive line up Coach Flores constructed ended up being a recipe for disaster and it allowed the Ravens to take over easily. In other words, the Ravens “lit up the Flores Defense like a candle (Columnist).” The Dolphins loss this huge game 59-10. The team blamed Coach Flores completely and the loss caused many of the members to want to be traded to a different team with a better coach. The concept that applies to this matter is called Self-Serving Bias. Self-serving bias is when credit is taken for a good occurrence and blame is placed on the outside sources for when something goes wrong. In this case, Coach Flores was blamed for the Dolphins’ loss. The team members also used this as an excuse to leave the team because they now have someone to put the blame on besides themselves. As I stated earlier, the Dolphin’s roster already wasn’t the best and it has been partially responsible for their losses in the past. For the past 3 seasons the Dolphins were coached by Adam Gase and the Dolphins weren’t placed 1st in the American Football Conference (AFC) East ranking, nor have they been placed 1st in the past decade. For the past 2 seasons, they’ve had a losing record; they lost more games then they won. This shows that no matter who is coaching the dolphins are accountable for the way they play their football games, whether or not they win or lose. This is clear evidence that the team members displayed self-serving bias.

One of the Dolphins football players Minkah Fitzpatrick acted on impulse and made the switch a reality. According to the article “Here’s how the Dolphins players reacted to the Fitzpatrick trade, plan to replace him,” The team “bemoaned his departure (Jackson).” Minkah’s actions displayed the concept of individualism, which is putting one’s own goals and ambitions above a group’s, as well as establishing one’s true self in terms of personal attributions. Minkah was drafted by the Dolphins in the first round of the 2018 NFL draft directly after he finished college. Being drafted in the first round is known to be impressive because you are identified as a good candidate for whatever position you play whether it be wide receiver, defensive back, quarterback, etc. Minkah traded to the Steelers for the 2019 season, which displays that he’s not willing to waste any time on a team that’s not elevating him in his career. This demonstrates the difference between individualism vs. collectivism. Collectivism is the concept of giving a group or team view priority over your individual opinions. Minkah Fitzpatrick’s decision to satisfy himself individually instead of being collective took a toll on his teammates. When asked about how he felt about Fitzpatrick’s trade, his fellow teammate Bobby McCain replies, “It sucks, it sucks,” and furthermore says how Minkah is a friend of his and a brother of the entire team, however, “It’s football, it’s the business (Jackson).” This confirms that sometimes when being a football player you have to make tough decisions but it’s all for the better.

AB vs the World

The Antonio Brown show

In case you haven’t heard, ex-NFL superstar Antonio Brown has gone from one of the greatest and respectively one of the most feared wide receivers to one of the most hated athletes in sports. The antonio Brown saga started back in July when he froze his toes using a cryotherapy machine and wasn’t going to be able to partake in training camp, at least for the beginning. The effects of the spotlight effect began to creep up on Antonio Brown, now in the NFL most athletes are always under the spotlight so its easy to misconstrue this term with actually being under the spotlight. But more often than not athletes take to the social media outlet twitter to voice their opinions which makes them fall victim to the spotlight effect.

Antonio Brown was quick to head to twitter to share his feelings on not practicing through training camp and just had arrogant comments to make towards the NFL. There was an interview with his former Team’s QB Ben Roethlisburger and Brown chose to fire back on twitter saying how Ben is “two face” and isn’t “His friend” because Brown felt the need to do so because Brown believes that everything in the end is centered around him. Its clear that the spotlight effect has affected brown because after his departure from the NFL everything just kept on moving as if he was never really there yet he keeps on causing drama. But Brown also thinks like this because he is a Narcissist. Brown has said in the past that “He doesn’t need the game, The game needs him”. Brown has gone against a couple of players on twitter in the past couple days starting trouble about how much he’s better than them for no apparent reason at all.

Brown also speaks in third person, hes taken to twitter and said “The game needs me like im test answers”, hes also said it in a live interview. Hes also said “ im the best why stop now”, he sees no fault in his errors and was even quick to bash his own former teammate Juju smith-shister because he began to get some well deserved recognition.

