This document contains a student's individual journal entries for a social psychology course. The student discusses several topics related to attitudes and social behavior, including social loafing, self-concept, the halo effect, and attitude formation. The student provides personal examples and reflections on how these concepts are demonstrated in their own experiences with group work and relationships.

1. SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING & DESIGN
Foundation in Natural and Built Environments
Social Psychology [PSY30203]
Individual Journal
NAME : LEE FEI SYEN
STUDENT ID : 0323008
TUTOR : MR. T. SHANKAR
SESSION : MONDAY 3.30PM

2. SUBMISSION DATE :30TH
NOVEMBER 2015
Social Loafing
Individual Journal1(28/10/2015)
Social Loafingreferstothe conceptthat people are prone toexertlessefforttoachieve agoal
whentheyworkina group than whentheyworkalone.Itis one of a very commonsocietal
phenomenoninourdailylivesnowadays, probablyhappen incolleges,universities,firmsorworkplaces.
The concept of social loafingdorecall me an example which wasmentionedbymypsychologylecturer.
In a meanwhile,whenagroupof people are carryinga heavybox,the personwhoistendto ownsocial
loafingwill justputhishandunderthe box withoutusinganystrength,butact like he isstill helpingin
the presence of others.Ido believe thatsocial loafinghasnegative affectforbothgroupand individuals
especially whenachievinggoals.AccordingtoMax Ringelmann,anindividual’sperformanceactually
getsworse inthe presence of others.Why?Forexample,if there were onlyfive of the eightmembersof
a team are doingmost of the works,efficiencyand productivityof the groupworkswill obviouslygo
slowerorshoddythanother groupwithhighlevel cooperation.
The occurrence of social loafingcanbe clearlyobservedthroughgroupwork. Perhapsone of the
circumstances thatwill promotessocial loafingiswhenindividualssensetheircontributionsare
dispensable,theywillindubitablycontribute lesstoa collective effort. Atthe same instant,motivated
teammembers mightalsoreduce theirworkloadintentionallyorevenstopfromcollaboratingonce they
feel thatothersare relyingonthem, because theynolongerwantto be exploitedbythe lessproductive
members.Infact,the largerthe group mostlyoccur problemswithsocial loafing.Thiskindof situation
will urge people whoare inlowlevelsof motivationsforagroup task to pickup the slackunless a high
morale isreflectedinthe teamworkand withthe possess of teamspirit.
As time goesby,uncountable assignmentsIhave beenthroughsince IjoinedFoundationin
Natural and BuiltEnvironment(FNBE).Evenitisjustonlyfew months,Ididlearntocommunicate and
collaborate withdifferentkindof people. Tobe frank,Ididnot know that iscalleda social loafingatfirst
until Ihave beentaughtduringSocial Psychologyclass.
Some of the groupmembersImettheydidnot collaborate withusbut turnedinitiative when
theyjoinothers. Istill rememberthatthere isa guy whoneverattend ourgroup meetingand always

