Social psychology and conformity

Psychology - Conformity

Message against Drunk Driving

Given the probabilities of students and teenagers susceptibility to interpreting a message meant to convey the exact opposite of what is actually incurred, the message for a poster discouraging drunk driving must be concise and very firmly informative. It must cover the entire basis for what will provide an unmistakable cautionary depiction of the possibilities students and teenagers may face in associating themselves with alcohol regardless of the sociological aspects alcohol consumption may pertain to.

Statistics are, in most instances of conveying dangers, an effective and supportive way of confirming the intent of any message. However, in this instance where students and teenagers are susceptible to wrongful interpretations due to the desire of matching conformity and the four types of social controls (Hirschi, 1969), statistics have shown a likely manipulative directive through their display and advertising under this subject. Therefore, the message of the poster will need to provide similar effectiveness and support without the use of gathered statistics. Herein also lays the opportunity to mislead the actual commonalities of occurrence because no actual accuracy is being cited. Hence, in swaying from the use of statistical data, there is more chance in portraying drunk driving to be more common than it actually is. These two factors - not using statistical information and remaining accurate to the occurrence of drunk driving - can substantiate the very contradictions of the intent of the poster, but collaborated precisely with their objectives, the most influential and beneficial method of conveying the intended message is much more attainable.

Given the understanding of the previous dissections into conveyance, a full model for an effective poster can be developed. The verbal wording of the message will need to strike some type of warning degree that provokes thought. I propose something along the lines of the following: "YOU WOULDN'T RISK SKYDYIVING WITHOUT a PARACHUTE, SO WHY WOULD YOU RISK DRIVING AFTER DRINKING?" This message and its question demand the reader to understand the obviousness of the first declaration - skydiving without a parachute. This is something that is clear and apparent, and with its correlation to the concluded question, the relevance of the risk involved with drunk driving can be negatively associated to the danger in both situations depicted. Utilizing the illustrations of a descending skydiver and a destroyed automobile below, the visual aspect of the poster will be more thoroughly identifiable. Following the heading previously mentioned and the visual illustrations, a concluding subheading will help to drive home the idea of nobility and intelligence of the targeted audience is such according to their adherence and acknowledgement of the intended message by implementing the influence used through the sociological ideas in reciprocation (Influence, the social psychologist Robert Cialdini, 2000). This subheading would read something along the lines of the following: "YOU'RE SMART ENOUGH to KNOW the DANGERS - SHOW it - DON'T DRINK & DRIVE!" Or "BE a LEADER, and SHOW YOUR INTELLIGENCE - DON'T DRINK & DRIVE!" This will again, support and substantiate the concepts described in the sociological notions with reciprocation and commitment influence.