Shaquil Jones

The Backstreet Boys are Back and Crazier Than Ever

Nick Carter, singer from The Backstreet Boys filed a restraining order against his brother Aaron Carter, singer and start of “Aaron’s Party”. According to NCBC News, Nick Carter 39, states that Aaron Carter 31, allegedly threatened to kill Nick Carter’s pregnant wife. Aaron Carter suffered from multiple personality disorder, schizophrenia, acute anxiety, and manic depression and is taking Xanax and the antidepressant Trazadone which he had stopped taking on four occasions. Aaron Carter claims that he had had no contact with his brother for years but that he (Nick Carter) has been trying to institutionalize him (Aaron Carter). Under California statute, Section 5150 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, Nick Carter does have the ability to institutionalize for 72 hours, his brother Aaron Carter, if he is a threat to himself or someone else. Aaron Carter states that he does not intend to harm any one and wants to remain at a distance from his family and that he does not need to be on his medications and will taper them off.

Nick Carter’s continuous efforts to keep Aaron Carter stable and away from his family exhibits the effect of locus of control. Nick represents his use of internal control. Internal locus of control is believing that one’s efforts have an impact on a situation. External locus of control is when one believes that fate has the biggest impact on a situation. Nick Carter represents the internal locus of control because he believes that his efforts to institutionalize his brother and to get a restraining order would prevent bad things from happening to his family. Nick believes that if he files 5150 with the state (the code that allows him to institutionalize his brother for 72) this will prove that Aaron is mental unstable and would lead him to get further treatment. The effort of getting a restraining order makes him think that he has control of whether or not Aaron can be in contact with his family. Although, Nick thinks that he has control over these because of his efforts; it is not garneted that his actions would actually prevent Aaron from hurting someone else.

Nick Carter also represents the illusion of control. Illusion of control is when when one believes that they have power over uncontrollable events. Nicks efforts to file for a restraining order gives him the comfort and an illusion that he has power over whether or not Aaron comes near his family. Nick believes that if he does get Aaron institutionalized then that would allow Aaron to receive help and prevent him from hurting himself or someone else. However, in reality, he does not have any actual input on whether or not Aaron does something drastic and pursues to find Nicks family.

Madani, Doha. “Backstreet Boys Singer Nick Carter Says He Filed Restraining Order against Brother Aaron Carter.” NCBC News , 17 Sept. 2019, https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/celebrity/backstreet-boys-singer-nick-carter-says-he-filed-restraining-order-n1055661.

Sierra Metviner

Is A JUUL For Fools

Written by: Angela Sanginito

(Maaj,n.d.)

The new trend of vaping has feverishly swept the United States. According to an article written for DailyNews by Theresa Braine, as of September 23rd there have been 9 confirmed deaths by respiratory complications due to vaping (Braine, 2019). Minors and adults are taking part in this new activity only to find themselves dealing with serious health problems later. Athlete and student, Adam Hergenreder, can attest to this statement. Recently, Hergenreder spoke with CNNHealth about his current physical state after using the notorious vaping brand, Juul, to smoke. Hergenreder stated that he experienced shivers and vomiting for sometime. Unaware that it had anything to do with vaping, he visited his pediatrician who prescribed anti-nausea medication. Hergenreder did not see any improvement with the medications and after many visits to different physicians, it was then discovered that his symptoms were due to his juuling and tetrahydrocannabinol use. Now, Hergenreder is deemed to have the lungs of a seventy year old at age eighteen. An athlete, Hergenreder is now unsure if he can even pursue his career as an athlete. Hergenreder stated “If I had known what it was doing to my body, I would have never even touched it, but I didn’t know”(Hergenreder, 2019 as cited in Howard, 2019), he went onto say “I wasn’t educated” (Hergenreder, 2019 as cited in Howard, 2019). (Howard, 2019); (Braine, 2019).

