Wednesday, November 14, 2012

The Power of Habit [Chapter 8]

Haley Scholars Fall 2012 Reading Groups    

By Danielle Hall

In chapter 8 of The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg discusses the significance of transcending social boundaries and the influence of social habits when individuals begin to see themselves “as part of a vast social enterprise” (242). Using examples such as Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott-- at the onset of the Civil Rights Movement-- and the rapid growth and success of Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church ministries in California, Duhigg makes some useful connections as to how “business gets done and communities self-organize” (225).

More notably, Duhigg emphasizes the importance of having weak and strong ties in helping shape the habits of social patterns in both examples. With this in mind, he describes this type of group conformity and communal expectation as peer pressure or habits of peer pressure (225). Put differently, the impact of a single incident is more likely to gain momentum when there are a series of isolated events among community members and leaders that create or forge “social habits of friendship” and “strong ties between close acquaintances” when there are “habits of a community” and when participants have a “sense of identity and a feeling of ownership” within a movement (217).

Based on the reading, which ideas – i.e. the impact of strong and weak ties, social habits and patterns within communities, or individuals seeing themselves from a collective standpoint -- drew your attention most? Why?

5 comments:

Ralicia Goble said...

The idea of social patterns and habits within communities drew my attention the most. It was significant to me because it reminded me of a few things I have been learning in my educational psychology class. For example, a lot of learning takes place from social modeling, which is where individuals learn to do things based on the models around them, whether directly or indirectly. Though this may seem unrelated, the ideas, beliefs, expectations and behaviors that an individual learns via social modeling create social habits and patterns within communities simply because we learn from one another.

Abagail Thompson said...

The idea of social patterns and habits within communities caught my interest. I look around at the different communities and the social patterns associated with each, and its amazing how everyone fits into a certain community, based upon social patterns, or habits, they adapt. Take the African American Male community, (15-18), in East Saint Louis. Predominately, they are affected by the music culture-rap, hip hop, etc- and thus their social habits become ones that line up with the social expectations of that culture. They view themselves as a part of a larger social enterprise, similar to the one Lil Wayne, Drake, and Jay-Z shares.
They are trying to find their place in a community and be socially accepted; this leads to them adapting certain social patterns and habits that reflect that community.

TaNeal Walls said...

Social patterns and habits within communities definitely intrigues me the most. This taps into the "nurture" part of development, being that environment has the strongest influence. Which is undoubtedly true considering people almost RELY on others who are close around them for overall decisions. The outcomes of these decisions in one community (whether negative or positive) can be perceived with complete opposition from the next community. Basically, patterns and habits within a specific society form and mold within that society; ultimately effecting everyone there-this is social learning. One may come from a "good" neighborhood, and one may come from a "bad" neighborhood- however, neither may truly realize and understand how their community has formed and molded their everyday life.

Jennifer Johnson said...

What drew my attention the most was the idea of strong and weak ties. I was amazed to learn that many people had gone through the exact same scenario that Rosa Parks had been involved in but it wasn't until her incident that awareness was raised mostly because of her ties within the community

Maame A said...

Chapter 8 was by far the most interesting chapter that I have read from The Power of Habit as I saw examples of what Duhigg was discussing in everyday life. What caught my attention the most would have to be a tie between social habits and patterns within communities and also individuals viewing themselves from a collective standpoint. Social habits and patterns withing communities caught my interest because like my colleagues i find it interesting to see what an impact environment has on individuals. If two twins grow up with the same upbringing but live in two different communities they would have totally different personalities. I also found individuals viewing themselves from a collective standpoint very intriguing because it only take one person to make a difference in a whole community, and I believe that if more people did make a stand on what they feel is right, the world would be a better place.