This document contains a student's journal entries on various topics related to social psychology. It discusses how the student was influenced by others as a teenager to go against her parents' advice. It also explores social comparison theory and how the student engaged in downward social comparisons after exams. The document examines the student's experiences with stereotypes of Asians knowing martial arts and Malays being poor at math. It discusses the self-serving bias, where the student attributed successes to ability but failure to external factors.

1. SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING AND DESIGN
FOUNDATION IN NATURE AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Social Psychology (PSY30203)
Individual Journal
Name : Lee Xin Ying
Student ID : 0322432
Instructor : Shankar Thiruchelvam
Tutorial Session : Monday (3.30pm-5.30pm)
Submission Date : 30th
November 2015

2. Entry 1 : SocialInfluence
Social influence occurs when one's emotions, opinions, or
behaviours are affected by others, intentionally or
unintentionally. These other people may include family members,
salesmen, advertisers, public relations experts, or even media
celebrities like Big Bird. Social influence takes many forms and can be
seen in conformity, socialization, peer pressure, obedience,
leadership, persuasion, sales and marketing. Social influence can
have positive or negative effect on people.
Before these things happen, I always thought I am a good girl
for friends and teachers, and also a good daughter for my lovely
parents. I help someone who need help, especially my friends and
teachers. I always help my mother to do every housework and I
seldom talk back to my parents. But after this two of the worst

3. matter happened, I start to blame and reflect on myself, because I
have no obedient and deceive to my parents.
When I was 13 years old, my parents thought that I was already
became a teenager, so they start to remind me do not ride in the car
with someone who has been drinking. I agreed and accepted their
idea and view at that moment. They also always advice me do not
fall in love with somebody too earlier, I need to take care of my
performance in school and result as good as possible.
25th
April 2012
Still remember the year when I was 15 years old, I started my
first love with the boy who in the next class. He is my classmate,
Grace’s friend. We met each other through Grace. In the beginning,
we had our lunch together in school every day. We stay back after
school every Friday to finish our homework together. Gradually, I
found that I had a little bit favourable impression to this boy. He also
started to find me in my class when there was no teacher, we
became best friend and kept no secrets from each other. He told me
how he feel in November of that year. When I decided to reject him
because of my parents’ advice, Grace instigated me tried to start a
relationship with him, because he is a good person and I will have a
new life full of happiness. I considered a few days and got an answer.
Maybe Dad and Mom have an excessive worry for this kind of
matter, maybe I can try once? After that, we came together and he
requested me to have a movie with him in the weekend a few weeks
later. I did not intend to let my parents know the reason I went out
because they will get mad. Suddenly, I had an idea appeared in my
mind. I will always go out with Grace to do homework together, so I
lied to my mother I went out for doing homework with Grace.
Luckily, mother had no aware any unusual for me that day. I went to
cinema and dated with him in a happy mood. Unfortunately, when

4. the movie was over, we met my neighbour, Mr Lee and his family.
Oh my God! That is the only words appeared in my mind. I realised
that my relationship cannot be hide, I started to imagine what will
happen after I went back to home. I had no enough courage to face
my parents. Through introspection, I realised that I did something
wrong. When I reached home, I made a confession to my parents.
Surprisingly, they had no get mad, they forgave me and I promised to
them I will become friend with that guy again.
1st
January 2015
After I finished the SPM, all the SPM candidates need to wait
for 3 months to get their SPM result. At that period of time, I went to
work in a shopping mall in my hometown. I was making friends with
the other employee. We became familiar after a few weeks. It’s
Friday night, party night. We were celebrating Poh Nee’s birthday.
They were drinking together but I refused to drink. When the party
finished, Poh Nee get in the car with Bryan. They had been drinking.
They asked me if I wanted a ride. I replied “no” because of parents’
advice. They assured me Bryan driving only had three beers and that
was not far away from my house. They assured me, I will be safe. I
started to think again maybe my parents over reacting, three beers
do not mean drunk and he did not look drunk. After that, I hop in the
car! After a few days, I saw a news, that was about drink driving. A
man had been drinking and he drove in a car was crashed with a
lorry. Unfortunately, the man was died in the accident. Although I
reached home safety on Friday night, but I realised I was wrong and I
must be honest to my parents about what happen in that night. I
swear to them I will not effect on my behaviour from others again.

5. Entry 2 : SocialComparison
The Social Comparison Theory was developed by social
psychologist Leon Festinger. There are two versions of this theory.
The old one states that members of a particular group would want to
be parallel with each other because a uniform agreement must be
made so that the group is able to come up with a common decision.
On the other hand, the revised theory states that an individual need
to solicit information from a group of people to confirm or re-assess
his or her abilities. In the social comparison theory, it is not only that
the individual needs a group of people to affirm his abilities but also
to realize up to what extent he can use these particular abilities and
eventually validate other people’s opinion. As a result, we are
constantly making self and other evaluations across a variety of
domain. For example, attractiveness, wealth, intelligence, and
success. Most of us have the social skills and impulse control to keep
our envy and social comparisons quiet but our true feelings may
come out in subtle ways.

