Communal reinforcement
Encyclopedia
Communal reinforcement is a social phenomenon
in which a concept or idea is repeatedly asserted in a community
, regardless of whether sufficient empirical evidence has been presented to support it. Over time, the concept or idea is reinforced to become a strong belief
in many people's minds, and may be regarded by the members of the community as fact. Often, the concept or idea may be further reinforced by publications in the mass media
, books
, or other means of communication. The phrase "millions of people can't all be wrong" is indicative of the common tendency to accept a communally reinforced idea without question, which often aids in the widespread acceptance of urban legend
s, myths, and rumor
s.
Communal reinforcement works both for true and false concepts or ideas, making the communal reinforcement of an idea independent of its truth value. Therefore, the statement that many persons in a given communities share in a common belief is not indicative of it being valid or false information’s. An idea can be accepted and spread throughout a community regardless of the validity of the claim.
Communal reinforcement can be seen as a positive force in society if it reinforces a concept or idea which is true or beneficial to society, such as the discouragement of driving under the influence
. It has also been seen as a beneficial method for treating alcoholism. Communal reinforcement explains how entire nations can pass on ineffable gibberish from generation to generation. It also explains how testimonials reinforced by other testimonials within the community of therapists, sociologist, psychologists, theologians, politicians, philosophers, talk show hosts, and others can supplant and be more powerful than scientific studies or accurate gathering of data by disinterested parties. Conversely, it can be seen as a negative force if it reinforces a concept or idea which is untrue or harmful to society, such as the belief that bathing
was avoided in Medieval Europe.
The community-reinforcement approach (CRA) is an alcoholism
treatment
approach that aims to achieve abstinence by eliminating positive reinforcement for drinking and enhancing positive reinforcement for sobriety. CRA integrates several treatment components, including building the client’s motivation to quit drinking, helping the client initiate sobriety, analyzing the client’s drinking pattern, increasing positive reinforcement, learning new coping behaviors, and involving significant others in the recovery process. These components can be adjusted to the individual client’s needs to achieve optimal treatment outcome. In addition, treatment outcome can be influenced by factors such as therapist style and initial treatment intensity. Several studies have provided evidence for CRA’s effectiveness in achieving abstinence. Furthermore, CRA has been successfully integrated with a variety of other treatment approaches, such as family therapy and motivational interviewing, and has been tested in the treatment of other drug abuse.
Communal reinforcement may play in key role in confirmation bias within a group about conspiracy theories. Beliefs created by conspiracy theorists feed the demonization in a very specific way. Conspiracy theorists promote rumors as if they were revealed truth. The people who come to know these truths get a sense of being “initiated” into a close circle, of gaining knowledge that others have no change of getting access to. The initiated parties may also feel quite self-important for allegedly being less naïve than ordinary citizens.
In Chris E. Stout’s book The Psychology of Terrorism: Theoretical Understandings and Perspective, Stout explains how communal reinforcement is present in the psychotic state of terrorists. “The individual would feel less charged, validated, courageous, sanctified, and zealous, and would feel exposed as an individual.” It is believed that the group mentality of a terrorist organization solidifies the mission of the group through communal reinforcement. Members are more likely to stay dedicated and follow through with the event of terror if they receive support from fellow terrorist members. An individual might abandon the mission in terror, but with the reinforcement of his peers, a member is more likely to stay involved.
, literally meaning, and hidden memory. The term was coined by psychology professor Théodore Flournoy
(1854-1921) and is used to explain the origin of experiences that people believe to be original but which are actually based on memories of events they've forgotten. It seems likely that most so-called past life regressions induced through hypnosis are confabulations fed by cryptomnesia. Cryptomnesia may also explain how the apparent plagiarism
of such people as Helen Keller
or George Harrison
of the Beatles might actually be cases of hidden memory. Harrison didn't intend to plagiarize the Chiffon's "He's So Fine" in "My Sweet Lord." Nor did Keller intend to plagiarize Margaret Canby's "The Frost Fairies" when she wrote "The Frost King." Both may simply be cases of not having a conscious memory of their experiences of the works in question.