3. give usexcusesthathe was busyingor sufferingfromsickness. WhenIwasgivenabad impressionto
him,I realizedthathe hasturnedintoanotherperson. He became diligentandindependent enoughto
cooperate while withthe othergroupsandthatimpressedme alot. Some people donot appreciate to
workwiththeirownfriendsbutstrangers.There isalsoa friendof mine whoneveracceptopinionsfrom
othersand once hersuggestionhasbeenrejected,she will notputmucheffortinto the groupwork
unlesseveryone hastobe agreedto her.Otherthan that, I was toldbymy friendthatshe has facedwith
the same problemstoo lasttime.She toldme that she has finishedthe whole groupassignments,city
modelingbyherself since no one washelpingher.Thatnight,we shareda lotof experiencesthatwe
have beenthroughbutstill yetfiguredoutthe wayto deal with social loafing.All we know is,find
ourselvesagroupthat suitsusis the bestwayof all.
Throughthese experiences, Idobelieve thatpersonalitiesof anindividual suchas laziness,
unmotivatedandmore isnotthe main characterto create phenomenonof social loafinginoursociety.
Like whatI mentionedabove,italsopossesswitheachkindof externalfactors. Infact,these factors
that affectgroupcohesiveness will directlyimpactstudent’sdislike of groupassignments.Toprevent
studentsfromcollision, Ithinkanindividual evaluationis one of the bestway to deal withit.Social
loafingalwayscreate conflictsandbadmorale inourworkplaces.Beware anddonotholdgrudgeswith
your membersandtryto be more tolerantiswhatI have learnt.Compellingandblamingare exactlythe
worstway to deal withitbecause everyonehasdignity,humansare calledtobe mates,tolove,
everyone we meet.Tryto recognize everyonepersonalitiesandfind the bestwaytocommunicate.If
thisdoesnot work,justfind yourself anothergroupmate whoismore capable andyouare satisfiedwith
the way he work.Grudgeswill onlymake one suffers.

4. Self-Concept
Individual Journal2(03/11/2015)
Self-conceptisacritical term forboth social psychologyandhumanisminoursociety.Itisalsoa
general termusedtoreferto howpeople thinksabout,evaluatesorperceivesthemselves.Accordingto
Baumeister,the definitionof self-conceptreferstothe individual’sbelief abouthimself,includingthe
person’sattributesandwhoandwhatthe self is. Whichmeans,self-conceptisabelief aboutaspectsof
your ownidentity.Inourdailylives,aself-concepthelpsustocome out withthe view of ourpresent
and future. Anindividual’sself-conceptis basically formedby self-schemaandself-efficacy.
Self-schemaorganizesthe processingof informationrelatedto ourself-concept. These
categoriesof informationhelpustoreflectourselvestothinkandfeel.Eachof these beliefsincludesour
overall perceptionsof ourselves.Meanwhile,outgoing,shy,talkative are some of those beliefsand
overall perceptionsof ourselves. Asanexample,if amothertellsherdaughtershe looks like atomboy,
herdaughtermay react bychoosingactivitiesthatshe imaginesatomboy woulddo. Conversely,if the
mothertellshershe lookslike aprincess,herdaughtermightbe more feminine. The self-schemaof a
childalwayscreatedbyadultsespeciallyparents. Aswe grow,ourself-schemastartedtoinfluence
heavilybydifferentkindof externalfactors.Pastexperiences,relationships,upbringing,societyor
culture are basicallyone of them.These influencesalsoreflecthow we thinkwe willturnoutinthe
comingyears,whichmightinclude bothpositive andnegative anditiscalledfuture self-schemas.
Most of us will doubtourowncapabilitiesandtendtoquestionourselvesfrequently. Self-
efficacy the belief thatone iscapable of reachingcertaingoalsor executingcertainbehaviors.For
example,peoplewhoholdalowself-efficacyforaccomplishingatask mayavoidit butfor those who
believetheyare capable theywilllikelytoparticipate oracceptthe challengesgiven.Self-efficacymight
influencedbydifferentkindof factors,previousperformance,behaviorsorviewsof others,verbal
encouragementorcriticismbypeople andmore.Evidence showsthatapersonwithhighself-efficacy
getmore life chancesandismore confidence thanothers.However,toomuchself-efficacycanalso
backfire asit can make us too confidentaboutourselves. Besides,astudentwithlow self-efficacywho
will alsobelievehe isincapable of learning.