6. There are two types of social comparisons, upward and
downward social comparisons. Individuals make upward
comparisons, whether consciously or subconsciously, when they
compare themselves with an individual or comparison group that
they perceive as superior or better than themselves in order to
improve their views of self or to create a more positive perception of
their personal reality. Downward social comparison is a defensive
tendency that is used as a means of self-evaluation. When a person
looks to another individual or group that they consider to be worse
off than themselves in order to feel better about their self or
personal situation, they are making a downward social comparison.
Either upward or downward type of comparison is highly influenced
by the level of a person’s motivation. When a person is highly
motivated, he tends to assume himself as better or equal to the best
individual and this suggests an upward comparison. Downward
comparison is the exact opposite. When a person is unhappy and
unmotivated, he usually compares downward to self-enhance to
make himself feel better.
4th
January 2007
I was a team member of basketball club when I educated in my
primary school. Every student need to choose a society when they
start their Year 4. I have a lot of interest for playing basketball, so I
resolutely chose the society of basketball with my friends together.
There was the first week in Year 4, we were very excited because
finally we can join the society we really like. On Wednesday, we stay
back after class to participate the activity of our own society. When I
reached the basketball court, I saw the seniors practiced together
happily. Suddenly, they made my blood tingle! Under the instruction
of leader of basketball society, we started to warm up and learnt the
basic of pass the basketball neatly to another. After a few weeks, we
started to learn about the techniques to make a goal. Since the

7. Wednesday of Week 1 in Year 4, I never absence to participate in the
training and playing processes. After all the training, we got a medal
in the match in the end of Year 5. After finished the match,
consultant teacher saw my strength and finally, the consultant
teacher chose me to be the vice leader when I was in Year 6.
Although I was the most powerful team member in the girl group,
but my target was exceeded the ability of the most powerful person
in the boy group. I went to the basketball court every Saturday to do
exercise and improve my skill. I always invite him to have a shot or
dribble competition with me. Although after a period of time, I was
still not really better than him, but I found that my skill had a great
leap forward.
19th
March 2014
I have the experience about downward social comparison all
the time. Every time after the examination, students will do the same
action after teacher released the exam result. Regardless of I was in
Form 1, Form 2 or already in Form 5, this kind of comparison our
results with the other classmate is never ever end. When I was Form
5, I always got the good result in my class in two subjects, there were
Mathematic and Additional Mathematic. Because of I never get the
result better than Mei Tsen, who always got the highest mark in my
class, so I gave up to compare with her. I started to compare my
results with other classmate. The moment I expected the most after
the examination was teacher released the Mathematic and
Additional Mathematic results. When I got the marks higher than
other classmate, my self-esteem enhanced. I felt good when I was
better than other classmates.

8. Entry 3 : Stereotype
Stereotyping is when you judge a group of people who are
different from you based on your own or others opinions or
encounters. In social psychology, a stereotype is a thought that can
be adopted about specific types of individuals or certain ways of
doing things. These thoughts or beliefs may or may not accurately
reflect reality.
The principles of social psychology, including the ABCs—affect,
behaviour, and cognition. They apply to the study of stereotyping,
prejudice, and discrimination. The cognitive component in our
perceptions of group members is the stereotype—the positive or
negative beliefs that we hold about the characteristics of social
group. In addition to our stereotypes, we may also develop prejudice
—an unjustifiable negative attitude toward an outgroup or toward
the members of that outgroup. Prejudice can take the form of
disliking, anger, fear, disgust, discomfort, and even hatred. The kind
of affective states that can lead to behaviour such as the gay bashing
you just read about. Our stereotypes and our prejudices are
problematic because they may create discrimination—unjustified
negative behaviours toward members of outgroups based on their

9. group membership. Although violence against members of
outgroups is fortunately rare, stereotypes, prejudice, and
discrimination nevertheless influence people’s lives in a variety of
ways. Stereotypes influence our academic performance, the careers
that we chose to follow, our experiences at work, and the amount
that we are paid for the work that we do.
One disadvantage is that it makes us ignore differences
between individuals. Therefore, we think things about people that
might not be true. The use of stereotypes is a major way in which we
simplify our social world, since they reduce the amount of
processing. For example, thinking. We have to do when we meet a
new person. By stereotyping we infer that a person has a whole
range of characteristics and abilities that we assume all members of
that group have. Stereotypes lead to social categorization, which is
one of the reasons for prejudice attitudes which leads to in-groups
and out-groups.
I heard and met a few of racial stereotyping before in my life
and even sometimes I will also be a racist as well. Often, somebody
will say, Blacks are poor, ghetto, uncivilized, always angry at white,
uneducated, lazy, welfare abusers or violent. They also think that
most of the Black women are single-mother and loud women. We
can always see this kind of rumours through internet. For me, these
rumours are unfair to the Blacks.
30th
May 2015
I was a Leo Club member since Form 3. I served as a project
director in 2013 and 2014. In the middle of last year, I went to
Singapore with Leo Club of my secondary school. We had a 3 days 2
nights forum in National University of Singapore. There had 12
persons represented my secondary school to attend this event.
Almost all of the Lions and Leo member around the Malaysia and