(Alvarez,2018)

After reading, you may be curious- why do people continue to vape despite all of the health risks that come with it? A potential answer for this is unrealistic optimism. Unrealistic optimism is when someone is overly optimistic. Meaning, when someone is overly optimistic it can lead to them thinking that potential risks and events are not likely to happen to them. This is because an individual’s optimism and positive attitude outweighs the potential risks of a situation. This concept relates back to the article because those who continue to vape even after hearing Adam’s story and the recorded fatalities may believe that they are invincible. This is because they think what happened to Adam or other people cannot and will not happen to them. When you ask an ordinary person who specifically still smokes a juul, they may say that it is not dangerous and that they will not have any health scares as a result of the effects of unrealistic optimism. It allows its possessors to feel comfortable with an outside risk or threat because of the invincible, “it won’t happen to me because I am me” mindset (Howard, 2019).

In a peer-reviewed article “Smokers’ unrealistic optimism about their risk” written by N D Weinstein, S E Marcus, and R P Moser, they talked about a research study based on unrealistic optimism with people who smoke cigarettes. In the study, a telephone survey by The H.I.NT.S. ( Health Information National Trends), wanted to collect data to see if unrealistic optimism would be present with people who smoke cigarettes and to see what their responses would be in regards to contracting an illness. They took a sample of 6369 from ages 18 and over and decided to ask them questions based on their smoking history. During the study, the results revealed that the smokers gave a clear sense of unrealistic optimism when it came to comparing their own risk to smoking to other smokers or nonsmokers. The smokers believed that they had a small chance of getting any type of illness from smoking, even though there is data showing how they run a great risk. Included in the article, was a figure that asked the participants what their perceived risk was of getting any type of illness based upon how many cigarettes they smoke daily. All the participants responses ranged in the same area. They all underestimated the potential health risks associated with how many cigarettes each participant smoked daily. In addition, there was another form of data showing their actual risk of getting any kind of illness. The more cigarettes a person smoked a day, the more their risk of contracting an illness increased. Many of the participants who underestimated their potential health risk argued that common myths associated with lowering smoking risks, such as exercising and taking daily vitamins, were actually true and helps them lower their own health risks. This relates to unrealistic optimism in that their belief and positive outlook on these myths overcompensates for the health threat that smoking poses. Therefore, leading to the participants to not view smoking as a health scare because they believe these myths are reversing the detrimental effects of smoking (Weinstein, Marcus, & Moser, 2005).

This peer-reviewed article is related to the CNN article. In both instances, people who smoked or vaped did not seem to think about or accept that either smoking cigarettes or juuling would cause any harm to their bodies. Most teens that actively use the brand, Juul, are all under the impression that they are safer than smoking an actual cigarette. Unaware of the long term effects of vaping, until recent stories of teens dying and getting illnesses started to sweep American headlines. The smokers in the peer-reviewed article also tried to explain their smoking habits, just like the teens did. The smokers tried to feel better about their smoking habits by allowing themselves to think that they do not have the same health risks as other smokers. The myths believed by the smokers in the peer-reviewed article may be consistent with the beliefs of Adam Hergenreder and other teens who vape and smoke. In that, Hergenreder and other teens may also believe that them exercising and taking daily vitamins combats the health risks associated with smoking. Hergenreder also stated that he is an athlete himself. Therefore, his simultaneous exercise and smoking habits is reflected in the example of how believing in these myths fuels unrealistic optimism (Howard, 2019); (Weinstein, Marcus, & Moser, 2005).

Alvarez, V. (2018, October 10). Professors police Juuling. Retrieved from

http://www.thesandspur.org/professors-police-juuling/.

Braine, T. (2019, September 24). Ninth person dies of vaping-related respiratory illness, second in

Kansas. Retrieved from https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-vaping-respiratory-illness-ninth-victim-dead-530-cases-cdc-20190924-jviispvsu5dczf7s35csnmxv3q-story.html.

Howard, J. (2019, September 13). Teen with vaping-related illness now has lungs like ‘a 70-year-old’s’. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/11/health/vaping-lung-illness-illinois-teen-profile/index.html.

