PSYC58 Week 11

• In the spheres of Influence, what has the smallest impact and what has the largest impact?

  The smallest is Private and Personal and the largest is cultural
• Why are people scared to speak up?

  Making a mistake or a negative reaction
• Change begins with individuals who are willing to step out of their comfort zone and defy social norms as they are not connected to the mainstream. This is an example of?

  Diffusion of Innovation Theory
• What is the Diffusion of Innovation Theory?

  Change begins with individuals who are willing to step out of their comfort zone
• What is an in class example discussed on the diffusion of innovation theory?

  Airpods or Electric scooters (Wim Ouboter)
• "are the acolytes who model enthusiastic support for innovators and their ideas, encouraging people in their own networks to join in."?

  Early Adopters
• What is connective action?

  Community organizing via social media. It varies on the degree of participation and that it reaches out to people excluded because of geographic distance.
• What term describes this statement? "conveniently spouting off from the comfort of one’s couch rather than engaging in the hard work of actual change making." A one and done effort

  Slacktivism
• • Importantly, in some organizations, not everyone has an equal voice. Formal power structures may prioritize some and silence others. Economic and social inequalities that overtly or subtly pervade the individual organization or culture at large put some people in a more vulnerable position than others. Implicit bias may lead to unfavorable impressions of individuals perceived as troublemakers
• Formal leaders, whether a CEO or immediate supervisor, are clearly in an ideal position to successfully move their organization toward sustainability and play a key role in promoting related policies and behaviors.
• However, anyone who guides a group is an informal leader who can also use their influence as a powerful tool for change. A growing body of international research indicates that when leaders of all stripes are committed to sustainability, it makes a big difference in followers’ environmental behavior.
• Leaders draw from a variety of personal resources, called bases of power, to inspire others to believe in and contribute to organizational transformation. People who hold an official position have legitimate power
• Even without legitimate power, you can be an effective leader. Being a reliable source of information generates expert power, which can be very compelling to others. Garnering others’ respect and admiration through good work, honesty, kindness, humility, and generosity is called referent power. As long as referent leaders do not exploit their power, others eagerly follow their lead.A combination of expert and referent power results in idealized influence, which is particularly potent for leading change. 
• Community-based social marketing makes the most of expert and referent power by identifying community block leaders—well-respected community members who already engage in a target behavior—and asking them to promote change and to mentor people in their network.
• Trusted transformational leaders do the following:

  • Create and passionately promote a vision of what the future can look like;
  • Encourage others to think critically and creatively, empowering them to innovate and overcome challenges;
  • Display empathy and encouragement, enhancing others’ self-efficacy
• One of the best-known corporate sustainability leaders, the late Ray Anderson, epitomized the transformational leadership style.

  • Upon realizing that the carpet manufacturing industry was endangering the planet and future generations, he radically changed his own company.
  •  He set a clear vision, Mission Zero, aiming for zero waste, emissions, and net water use. He empowered his employees to innovate, and innovate they did, changing their whole business model from linear to circular and introducing carpet tiles that mimic the natural chaos of the forest floor
• A primary way people can combine forces to push for progress is by participating in politics.
• As simple and straightforward as it is to mark a ballot, many eligible people (about 50% in the United States) do not exercise this fundamental right. 
• 16 million people who believe in climate change but never vote, why is that?

  This is because of a lack of enthusiasm, a sense of apathy, feelings of frustration or hopelessness, or complete disengagement from the political scene.
• Why is lower participation in minority groups prevalent in terms of voting?

  This is because it is a matter of access and that there is a long history of voter suppression and disenfranchisement that has privileged the White vote and disadvantaged people of color
• Most people find it easier and less intimidating to sign petitions addressed to politicians, or donate to organizations that lobby legislators, than to personally head to the legislator’s office.
• Sticking with discreet behaviors may feel more comfortable, but public discourse, such as speaking up at a community forum, publishing an opinion piece, or door-knocking in your neighborhood, is critical for keeping the issues on people’s minds.
• Silence spirals into the assumption of a lack of concern and everone assumes everyone else is ok with the way things are. When people realize they are not alone in their beliefs, they are more willing to speak out. What is the term for this statement?

  Pluralistic Ignorance
• Strategies employed by collectives of people to raise public awareness, muster public support, and appeal to authorities (governmental or otherwise) to use their power and formal procedures to change the system. This is an example of what?

  Indirect action
• Indirect action plans to make issues more visible—to the public and to the powers that be. It is planned and peaceful. 

  • It can be coordinated by environmental nongovernmental organizations (ENGOs, such as the Sierra Club) or by groups of citizens. 
  • It does not require specific credentials or expertise, which means anyone can participate and have a valid voice.
• Nearly all the psychological theory and research on activism focuses on disadvantaged groups who are inspired by their shared experience of social injustice to engage in collective action to change unfair systems.
• One study found that biospheric values predicted individual-level behaviors but only altruistic values predicted public protest
• These are the non-negotiable beliefs about what is right or wrong. What is this?

  Moral convictions
• The depth and intensity of a person’s convictions. This predicts the likelihood that the person will join collective action to make these convictions be heard. What is this?

  Ideological Strength
• Passion for a cause comes with many associated emotions, both negative and positive.

  • Intense negative emotions such as anger, indignation, and outrage can emerge from a sense of moral violation, or they can stem from fear about how threatening or urgent a situation is.
  • But even strong negative emotion does not necessarily translate into action. Climate change, “solutions” can feel pretty far out of reach, making individuals feel helpless and hopeless.
• The antidote to climate inaction may be a dose of positive affect in the form of hope.
• Private proenvironmental behaviors are predicted by self-efficacy (people’s feelings about their ability to do the behavior) and by beliefs about whether the behavior will, in fact, lead to the desired outcome.
• In the context of collective action, self-efficacy manifests also as participatory efficacy, confidence that one’s individual contributions can make a difference for the group effort.
• Many individuals are reluctant to identify as activists because of negative steretotypes
• What is one of the largest barriers to climate change activism in the United States?

  Unwillingness to define oneself as an activist
• One key to reduce the perceived threat of identity inconsistencies is to maintain a focus on the shared concern, thereby generating a superordinate identity
• • Another is to highlight the diversity among participants—for instance, headlining a variety of rally speakers whose experiences resonate with disparate stakeholders
• • Many individuals’ stances on environmental protection and social justice are confounded with their political identity as conservatives or as liberals. 
• What event was an example of diverse ideologies collaborating such as climate activists, scientists, religious groups and unions?

  2017 Global People's Climate March
• Who in class discussed about Neoliberalism and Climate Change?

  George Monboit