10. Singapore attended this forum. There were a few Australians also
attended. We had a dinner together in the first day. Luckily, I had the
chance to meet and chat with the Lions, Leo member from other
school and the Australians. Between our conversation, I felt that the
Australians thought most of the Asians know martial arts. Because of
Bruce Lee’s Kung Fu movies, that have given rise to the false
impression that all Asians know martial arts. One of the Lion from
Penang told them, in reality, Asian kids also spend a good deal of
their time playing X-Box and Play Station like everyone else. Although
martial arts can help us to strong body, but not all the Asians know
this art.
21st
March 2013
My secondary school has more than 80% of Chinese and less
than 20% of Malay and Indian. Because of my school has the most
people are Chinese, I can always hear our teachers said “You are a
Chinese, why your Mathematic so poor? Why you can’t get an A?
You see that Amirul (Malay) also can got A in this exam. You should
get a better result than him!” I heard this kind of words almost after
every exam. Most of the people especially our teacher thought that
Chinese’s Mathematic are better than Malay, but I resolutely
opposed to this idea, because my Malay friends, some of them also
have a good basic even better result than others and they knew a lot
of Mathematic concept. Sometimes in life, I also can hear some
aunty or uncle said there was a Malay grocer gave a change wrongly
to them. They thought that this matter happen is because Malay are
poor in Mathematic. But in fact, I also will meet the problem of
Chinese or Indian grocer change the money wrongly to me
occasionally. So, this is also unfair to the Malay.

11. Entry 4 : Self-Serving Bias
The self-serving bias is the tendency to attribute positive
outcomes to our internal or personal factors, and negative outcomesto
situationalor external factors. Self-serving bias also appears when
people compare themselves with others. For on subjective and socially
desirable dimensions,most people see themselves as better than the
average person. Compared with people in general, most people see
themselves as more ethical, more competent at their job, friendlier,
more intelligent,better looking, less prejudiced, healthier, and even
more insightfuland less biased in their self-assessments.
Self-serving bias works in 4 differences way,attributing one’s
success to ability and effort, failure to luck and things external,

12. comparingoneself favourably to others, unrealistic optimism and false
consensus. I had the experiences of attributingone’s success to ability
and effort, failure to luck and things external and false consensus. I also
met the person who is unrealistic optimism.
9th
May 2006
Since I was in primary school, I alwaysgot a good result in my
Mathematicsubject. I felt so proud to this because teachers will praise
me after examination.My friends will alwaysask me the Mathematic
questions they cannot solve, and of course, I can solve it almost every
time. I thought that the reasons of I can get the better result than
others and can solve any Mathematicquestions regardless of the
question is difficult or easy are because I have the talent in Mathematic
and I always do the exercises harder than others.
2nd
July 2012
Under a chance coincidence,I gave a speech in the assembly in
my secondary school. That was a serious title of my speech because it
related to global warmingissue. I did many research and pointed out
all the reason that caused global warmingin my speech. When I was
giving my speech, I felt that my fellow friends under the stage
concentrated on my speech, my self-esteem was enhanced and I had
more confidence at the moment. After I finished the speech, the
principalpraised me because I did it awesome and shook hands with
me, the audiences applaudto me. I thought that all people agree with
my opinionthat the global warmingwill threaten our future. But in
fact, maybenot all the people agree on it.
11st May 2015
In FNBE semester 1, we needed to write a process essay for

