The solomon syndrome It is the tendency of people to make decisions or adopt behaviors to avoid standing out, stand out or shine in a certain social group, due to the pressure that said group exerts.
This syndrome occurs in adults, although it is easier to observe in children. As they get older, people tend to worry less about what their social group or others think. Therefore, they are not so concerned with saying and doing what they consider appropriate, even if it entails standing out..
On the contrary, children and young people are more concerned with fitting into their social group. Children can put obstacles and complications to themselves, so they follow in the footsteps of the people who make up their circle of friends even if they know that it is not the right one. The goal is not to stand out to avoid possible negative consequences.
In a way this behavior can be learned; When someone excels at something, they can be rejected by their peers, who feel envy or feel inferior. With experience, children who excel learn that it is better not to show their talents to avoid being rejected by other children..
Therefore, Solomon syndrome is related to social and psychological phenomena such as comparison, the will to be part of a group, conditioning, vicarious learning and even envy..
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There are many studies such as those by Asch and Crutchfield that have shown that there is group pressure when trying to impose uniformity of opinion on an individual who does not think or act like others.
According to researcher Moscovici, nonconformity can sometimes allow the group to adapt and act. For him, there are basic modalities of social influence: conformity, normalization and innovation:
A person can change his attitude or behavior towards a certain idea or object due to the pressure that the group exerts on him. The person feels obliged to change both their ideas and their behaviors to adapt to the group around them.
Conformism appears in this syndrome, since individuals, even though they think differently about an issue in question, tend to finally accept what others think and feel, leaving their thoughts and beliefs to accept those of the group..
It consists of leaving the differences regarding a subject or object aside to accept a common denominator. It is a pressure that is exerted by both parties and leads to a norm that is accepted by all members of the group.
It is an influence exerted by an individual or by a minority group whose objective is to promote new ideas as well as ways of thinking or behaving different from the existing ones. This minority group may introduce changes.
The main symptoms of this syndrome are:
-Do not participate in class even if you have knowledge.
-Behavior learned accordingly after receiving negative consequences for standing out.
-Adopt new beliefs and values that were previously considered negative.
-Finding yourself in negative environments where debate is not promoted.
-Being in violent environments where bullying is not punished.
Solomon syndrome is a very common disorder in the classroom, as there are many students who for some reason trust themselves very little and fear being excluded from their group of friends. For minors it is very important to be accepted by their peers, so if they have to go against their ideas to be accepted they will.
It is important that as educators and education professionals, we are able to be aware that these situations are very present in classes in educational centers..
It is necessary to train our students so that they know how to correctly manage their emotions so that they can be themselves and express themselves without fear. If we work properly, we will have a class in which students will not feel so vulnerable to peer pressure..
It seems that as humans we have always been afraid to stand out and stand out above a group. Either because of the exclusion by the group that this entails or because of the feeling of insecurity that this action carries with itself..
As education professionals we must observe our group-class with the idea of having the necessary information on both their strengths and their weaknesses in order to be able to act later. Here are some guidelines:
For a group to function it is important that we take into account its cohesion. Its members should feel proud of belonging to the group and for this we must bear in mind that the appropriate conditions must be favored. An example to achieve this objective could be to carry out group dynamics in the classroom.
Values must be a constant in the activities carried out to avoid this to make people more just and worthy.
The development of socio-emotional skills is becoming increasingly important. These have a great impact on personal, academic and work development as well as for the prevention of antisocial behaviors.
Skills such as knowing how to appreciate the other person and demonstrate it, understand them and have empathy, can be easily acquired if you work well from childhood.
Although it is true that we cannot prohibit conflicts since they are something natural, it is recommended that we know how to regulate and solve them in time, since if they are not dealt with, they can lead to feelings of discomfort in the group.
It is very important that we bear in mind that students find it difficult to participate in class. One way to encourage those who participate little for whatever reasons is positive reinforcement. It consists of rewarding effort through words, an example could be: very well, you have raised your hand.
If we have good communication skills, we will be assertive and therefore we will express what we think in a good way, since we will have the necessary tools.
Through resilience we can be able to gain self-confidence, since thanks to it we are able to take on any situation that puts us to the test.
This syndrome is something very common not only in schools but in society in general. Throughout our lives, we will have to face negative values of which we have to be aware if we want to fulfill the objectives and goals that we set ourselves in life.
It is important that as educators and family members we encourage communication, socio-emotional, as well as social skills in our children and students so that they have the appropriate tools to face all the problems that life poses to them..
If we do not, they will not be able to fulfill their dreams, which will lead to negative feelings and emotions that will harm their emotional well-being..
Finally, we must emphasize that from the classroom it is important that fear is banished and that a culture of recognition and effort be promoted, in which individual merits can transcend the class group. This will prevent Solomon syndrome from invading our classrooms as it is currently doing..
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