Maa, J. (n.d.). Commentary: Why Big Tobacco’s investment in e-cigarette maker Juul ought to alarm you. Retrieved October 3, 2019, from https://calmatters.org/commentary/e-cigarettes/. (Flickr photo courtesy of vaping360.com)

Weinstein, N. D. (2005). Smokers unrealistic optimism about their risk. Tobacco Control, 14(1), 55–59. doi: 10.1136/tc.2004.008375

Sorry Trump, Greenland Isn’t For Sale

Ever since Trump has been elected into office in 2016, there’s not a day that goes by where the average American isn’t bombarded with countless articles about him, both in support and against. Some of the things his administration has done have been pretty shocking, yet Americans are still surprised every now and then. As August was coming to a close, Trump and his administration expressed interest in buying Greenland. America, Greenland, and Denmark (the country that Greenland belongs to) were in shock. There was speculation that it was a joke, but it was soon discovered he was completely serious. According to Mcdonald (2019), interest in Greenland is due to “new North Atlantic shipping lanes opening up due to melting polar ice caps”. Greenland is a jackpot for natural resources such as, “coal, zinc, copper, iron ore and rare minerals” (McDonald 2019).

It’s no surprise that Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, responded with a firm “no,” stating, “Greenland is not for sale.” And Trump’s reaction? Neuman (2019) states he called Frederiksen’s comments “nasty” after she shut down the idea and canceled his scheduled trip to Denmark. He then went on to tweet about it.

So what exactly do Trump’s interest and response have to do with social psychology? Throughout the whole exchange, Trump demonstrated characteristics of narcissism and self-serving bias. Narcissism is an inflated self-image. While we are not here to diagnose Trump, it’s important to analyze his actions. He demonstrated characteristics of narcissism by having overconfidence in claiming Greenland, then lashed out by insulting Fredriksen when she told him no. His ego was publicly wounded, therefore he needed a way to boost himself up. Myers and Twenge offer an explanation in the text as to why narcissists behave like this, which can be applied to Trump. Myers (2018) states that due to the growing culture of materialism, narcissism is also growing. Trump is a very materialistic, wealthy man who has been like this since he started his business. Success has always been present in his life. Due to the way he has lived, he isn’t used to the limitations that come with being president, therefore he is seen to be lashing out in public confrontations.

Self-serving bias is where a person has a favorable view of him or herself. In this case, Trump seems to blame his failure on not getting Greenland on the prime minister, instead of considering that he approached the situation inappropriately. It can be seen in his responses to Denmark’s denial that blames external factors instead of blaming himself and his administration. Before he was president, he was a successful businessman. Unfortunately, his tactics to buy Greenland did not seem to work. In the case that he was successful, he would probably credit the success of his own abilities and efforts.

While Trump is the leader of the free world, there are limitations to his power, whether he likes it or not.

Ciccollela, F. (2018). Modern love. Francesco Ciccollela. https://www.francescociccolella.com.

Mcdonald, J. (2019 August 21) Here’s why Trump wants to buy Greenland. CNBC. Retrieved from https://www.cnbc.com.

Myers, D. G., Twenge, J.M. (2018). Exploring Social Psychology (Eighth Ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Neuman, S. (2019 August 19). No joke: Trump really does want to buy Greenland. NPR. https://www.npr.org.

Neuman, S., Ingber, S. (2019 August 21). Trump skips visit to Denmark, calls Danish leader ‘nasty’ for Greenland sale rebuff”. NPR. https://www.npr.org.

@realDonaldTrump. (2019 August 20, 7:51 p.m.). Denmark is a very special country with incredible people, but based on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s comments, that she would have no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland, I will be postponing our meeting scheduled in two weeks for another time…. Twitter. https://twitter.com.

@realdonaldTrump. (2019 August 19, 8:07 p.m.). I promise not to do this to Greenland! Twitter. https://twitter.com.

@realDonaldTrump. (2019 August 20, 7:51 p.m.) ….The Prime Minister was able to save a great deal of expense and effort for both the United States and Denmark by being so direct. I thank her for that and look forward to rescheduling sometime in the future! Twitter. https://twitter.com.

Shannon Roberson

Shawn Mendes, Camila Cabello, and the Fish Kiss No One Asked For

Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello started dating shortly after the release of their collaborated song, “Señorita.” It is unknown if their relationship is valid or not, but Mendes claims that it is. According to an article posted by TMZ, Shawn and Camila have “seen the comments on social media from haters making fun of their makeout sessions — comparing them to fish sucking” (Staff, T. M. Z., 2019, p.2). In response to the allegations, Mendes and Cabello posted a video of them kissing in a rather disturbing way to prove that their relationship is real and that they don’t kiss like fish. Their relationship and responses demonstrate the Spotlight Effect and Behavioral Confirmation.

