WK6Assgn1 Welling T
T.
"TR" Robert "Shawn" Welling
April 7, 2019
Dr. Rynearson
Like a medical doctor, therapists
are cut from a similar cloth, you can either counsel/treat someone or you
cannot. You can learn the skills to perform, but if you as an individual have
no talent in the subject answering treatment questions becomes a huge struggle.
That huge struggle is associated with the bystander effect
(Darley & Latané, 1968). Which is, in part, based on several
rather horrific events rapes, murders, the holocaust, etc. where plenty of
information was available regarding the events before and during but the
group/crowd for some reason refused to get involved. To best answer the provided
question, how to use the tools to best help a person suffering through two separate
criminal acts; first non-consensual intimacy, second a threat of physical
violence. First step contact
the FBI, let the professionals handle the legal and counseling aspects.
There is a rather famous film
created on the streets in eastern Europe circa 1930s, where the NAZI soldier
takes a young Jewish girl and performs what everywhere else is illegal, but in
the Third Reich was not only not illegal but ignored. The soldier could have
just as easily gone on to another young female on the streets and performed the
same act on her as his first victim, shot and killed one of both, not a single
part of his actions was illegal in the Third Reich. He did not care someone
with a movie camera was about 10 feet away recording most of his amoral
actions. The fact that his actions were being documented was not even the
smallest concern for him. He would face zero repercussions for his actions.
As in the example of a teenager
having a similar illegal action done to him and it was in some way documented (Hoorens,
& Poortinga, 2000). Now, the Reich, Manhattan and the young woman being
assaulted (while screaming for help and no one responded) in the 1960s,. by enumerable events were people were isolated by strong
people and crimes committed where the leaders got away with it. Salem Witch
Trails come to mind. The exact same
behavior patterns are present minus a few minor secondary community action
changes are present in each case. But the overall, someone is assaulted, and
the whole respond in three predictable ways (Bussey, & Bandura, 1984).
The Social Psychology theory which
applies best is Pack Mentality (Hochman, P. n.d). Although it is more Sociology
than Social Psychology, the individuals involved began to stop acting as individuals
and start in various ways to act as a group.
One they jump on the assault band
wagon; to humiliate, criticize, etc. the victim. Different social structures
the alpha will sometimes and or occasionally depending on their morals, ethics,
character, etc. will pick out a beta from the crowd and punish that beta in
whatever way the alpha wants (Plotkin, Mazer, & Loewy, 1976). It is sociologically
speaking a group loyalty test (Bodenbafer, 1921). The alpha of the group or a
group of alpha’s who surround and support a super alpha will for enumerable
reasons pick a time and perform a group togetherness, test of loyalty, unity of
the group, etc. that person will find a weak member of the group and “perform”
an assault or a group of assaults on said beta. The entire exercise is to allow
the alpha to reassert dominance over the group and demand not only loyalty but
fidelity from the group. Support me or I will hurt you the same or worse than I
hurt that beta (Frazier, 2015). It is not outside the application of society structures
that leaders/alpha’s who gather enough power can and or will elevate their
mental status from being a human to being in part divine, based on how much power
they have over their community.
Two they support and help the
victim of the crime, but are mostly powerless as to
what to do. The larger group have already decided that what the alpha did was
ok, and this is just what happens sometimes to beta’s in a social structure.
There will always be lesser alphas in a group. The more the alpha knows about
the lesser alphas the more the alpha knows what they can get away with. In some
groups the lesser alphas are large and strong enough they keep most alpha’s
from committing too many bad actions (Hock, 2013). But in other groups the lesser
alphas have been mostly pushed out of the group, which then allows for the alpha’s
free reign over the community they are in. Punishing a beta is not about
punishing the beta as the fun the alpha’s enjoy performing the assaults. It is not
about the assault; it is about finding who is loyal and who is not to the alpha.
Then over time between various and assorted beta tests, the lesser alphas are
identified and usually pushed away from the group for being disloyal.
Third group are people who refused
to get involved at all. They are usually afraid their ranks will be culled next
and one of them will be the next beta the alpha wants to assault. So they stick together and pretend to be supporting the alpha
by not being involved with efforts to help the victims of the alpha. The past,
present, and future victims.
Another question in the subject
line was how to help the victim/beta with the current situation.
First contact the FBI, since the alpha
has threatened a future criminal act. A future criminal act which involves cyber,
which is a federal crime. The FBI will get involved and pursue criminal actions
against the alpha and the supporters of the alpha. Mostly the supporters will
turn and run because obviously a small group of people in a small community can
only be so strong to the FBI. The FBI takes the alpha beta concept to a level
most alpha’s cannot deal with.
The FBI being involved will bring
in the professionals in most aspects of the situation. Counselors for the
victims/beta’s of the alpha, law enforcement and person
who committed the assault based on the written documentation in the cyber world
will be arrested for the assault. Those who witnessed the event and “filmed it”
can also look forward to being questioned and even arrested for participation.
This changes the power dynamic entirely, for the victims and of course the
community. That change in power dynamic removes the power from the alpha/abusers
and places it back into the victims hands.
Conclusion
The above information
is part Social Psychology and part Sociology. The difference is when individuals
stop acting on their own and start following the dictates of a group leader. The
group leaders rule and regulations for life become the
individuals in the groups, at least for a short time. The question asked was
about two separate crimes, and what to do about them. The answer is beyond simple,
contact the FBI or associated country law enforcement group and have highly
trained professionals come in and deal with the crimes involved. But to study the
dynamic itself is equally as important as an academic exorcise. To witness people turn into groups, and then act react in ways that
when they can think for themselves again will find repugnant. The leaders want to
enjoy the show, so they encourage their followers to do x action. It becomes a
pack mentality, where different moral groups form and being giving input. All
in all a very difficult function and structure to
study; since it is studying both Sociology and Social Psychology at the same
time. Very Milgram in base, which was a study of the same basic concepts but
was to prove that any group of individuals could be turned into amoral group actions
(Nicholson, 2019).
Reference
Bodenbafer, W. B. (1921). The
comparative R&Ocric;LE of
the group concept in Ward’s dynamic sociology and contemporary American
sociology. American Journal of
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Bussey, K., & Bandura, A.
(1984). Influence of gender constancy and social power on sex-linked modeling. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,
47(6), 1292–1302.
Darley, J.M. & Latané, B.
(1968). Bystander interview in emergencies: Diffusion of responsibility. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,
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Frazier, K. (2015). New and notable. Skeptical Inquirer, 39(2), 58.
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Hock, R. R. (2013). Forty studies
that changed psychology (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
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Plotkin, W. B., Mazer, C., & Loewy,
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