5. As forme,I alwaysask myfriendsaboutmyself andpointme outif I didsomethingwrongsince
I am actuallya bad temperedandimpatientperson.Duringsemester1,we were requiredtotake a
compulsorysubjectwhichisElementsof Natural andBuiltEnvironments(ENBE) andaccomplishinga
citymodel isour final project.Atthe same time,Ihad some conflictsandargumentswithmygroup
membersbecause theyalwaysabsentedforourgroupmeetings.Asthe progressdidnotgo well,our
conceptsand ideashadbeenrejectedmanytimesbythe lecturers.Myangercomesfrom frustration,
fearthat we couldnot achieve the assessmentcriteriaorevenfinishthe currentproject.Tearshas
runningdownmyface,I scoldedmygroupmembersthroughwhatsappfortheirirresponsible somean
wordscame outfrom mytext.Although theyhadstartedtoattendthe meetingsandshare opinionsbut
the ambience wentawkward.
Fortunately,we hadfinishedthe citymodelingandthe resultscame outwithsatisfactions.Until
now,I feltsoregretand sorry forthose wordsI wentto them.Some of myfriendsdidadvise me about
my short-temperedandithasreflectedtome asmy self-concept.Otherthanthat,I am alsoa person
whodo not holdgrudges,soft-heartedandreasonable.All of these conceptare come frommypersonal
experiences,relationshipsandmore.
To me,an individual willnotbe improvedif he orshe doesnotknow about himself andherself.
Self-concepthelpsustoleave off ourbadhabitsand personalities.Justlikeme,asIknow I am a hot
tempered,Iwill be mindful of myemotions,trytocalm myself down,be wiseasitwill influence my
behavior.Educationandknowledgesare importantforusto come out withour self-conceptbecause
the more intelligentpeoplewe make friendswillteachusmore.Each people providesdifferentkindof
perceptionstoothers. Criticismandverbal judgementwill improve usbutsometimeswe shall tryto
avoidtoomuch negative feedbacksandsurroundourselveswithpositivity.Why?Itisbecause verbal
judgementsandmeancriticismhasasignificantimpactonhow we lookat ourselvesasitwill reduce our
self-efficacyandbecome unconfident.
I am happywithmy currentlife andfeel proudtobe a me.Self-acceptance isapart of howmy
self-conceptformed.Anyway,be anoptimist!

6. The Halo Effect
Individual Journal4(20/11/2015)
The halo effectisacognitive biasinwhichouroverall impressionof aperson. Initssimplest
terms,The Halo Effectisbasicallyourfirstimpressiontoanindividual,abrand,companyoran object. It
showsa positive aspectsof anindividual.Meanwhile,physical appearance andgeneral attractivenessdo
affectshowwe judge a character.As the betterlookandbehave the characterowned,the betterthe
evaluationwill be given. ItisoriginallyadvocatedbypsychologistEdwardThorndike.Nowadays,The
Halo Effecthasbeenwidelyconcentratedoninassortmentof fieldsincludingphysical attractivenessin
relationtosocietal accomplishmentespeciallyproductmarketing.
In reality,there are afewof advantagesto the haloeffectaspeople alwayswishtobe friend
witha good-lookingperson.Thatiswhygood-lookingindividualsalwaysenjoypreferential treatment
because people tendtolike themmore.Besides,individualsingood-lookingalsogainmore attention
such as actors,singersandmore eitheritisat work or school. Gettinga new jobor position through
interview willbe easierforthem as they were bornwitha likeableappearance.Anotheradvantage of
The Halo Effectis on decisionmaking. Peoplesare borntolove beautiful things,aestheticstudyhas
provedthatthiseffectplayscritical role in humandecisionmakingprocess.Generally,The HaloEffect
has become atype of heuristicora mental shortcut.Ithelpsusto make decisionsquicklywithouthaving
to spenda lotof time byanalyzingaperson’sbehaviororthe qualityof aproduct. Therefore,thiseffect
may be instantaneousanditisnotdeliberate.
Conversely,the furtherresearchintothe haloeffect alsocause disadvantages.Itmaycolorhow
jurorsthinkof defendants,howateachergive commenttoa student,andevenhow people judgean
organizationsora brand withoutanalyzingtheirpersonalitiesandthe true qualityof them.Anindividual
whoperceivedmore attractive hasawidercircle of social network.Atthe same time, thiswill also
provoke jealousy byotherindividuals.Since the massesalwayspayattentiontothem, these peoplesare
alsorequiredtoperformbetterthanothersif nottheywill receive severecriticism.
One of a bestfriendof mine whoiscalledJasmine Tohisaprettygirl in our highschool butshe
alwayslookunfriendlytoothersplusshe isaquite person. Elders,teachers andfriendsdonotlike her