The spotlight effect is when one believes attention is focused on them more than it actually is when they demonstrate a certain behavior or are thinking about their appearance. Mendes and Cabello created an unsettling video by awkwardly licking each other’s faces. This came as a result of them feeling self-conscious about their public display of affection. Their kissing hasn’t made the news except for the outrageous one that they themselves posted. They were so concerned about their PDA that they believed everyone was watching how they kiss, thus illustrating the spotlight effect. They may not have received much attention for kissing before, but this kiss sparked the interest and attention from fans and other celebrities.

Although some believe that the relationship is a publicity stunt for their new song and careers, the loyal fans are quick to stand by the couple. Behavioral confirmation is when society’s assumptions cause people to act out in ways that confirms others’ expectations of them. Mendes and Cabello demonstrate behavioral confirmation by acting how the fans want to see them. If the fans think that their relationship if true due to displays of affection, then the couple will deliver just that. This further pushes fans to see them both as a committed couple and not as a publicity stunt. Shawn wants his fans to believe in his relationship with Camila and the fans want a relationship to follow between the two of them. Both sides feed off of each other’s reactions and responses which shows that behavioral confirmation came into play.

Alexandria Glover

References

Bailey, A. (2019, September 20). Shawn Mendes Wants You to Know His Relationship With Camila Cabello Is ‘Not a Publicity Stunt’. Retrieved from https://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/a29122311/shawn-mendes-camila-cabello-kissing-date-fake-relationship-response/.

Murray, Tom. “Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello Shared an Instagram Video Showing ‘How We Really Kiss’ after People Accused Them of Kissing like Fish.” Insider, Insider, 12 Sept. 2019, https://www.insider.com/shawn-mendes-camila-cabello-share-video-how-they-really-kiss-2019-9. (picture)

Staff, T. M. Z. (2019, September 12). Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes Show Haters How They Really Kiss. Retrieved from https://www.tmz.com/2019/09/12/camila-cabello-shawn-mendes-kissing-fish-licking-twitter-haters/.

Jimmy Butler’s Authoritarian Personality and Catharsis

Alex Kennedy

On Monday, November 12^th, 2018, the Minnesota Timberwolves traded away Jimmy Butler to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Robert Covington, Dario Saric, and Jerryd Bayless. This trade was a culmination of many different issues on conflicts within the Minnesota organization, all stemming from either the actions, or frustrations of Butler. From yelling at teammates, to his frustrations with the Timberwolves’ performance in the 2018 playoffs, Butler was never opposed to voicing his concerns and causing problems between he and his teammates. The main problems and roots of conflict found here in this situation are Jimmy Butler’s authoritarian personality as well his catharsis.

An authoritarian personality is defined as a personality type in which one has an obsession with respecting authorityand views people of outgroups as inferior. In the situation of Butler and the Timberwolves, he views himself as the authority figure. Someone who is authoritarian will often talk down unto someone of a separate group or, for the case of Jimmy Butler, people they view as lesser than them. Butler viewed his teammates as all lesser than them, specifically star center Karl-Anthony Towns and starting wing Andrew Wiggins. Towns and Wiggins were both first overall picks who came into this league with a sense of confidence from their peers due to their natural talents. Both were dominant college players who had everything handed to them in the NBA from massive contracts to immense fame. Everything that is, except for wins on the court. Butler was a very different tale. He was the 30^th overall pick and had a lot to prove since not many fans knew him and even expert draft analysts such as Tyler Ingle were at best comparing him to an average role-player such as Wesley Matthews. This is why, as an authoritarian, he not only sees himself as superior but also views his teammate, Towns and Wiggins, as members of an outgroup. Wiggins and Towns have all of the God-given talent in the world and did not have to put in as much effort as Butler did to be in the situation they currently are. Jimmy Butler worked for every opportunity he got beginning on the Chicago Bulls. In his first season he only averaged 2.6 points per game in not even 9 minutes of play time. Towns on the other hand was averaging 18 points in 32 minutes per contest and the year before that, Wiggins was averaging almost 17 points in 36 minutes for his rookie campaign. Butler had to improve every year, to the point that he even won the 2014-2015 NBA Most Improved Player award and made his first All-Star team. Because of his insane work ethic due to the chip on his shoulder, Butler viewed himself as a superior player to his fellow Timberwolves. They were members of an outgroup that he did not respect because they never had to put in as much effort as him. Rather than being handed his opportunities, Butler worked for every chance he ever received and successfully made a name for himself. These are the reasons why Butler developed and authoritarian personality.

