What Psychology Has to Say About YOU!

Social Psychology has always been one of my favourite topics in University, and later on as an Instructor of Psychology. I love the ingenuity behind the research, and find the results fascinating!

My all-time Social Psychology Hero is without question Stanley Milgram. His research has revolutionized both the field of Social Psychology and the way we think of the power of social systems/situations. In his landmark Behavioral Study of Obedience, Milgram made a powerful demonstration of the power of situations. His experiment involved subjects (teacher) asking another subject (learner - confederate posing as a subject) series of simple memory questions. Each time a wrong answer was given, progressively stronger shocks had to be delivered. In the span of about one hour, the majority of teachers went all the way to dangerous shock levels, even though the learner had stopped begging for the experiment to stop (feigning to have become unconscious - as you will have guessed, nobody got real shocks!). Indeed, 2/3 of his subjects (so-called normal, average individuals recruited through a newspaper ad) submitted to the pressure of the experimenter and killed the learner (again, this was simulated).

The study has entered into the public mainstream and has been integrated into popular culture. Peter Gabriel composed a song (see video below) and movies were made around the same topic.




What this experiment has taught me is that no matter who, given the right set of circumstances, people can be driven to conduct themselves in just about any sort of way. Such an important piece of knowledge has really helped me change the way I read people. A common error Westerners make in interpretings other's behaviour is the Fundamental attribution Error (assuming that people's behaviour is best explained by dispositional, or personality, factors rather than situational ones). I have also had the experience of observing myself acting differently under different sets of circumstances, which also points to the power of the situation.

Dynamic Governance is a new paradigm that restructures situations so that people's creativity, ingenuity, positivity, openness, morale, and so much more, can be influenced in a positive way. In the mid-1880's, Dorothea Dix lobbied for the reform of the care of the mentally ill. In a presentation to the Massachussets Legislature, she reported how the mentally ill were "confined within this Commonwealth, in cages, stalls, pens! Chained, naked, beaten with rods, and lashed into obedience". The resulting reforms led to great improvements in patient health and behaviour. Their insanity diminished as their situations changed.

Not unlike that example, organizational behaviour could also be viewed as a direct result of situational factors. Given the right conditions, people will exhibit teamwork, positive relationships, trust, creativity, and dedication. On the other hand, if the conditions are not so positive, workers can become disengaged, frustrated, resistant, bitter, and uncooperative.

So the question begs: Do we try to change the workers, or do we opt to change the system? Dynamic Governance restructures the environment so that people can emerge in a positive fashion. In my mind, that is worth every penny and sweat drop put into it!