7. much at the firsttime butafter theystartedtointeractwithher,she has become one of the favorite
studentsandfriendsof ours.Timesflies,dayswe spenttogetherare uncountable.Thingsthatshe has
beenthroughisindescribable.Someof ourclassmateshate hersomuch because of herprettiness
meanwhileshe isalsoatop studentinour classand alwaysgetsthe firstplace. Inthiscase,her
classmatesalwaystryto magnifyhermistakesnomatterhow mucheffortshe hasput while
accomplishingsomething.Thingswentcomplicated,she became the hatredandlovedonesatthe same
time. Lecturersandteachersappreciate heralot while mostof the studentsdonot.It remindsme a
wordof ‘Don’tjudge a bookby itscover.’ Eventhoughaestheticdobringusbenefitssometimesbutit
alsocause biasesandunfairness.
Due to anotheraspectof productmarketinginthe haloeffect, customersalwayschoose
productdependsonitspackaging withoutexaminingthe qualitiesanditsvalues.The prettierthe
packagingof a productthe more temptationsitwillmade toconsumer.Asforme,I alwaysbuyclothes
fromH&M, Topshopand CottonOn because ithasknownas one of the bestfastfashionoutletstoshop
withtheyprovide nice environmentandfittingrooms.Without comparingthe prices andqualitiesto
non-brandoutlets,Iboughtmyselfapantsand twotops unconsciously.Until now,onlyIrealizeditisa
phenomenonof the haloeffect.Throughthissituation,itreflectsthe effective of decision makingand
makesour life easieraswell.
Duringthe Effective PublicCommunicationclass,ourEPClecturerassignedusaclassactivityto
getto know each other.We were referredtotalkaboutour firstimpressiontothe personwhoissiton
our left.MyfriendRainnie hastoldme thather firstimpressiontome isfeminine andquite.After
hearingthat,I laughedinside because Iamactuallyverymasculine andaggressive! Lastweek,Iwas
givena questionof ‘Imaginesaprime ministerwithbodytattoos.’The firstwordthatcame out frommy
mindwas,‘JesusChrist!Of course he will be definitelycriticizedby the masses!’.JustinBieberisone of
the bestexample aswell,‘villain’hasbecome acommon appellationwe usedto address him.The
unforgettable scene tome inthe movie of Ted2, while the bearwasaskingforhelptothe lawyerabout
hisapplicationforrights,the lawyerrejected himaccordingtohiscriminal record anddescribeshimby
usingthe name ‘JustinBieber’.Nowadays,‘JustinBieber’ hasbecome anoun to describe villain.