Catharsis is defined as expressing one’s emotions with the intention of providing significant emotional relief. For some people, catharsis is not a destructive thing. For many people airing out their emotions can be a therapeutic experience for not just themselves but for those around them as well because they can come to an understanding of what a problem may be and work together in order to improve the situation. For the Minnesota Timberwolves, the catharsis of their star forward was nothing less than detrimental. This was not the first time that Jimmy Butler airing his grievances got him in trouble. Back in 2017 when he was still a member of the Chicago Bulls he was fined and benched for criticizing his teammates saying that they “don’t play hard all the time”. This is just one of the earliest examples of his catharsis causing tension between himself and the organization he played for. Things really came to a major conflict in the summer of 2018 after he had approached the organization and requested that he be traded. Mere minutes after voicing his request, an unnamed person approached him demanding that he still attend practice. Jimmy detailed this altercation on an episode of his teammate JJ Redick’s podcast on December 10^th, 2018. He noted how after being told to attend practice he responded by saying “you’re not going to tell me what I’m gonna do. If I choose to practice, I’ll choose to practice”. After a back-and-forth Jimmy eventually did end up attending practice but it quickly became one of the most infamous practices in the history of the NBA. At this practice, Jimmy barged in and quickly assembled a scrimmage game where he took the third string players of the Timberwolves onto his team and they went against the starters including Taj Gibson, Jeff Teague, and of course Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins. Butler’s team dominated this game even though Butler himself “only shot once”. Throughout this scrimmage Butler would repeatedly yell at and reprimand players of the other team and even at one point started proclaiming to their GM “you fucking need me” and “you can’t win without me”. He expressed an obscene amount of emotion and although it may have temporarily relieved his emotional tension, it only made the situation on the Timberwolves so much more tense. Jimmy Butler’s catharsis was a major reason as to why his tenure on the Timberwolves was controversial and short-lived. Had he not been such a hothead and kept himself under control he could have become a proper mentor to Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins and they could be a perennial team in the Western Conference.

Before the trade on November 12^th, the Timberwolves had a poor record of four wins and eight losses. Since then, they have improved to nine wins and six losses for a total record of 13 and 14, a record that has them just two games out of making the playoffs and will likely improve as the season goes on. This team has begun to work together better and perform as a unit. They did not add any players that are more talented than Jimmy Butler, but by adding roster pieces who are willing to work hard and cooperate with everyone, the Timberwolves are becoming a solid team that have to be respected whenever another team has to play against them. By simply removing an authoritarian personality that has a strong leaning towards embracing catharsis, the Minnesota Timberwolves are a better, and happier organization. As for Jimmy Butler, he’s doing well in Philadelphia and the team has been performing well with him on the roster. There are yet to be any incidents reported in Philadelphia so clearly his authoritarian personality and his catharsis have either not taken form in the City of Brotherly Love or he’s finally learned to calm down and play his role without insulting anyone or bringing them down.

References

Myers, D.G. (2015). Exploring Social Psychology: 8^th Edition.

The JJ Redick Podcast [Audio blog interview]. (2018, December 10).

Weinstein, A. (2017, January 28). Jimmy Butler, Dwyane Wade benched, fined for remarks. Retrieved pppfrom http://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/news/jimmy-butler-dwyane-wade-rajon-rondo-pppinappropriate-remarks-chicago-bulls/1cd98k1ymwc5813bqau0o894td

Wojnarowski, A. (2018, October 11). Jimmy Butler rips into Wolves front office, teammates during ppppractice. Retrieved from http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/24950981/jimmy-butler-heated-ppppractice-timberwolves