Communal reinforcement is much like social norms, in that they can influence behavior only if people conform to them. Most of the time, people conform for one of two reasons: informational social influence, following the opinions or behavior of other people because we believe that they have accurate knowledge and that what they are doing is right, and normative social influences, conforming to obtain the reward that comes from being accepted by other people while at the same time avoiding their rejection. Like in experiments made by Solomon Asch
(1951-1956) about conformity
using groups of college student, it was found that after the task was over, some participants told the experimenter that they felt the group was wrong but went along avoid making waves and suffering possible rejections. Results of Asch’s experiment also show that variable such as the size of the group and the presence of a dissenter can have an effect on a person’s willingness to conform. Memory is a reconstructive process, in which we can’t remember all details, so we keep key details and “fill-in the blanks” to make a complete story. So if the suggested idea that the community reinforces is challenged, people’s memories and opinions of certain events will change as well.
Socialization
Socialization is a term used by sociologists, social psychologists, anthropologists, political scientists and educationalists to refer to the process of inheriting and disseminating norms, customs and ideologies...
in which a concept or idea is repeatedly asserted in a community
Community
The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...
, regardless of whether sufficient empirical evidence has been presented to support it. Over time, the concept or idea is reinforced to become a strong belief
Belief
Belief is the psychological state in which an individual holds a proposition or premise to be true.-Belief, knowledge and epistemology:The terms belief and knowledge are used differently in philosophy....
in many people's minds, and may be regarded by the members of the community as fact. Often, the concept or idea may be further reinforced by publications in the mass media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
, books
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
, or other means of communication. The phrase "millions of people can't all be wrong" is indicative of the common tendency to accept a communally reinforced idea without question, which often aids in the widespread acceptance of urban legend
Urban legend
An urban legend, urban myth, urban tale, or contemporary legend, is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories that may or may not have been believed by their tellers to be true...
s, myths, and rumor
Rumor
A rumor or rumour is often viewed as "an unverified account or explanation of events circulating from person to person and pertaining to an object, event, or issue in public concern" However, a review of the research on rumor conducted by Pendleton in 1998 found that research across sociology,...
s.
Communal reinforcement works both for true and false concepts or ideas, making the communal reinforcement of an idea independent of its truth value. Therefore, the statement that many persons in a given communities share in a common belief is not indicative of it being valid or false information’s. An idea can be accepted and spread throughout a community regardless of the validity of the claim.
Communal reinforcement can be seen as a positive force in society if it reinforces a concept or idea which is true or beneficial to society, such as the discouragement of driving under the influence
Driving under the influence
Driving under the influence is the act of driving a motor vehicle with blood levels of alcohol in excess of a legal limit...
. It has also been seen as a beneficial method for treating alcoholism. Communal reinforcement explains how entire nations can pass on ineffable gibberish from generation to generation. It also explains how testimonials reinforced by other testimonials within the community of therapists, sociologist, psychologists, theologians, politicians, philosophers, talk show hosts, and others can supplant and be more powerful than scientific studies or accurate gathering of data by disinterested parties. Conversely, it can be seen as a negative force if it reinforces a concept or idea which is untrue or harmful to society, such as the belief that bathing
Bathing
Bathing is the washing or cleansing of the body in a fluid, usually water or an aqueous solution. It may be practised for personal hygiene, religious ritual or therapeutic purposes or as a recreational activity....
was avoided in Medieval Europe.
The community-reinforcement approach (CRA) is an alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
treatment
Treatment
Treatment may refer to:* Treatment, therapy used to remedy a health problem* Treatment, a process or intervention in the design of experiments* Treatment group, a collection of items or individuals given the same treatment in an experiment* Water treatment...
approach that aims to achieve abstinence by eliminating positive reinforcement for drinking and enhancing positive reinforcement for sobriety. CRA integrates several treatment components, including building the client’s motivation to quit drinking, helping the client initiate sobriety, analyzing the client’s drinking pattern, increasing positive reinforcement, learning new coping behaviors, and involving significant others in the recovery process. These components can be adjusted to the individual client’s needs to achieve optimal treatment outcome. In addition, treatment outcome can be influenced by factors such as therapist style and initial treatment intensity. Several studies have provided evidence for CRA’s effectiveness in achieving abstinence. Furthermore, CRA has been successfully integrated with a variety of other treatment approaches, such as family therapy and motivational interviewing, and has been tested in the treatment of other drug abuse.
Communal reinforcement may play in key role in confirmation bias within a group about conspiracy theories. Beliefs created by conspiracy theorists feed the demonization in a very specific way. Conspiracy theorists promote rumors as if they were revealed truth. The people who come to know these truths get a sense of being “initiated” into a close circle, of gaining knowledge that others have no change of getting access to. The initiated parties may also feel quite self-important for allegedly being less naïve than ordinary citizens.