8. Attitude Formation
Individual Journal5(11/28/2015)
An attitude formationisactuallybasedonouremotions,cognitionandbehaviors.Inanother
terms,itis simplyanindividual’spositiveornegative evaluationorperceptionof anoun. These three
components are closelyrelatedandconnectedtoeachother,whichmeansinseparable.Firstly,our
attitudesisbasicallyaffectedbyouremotionsduringthe events.The higheremotional quotient(EQ) we
possess,the betterattitude we had.ThroughwhatI have knownfrompsychologylecture class,the
processesof affective(emotions) attitude formation are mostlyinvolvedinmere exposure,classical
conditioning,operantconditioning,modelingandobservationlearning.
Classical conditioningcanbe easily discoveredthroughgroupwork.Whentwopersonreached
the same conceptsor consensus,theywill be inspiredwithpositiveattitudessuchasmotivatingand
synergistictohelpthemonachievinggoalsandanimprovementof efficiency.Few daysago,while I was
havinga short meetingwithmygroupmember,TaySiew Wen,bothof ushave sharedthe same ideas.
Shortly,a roughdraft forconceptionof our ITD projecthascome outundercollaboration.Atthe same
instant, thingswill becomebetterlikedwithrepeatedexposureinterms ourconsensusandunanimity
whichhas correspondedtothe mere exposureeffect.
Anothercomponents whichisinvolvedinattitude formationis operantconditioning,itis
somethinglikelawandpunishmentforhumanactions.Eachday we are livinginthe situationof operant
conditioningtopreventusfromdoingsomethingillegallylike follow trafficrules,silence inlibraryand
pass upassignmentsintime because punishmenthasbecome akindof threat to us.Through this
component, anindividual woulddevelopapositive attitude unconsciouslyassociatedwiththe reward
but onthe opposite endof the spectrum, aneutral stimulussuchaspunishmentcanalsoresultan
individualinanegative attitude.
WhenI was young,Ididobserve the behaviorof myeldersisterforgettingrewardsfrommy
parents.Since myeldersisteralwaysgetagoodacademicresultsduringher highschool period,I
followedherstepsandstartedtostudyas hardas I can. If my eldersisterdidsomethingwronglyandgot

9. punishment,Iwilltrytoavoidmyself fromdoingittoo.Thennow,I startedto put myobservations
amongmy friendsandlearnthe bestpart fromthem.So thatthis iscalledanobservationlearning/social
leaninginpsychologytheory.Asanindividual believesthat‘lionare dangerous’,he orshe istechnically
affectedbycognitive componenttoformanattitude. A person’sbeliefsandknowledgeswill influence
hisattitude at the same time.Itis a little bitsimilarwithoperantconditioningaswe know thatkill
people willputusintojail like everytimewhenIgoto temple,the knowledgeswhichtaughtbymy
parentsletme knowthat shoutingandplayingaroundat temple isa bad behavior.Throughthis,people
may be more reasonable andbe more clearlyforwhattheyhas done.
Psychologyhappensinourdailyroutine.People whodonotknow aboutpsychologystudies
mightneverrealize butitdoesnotmeanthat the theoryof it doesnotexist.The overarchingpurpose
whyI chose thistopicfor my journal ismagnifythe importance of attitude inourdailylives.There are so
manyexternal andinternal factorsthatinfluence behavior.Let’srapidlycharacterize the wordattitude.
An attitude isthe value of anindividual assignstosomethingorsomeone.How doyoufeel about the
presentPresidentof ourcountry,Malaysia?Whatdo you thinkaboutthissong?These inquirieswill
reveal yourlevel of value towardsthingsthathappeninourlives,ourstate of mindabouta personor an
object.Infact, our ownattitudesplayinthree forms,affective,behavioral andcognitive (ABCmodel of
attitude). A person’s attitudesuchaspassions,serious,horror,hardworkandmore is relatedwith
humaninteractionsand interactionsmaycause influence toself-concept.Itislike asocietal loop.