13. English assignment1. Althoughlecturer explained to us the format
and skill in writing a process essay, in the beginning,I wrote it in a
wrong way. After my friend reminded me, I just realised I wrote the
format and content wrongly,and then I started to rewrite an essay.
After a few weeks of submission, we knew our essay result. I got B+
in this essay and before this, my English was very poor. For me, B+
was a good result in English, so I attribute it to my own
awesomeness, not for the reminder of my friend. On the other hand,
I still remember when I got the D in history in secondary school, I will
think that is because I was very unlucky,because the exam was
unfair and the questions were too difficult, so that I got a bad result.
I will not think that is because I have no study hard this subject
before examination.
26th
September 2015
I have a sworn sister, I met her ten years ago when she
participated a programme in her university. A lot of university students
came to our village to do some activity such as cleaning the garden and
beautify the school. They had to live in the villager’s house until the
activity finish. By coincidence, she lived in my house for this 8 days 7
night, we became closely withinthe days. That year, she was 18 years
old only. She already had a boyfriend and he also participatedthis
programme. She also introduced her boyfriend to us. This year, they
are 28 years old. They get married in September. My family and I
attended their wedding in Melaka. I felt so happy because she found a
man who treats her like a princess. But, before the weddingstart, my
sworn sister’s mother asked her, almost50% of marriages fail, how can
you knowhe will love you forever and ever? A few seconds later, she
said :” Even though 50% of marriages fail, or maybe exceed 50%will
fail, I still believe and know mine will be enduring joy.” Her parents
shed tears in silence. I felt this is the love of all the parents to their son
or daughter.

14. Entry 5 : CognitiveDissonance Theory
Cognitive dissonance refers to a situation involving conflicting
attitudes, beliefs or behaviours. This produces a feeling of discomfort
leading to an alteration in one of the attitudes, beliefs or behaviours
to reduce the discomfort and restore balance. This theory starts from
the idea that we seek consistency in our beliefs and attitudes in any
situation where two cognitions are inconsistent. According to Leon
Festinger, we hold many cognitions about the world and ourselves.
When they clash, a discrepancy is evoked, resulting in a state of
tension known as cognitive dissonance. As the experience of
dissonance is unpleasant, we are motivated to reduce or eliminate it,
and achieve consonance
5th
July 2014
Last year, because of my youngest sister desired to have a
birthday party, so my parents decided to prepare a special birthday
party for her in our house. We intended to invite our relatives,
neighbours and a lot of my youngest sister’s friend to celebrate
together with her. I helped my parents to construct the guest list,
and then sent out the invitations two weeks before the party day.

15. The menu of that day was prepared by my mother and I. We were
done every preparation work before one week. In the afternoon of
the party day, my father and my eldest brother started to decorate
the living room and the front yard with colourful balloons. At the
same time, my mother and I went to the store. We started to
prepare the ingredients and cooked for hours together. Meanwhile,
my youngest sister was looking forward and feeling happy for the
party. All in anticipation of how pleasant the conversation, fun of the
party and people would be. But the anticipation always differences
to the reality. Even though it was nearly the time for party to start,
but nobody reached. Most of the guests arrived late in the evening,
the conversations also were forced. As for the food was slightly
overcooked by the time all of our guests arrived. There was a little bit
crowded in the yard and the game my father prepared to the
children did not work because they had no interest to play the game.
The beverages were not enough near the end of the party. The
anticipation and excitement of the great time I was going to have are
discordant with my observation of the party. The pieces do not fit. I
was upset and had a sense of loss, partly because the party did not
go well, I wanted to give my sister a perfect and memorable party,
but also because of the inconsistency between my expectation and
my experience for the party. So that, I am suffering from the
uncomfortable and unpleasant state of cognitive dissonance.
21st
November 2015
I am a scholar in my university, I need to participate a lot of
activity to finish my scholar hours, so that I can apply again the
scholarship if my CGPA in foundation has reached the target. This
day, I participated a convocation day in my university. I was in charge
of help to sell the Alumni T-shirt to the visitors and also alumni. I
needed to reach university at 7.15am and help the staff to move the
5 boxfuls of T-shirt to our booth. We did not have any boy to help us
so that was a little bit difficult for us to move them to the booth, and
the worst thing were, the trolley was disabled and there was quite
hot at the booth. In the afternoon, one of the scholar went away for

16. a while. I knew she was going to smoke unintentionally. While we
were busy for selling the T-shirt, the scholar went away to smoke
again. In my mind, smoking is harmful to our health, because it will
cause lung cancer, affect our heart and blood health and maybe also
will cause pregnancy problem. I felt so curious and did not
understand why the person who smokes do not aware for these
disadvantages of smoking. Because this was a whole day event,
sometimes nobody came to buy T-shirt so I had chat with the
scholar. I asked her a question. Why you started to smoke? It is
harmful, right? After she answered me, I knew that even though she
knew smoking is bad and will cause a lot of diseases for her health,
but she still enjoys smoking and she thought the chances of her
health suffering are not as serious as some would make out. So,
continuing to smoke is, after all, consistent with her ideas about
smoking. One of my friend told me before, when the people feel the
pressure, they will start to smoke also. After that, I try to think she
started to smoke is because she has a lot of pressure in her life or
maybe her course.

17. SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING AND DESIGN
FOUNDATION IN NATURE AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Social Psychology (PSY30203)
Individual Journal
Name : Lee Xin Ying
Student ID : 0322432
Instructor : Shankar Thiruchelvam
Tutorial Session : Monday (5.30pm-7.30pm)
Submission Date : 30th
November 2015