In Chris E. Stout’s book The Psychology of Terrorism: Theoretical Understandings and Perspective, Stout explains how communal reinforcement is present in the psychotic state of terrorists. “The individual would feel less charged, validated, courageous, sanctified, and zealous, and would feel exposed as an individual.” It is believed that the group mentality of a terrorist organization solidifies the mission of the group through communal reinforcement. Members are more likely to stay dedicated and follow through with the event of terror if they receive support from fellow terrorist members. An individual might abandon the mission in terror, but with the reinforcement of his peers, a member is more likely to stay involved.
Explanation
A possible explanation for communal reinforcement is cryptomnesiaCryptomnesia
Cryptomnesia occurs when a forgotten memory returns without it being recognised as such by the subject, who believes it is something new and original...
, literally meaning, and hidden memory. The term was coined by psychology professor Théodore Flournoy
Théodore Flournoy
Théodore Flournoy was a professor of psychology at the University of Geneva and author of books on spiritism and psychic phenomena...
(1854-1921) and is used to explain the origin of experiences that people believe to be original but which are actually based on memories of events they've forgotten. It seems likely that most so-called past life regressions induced through hypnosis are confabulations fed by cryptomnesia. Cryptomnesia may also explain how the apparent plagiarism
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined in dictionaries as the "wrongful appropriation," "close imitation," or "purloining and publication" of another author's "language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions," and the representation of them as one's own original work, but the notion remains problematic with nebulous...
of such people as Helen Keller
Helen Keller
Helen Adams Keller was an American author, political activist, and lecturer. She was the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree....
or George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
of the Beatles might actually be cases of hidden memory. Harrison didn't intend to plagiarize the Chiffon's "He's So Fine" in "My Sweet Lord." Nor did Keller intend to plagiarize Margaret Canby's "The Frost Fairies" when she wrote "The Frost King." Both may simply be cases of not having a conscious memory of their experiences of the works in question.
Communal reinforcement is much like social norms, in that they can influence behavior only if people conform to them. Most of the time, people conform for one of two reasons: informational social influence, following the opinions or behavior of other people because we believe that they have accurate knowledge and that what they are doing is right, and normative social influences, conforming to obtain the reward that comes from being accepted by other people while at the same time avoiding their rejection. Like in experiments made by Solomon Asch
Solomon Asch
Solomon Eliot Asch , also known as Shlaym, was an American Gestalt psychologist and pioneer in social psychology.-Early life and education:...
(1951-1956) about conformity
Conformity
Conformity is the process by which an individual's attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors are influenced by other people.Conformity may also refer to:*Conformity: A Tale, a novel by Charlotte Elizabeth Tonna...
using groups of college student, it was found that after the task was over, some participants told the experimenter that they felt the group was wrong but went along avoid making waves and suffering possible rejections. Results of Asch’s experiment also show that variable such as the size of the group and the presence of a dissenter can have an effect on a person’s willingness to conform. Memory is a reconstructive process, in which we can’t remember all details, so we keep key details and “fill-in the blanks” to make a complete story. So if the suggested idea that the community reinforces is challenged, people’s memories and opinions of certain events will change as well.
See also
- Appeal to belief
- Confirmation biasConfirmation biasConfirmation bias is a tendency for people to favor information that confirms their preconceptions or hypotheses regardless of whether the information is true.David Perkins, a geneticist, coined the term "myside bias" referring to a preference for "my" side of an issue...
- MemeMemeA meme is "an idea, behaviour or style that spreads from person to person within a culture."A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural ideas, symbols or practices, which can be transmitted from one mind to another through writing, speech, gestures, rituals or other imitable phenomena...
- GroupthinkGroupthinkGroupthink is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within groups of people. It is the mode of thinking that happens when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives. Group members try to minimize conflict and reach a consensus decision without...
- Social constructionismSocial constructionismSocial constructionism and social constructivism are sociological theories of knowledge that consider how social phenomena or objects of consciousness develop in social contexts. A social construction is a concept or practice that is the construct of a particular group...
- Bandwagon effectBandwagon effectThe bandwagon effect is a well documented form of groupthink in behavioral science and has many applications. The general rule is that conduct or beliefs spread among people, as fads and trends clearly do, with "the probability of any individual adopting it increasing with the proportion who have...
- TruthinessTruthinessTruthiness is a "truth" that a person claims to know intuitively "from the gut" or that it "feels right" without regard to evidence, logic, intellectual examination, or facts....
- List of common misconceptions