10. Optimistic Bias
Individual Journal3(15/11/2015)
I had a math testpast daysago. Whenthe papercame intomy hand,mymindwentempty!All
formulasand basicregulationshave beenthoroughlyforgotten. Afterthe mathtest,Istartedto comfort
myself andtransfuse (maybe?) tomyselfwiththe mindsetof optimisticbiassuchasI will getan
unexpectedresult,tryingtotell myselfIwill score some markseventhoughthe formulaiswrongandit
isnot that hard though.Inour dailylives,optimismbiasisdefinedasthe difference betweenaperson’s
expectationandthe outcome thatfollows.Mostlypeople use itfromself-deceptionbutconverselyit
will improve ourconfidence atthe same time.If the expectationsare betterthanreality,the biasis
optimistic.If realityisbetterthanwhatwe expected,the biaswill be pessimistic.Inthe simplestterm,
the extentof the optimismbiasisbasicallybasedonanindividual’sexpectationsbefore anevent
unfoldsandcontrastingthose withthe outcomesthattranspire.Foranexample,astudentexpectsto
receive higherstartingsalariesandmore joboffers uponhisgraduation butendupnothing.People
alwaystendto underestimate howlongaprojectwill take to complete,how muchitwill costor how
seriousthe outcome of a situationwill occur.
Some people dohave optimisticbiasbutsome donot.A part of themposseswith
counterfactual thinkingwhichisusuallyassociatedwithbadornegative event.Theirimaginationforthe
outcomesof a circumstanceswill be differentlywiththose individualswhoare withoptimisticmindset.
Besides,acounterfactual thinkingcanbe usedtoimprove orworsenan individual’smood.Forinstance,
if I toldmyself thatmymath testresultwill came outwithflyingcolorsbutandthe endit score lower
than myexpectations,whatisinmymindsetiscalledanoptimisticbias.Conversely,If Ithoughtthatmy
resultswill getlowmarksbutlastlyitscoredhighmarks,the counterfactual thinkingof mine will
improve mymoodsinstead.Accordingtothe researches,studiesconsistentlyreportthata large
majorityof the population(mostly80%) displayanoptimismbias.Itseemstobe anintegral partof the
humannature.As forme,I am exactlyone of them!

11. Optimismbiasandcounterfactual thinkingare bothakindof abilitytoanticipate ahallmarkof
cognition.Itmaybe alsoreferredasa kindof inference aboutwhatwill occurinthe future andis critical
to decisionmakingespeciallyenablingustoprepare ouractionsso as to avoidharm andgain reward
(soundslike attitudeformation?).However,humansexhibitapervasive andsurprisingbias.We always
overestimatethe positive eventsandunderestimate thosenegative events.It issomethinglikelyingto
ourselvesandhide fromfacts(whichisunacceptabletous).
An absence of optimismindepressedindividualsmayalsorelate tohow future scenariosare
mentallyconstructed.Whenhealthypeopleimagine theirfuture theytendtoformpositivelybiased
scenarios,imaginingpositiveevents(suchaswinningaprofessional award) inmore detail andascloser
intime than negative events(suchaslosingalarge sumof money).Mentally,people ‘approach’positive
future scenariosand distance themselvesfromnegative ones.
However,optimismisalsobeneficial forphysical health.Allelsebeingequal,optimistslive
longerandare healthier.The absence of positiveexpectationsof the future isassociatedwithmild
depressionandanxiety,bysuggestingthatoptimismisvital tomental health. Isoptimismoptimal?
Giventhatthe healthybrainexhibitsmechanismsthatcreate optimisticbeliefs,one canaskthe
teleological questionof whythisis. While classictheoriesineconomicsand psychologyassertthat
correct beliefswillmaximizerewardandminimize loss,manysourcesof evidence pointtothe
conclusionthatoptimismisnonethelessadvantageouscomparedtounbiasedpredictions.
Optimismappearstobe relatedtosuccessinthe professional domainaswell.Accordingto
economistsPuri andRobinsonreportthatoptimistsworkharderandlongerhours,whichmayaccount
for theirhigherpay.Indeed,optimismhasbeenlinkedtoachievementineducation,business,sportand
electoral politics.
There’ssomany positive quotessurroundingusinourdailyroutines.‘Positive thingshappento
positive people.’,‘Everydaymaynotbe goodbut there issomethinggoodineveryday.’‘Turnyourface
towardsthe sun so thatthe shadowswill fall behindyou.’Are youthe personalwaysthinkabouttraffic
accidentand incurable disease,mostof the timesnegative mindsetwillruinyourmoodbutsometimes
bringyou surprises,andwe define thatas‘LUCKY’. Infact, live inpositiveishappierright?Whynot?