Eccentricity

Eccentricity refers to odd or unusual behaviour of an individual, behaviour that departs from social norms or ‘normal’ ideals (Collins, 1990). Research in to eccentricity and eccentrics is scarce, but David Weeks, a clinical neurophysiologist at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital, has spent numerous years studying over 1000 eccentrics from America and Britain to gain an insight into their personalities, behaviours and cognitions to try and gain more of an understanding of these different and unusual people. Eccentricity is often associated with genius, giftedness or extreme creativity (Wikipedia) and is not necessarily a negative thing even though society is ambivalent towards them (Eby). Eccentrics are considered to have a number of positive traits, are psychologically healthy and can contribute a great deal to society.

In his studies, Weeks has found at least 20 characteristics that contribute to an eccentric’s personality (Eby; Shepard, 1986). Their principle traits include:

• Nonconforming
• Creative
• Strongly motivated by curiosity
• Idealistic and
• An obsessive reoccupation with one or two subjects (Weeks & James, 1995).

Behaviour that is abnormal is seen to be violating social norms (Durand & Barlow, 2006) but ‘normal’ is a hard concept to define. What is normal is often determined by who is defining and is tied to judgements of a particular culture or society (mayoclinic). There is an over-emphasis placed on people to conform to the norms of their society (Hornsey, Majkut, Terry & McKimmie, 2003). What people should do, act and think stem from important sources in society such as family, church, significant others or embedded in the moral fabric of society itself (Hornsey et al., 2003). Normative influence involves going along with the crowd to ‘fit in’ with the majority, to be accepted and avoid social rejection (Baumeister & Bushman, 2008; Hornsey et al., 2003). When people deviated from social norms they are rejected (Baumeister & Bushman, 2008) and can experience hostility and/or disapproval from others (Hornsey et al., 2003). Eccentrics are shunned because of their nonconformity. They are often labelled as ‘mad’ or even psychotic merely because they are different from the norm (Eby).

Eccentricity has been associated with various psychological profile and mental illnesses (Eby; Wikipedia). Some psychological profiles that have been associated with eccentricity as a way of compensating negative feelings and cognitions include Oedipus complex (desire of a young male to compete with his father for his mother’s love and affection), Napoleon complex (an inferiority complex found in short people) and Peter Pan syndrome (an adult who is socially immature and never wishes to grow up) (Wikipedia). Mental illnesses such as Asperger syndrome, Schizophrenia and various personality disorders have been associated with eccentricity due to their different socialisation patterns. Despite these views there is ample evidence that eccentrics are healthier and live longer than normal people (Weeks & James, 1995) they only visit the doctor once every eight or nine years which is about 2 times less than the average person (Weeks, 1996). Eccentric traits such as their usual humour and constant happiness have been said to boost their immune system, providing a shield from many illnesses (Yahoo, 2005). Not only are eccentrics healthier physically, they are also psychologically healthy as well. The reason cited for this psychological healthiness is that as they not worried about conforming with the rest of society they experience less stress (Weeks & James, 1995), low stress and high happiness equates with psychological health or well-being (Weeks, 1996).

According to the Humanistic perspective and specifically Maslow’s hierarchy of needs a picture of ideal psychological health is someone who has reached self-actualisation, the realisation of potential, in his hierarchy of needs (Weiten, 2004). Self actualising persons are people with exceptionally healthy personalities, marked by continued personal growth (Weiten, 2004).Humans have an innate drive toward personal growth, “what a man can be, he must be” (Maslow, cited in Weiten, 2004) The creativity and inner drive toward self-actualisation is not blocked in eccentrics, who follow their visions despite what others think of them (Eby). The characteristics of self-actualising people are similar to the characteristics that Weeks identified in eccentrics, they are not dependent on others for approval or uncomfortable with solitude, they thrive on their work, they enjoy their sense of humour, they are detached and have a need for privacy and have mystical and peak experiences (profound emotional heights) (Weiten, 2004).

Weeks has suggested that eccentricity is essential for society and have positive things to offer the world (Shepard, 1986). They provide ideas and behaviour that allows people within that society to adapt successfully to the ever-changing environment (Eby) and contributes to a society that is more individualistic and less homogenised (Shepard, 1986). They are very idealistic, they are constantly trying to make the world a better place and make other people happy (Eby) and as a result eccentrics and their taboo idealisations are being snapped up (Collins, 1990). Eccentricity is encouraged in some fields, especially in entertainment and the arts and many actors and entertainers embrace their eccentricity to the delight of their audiences (Eby). People seem to be drawn to eccentrics; someone who is so open to their hopes and dreams motivates and gives hopes to others to achieve their own self-actualisation (Eby). The whimsical and sir of mystery surrounding an eccentric makes people want to be associated with eccentrics and many even find it sexually attractive (Wikipedia; Yahoo).

Eccentricity is a thing to embrace; eccentric’s non-conformity leads to high state of psychological well-being or self-actualisation and the realisation of their potential as well as peak physical health from little or lack of stress. Being different from the crowd can provide insight to how society works and help to facilitate change in the rest of society and gives people someone to turn to for motivation to follow their own dreams. Eccentrics are not mentally ill, mad or psychotic, merely different “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears." (Weeks, 1996).

References

Baumesister, R. F. & Bushman, B. J. (2008). Attitudes, beliefs and consistency. In Social Psychology and Human Nature (pp. 223-249). Belmont: Thomson Wadsworth.

Durand, V. M., & Barlow, D. H. (2006). Abnormal behaviour in historical context. In Essentials of Abnormal Psychology (4^th ed.) (pp. 1-32). Belmont: Thomson Wadsworth.

Collins, G. (1990). What really makes New York work: eccentricity; the differents that make a difference. The New York Times. From http:query.nytimes.com/gst

Eby, D. Eccentricity and creativity
From http:taletdevelop.com/articles/page2.html

Hornsey, M. J., Majkut, L., Terry, D. J., & McKimmie, B. M. (2003). On being loud and proud: non-conformity and counter-conformity to group norms, British Journal of Social Psychology, 42, 319-335.

Mayo Clinic (2007). Mental health: what’s normal, what’s not. From http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mental-health/MH00042

Shepard, R. F. (1986). New British study: the normal need not apply. The New York Times

Weiten, W. (2004). Personality: theory, research and assessment. In Psychology Themes and Variations (6^th ed.) (pp. 476-519). Belmont: Thomson Wadsworth.

Weeks, D., & James, J. (1995). Eccentrics
Treasures.yahoo.co.uk/press/

Wikipedia, Eccentricity behaviour

Weeks, D. (1996). On being eccentric. OnLine Newshour

Yahoo (2005). New wave of eccentric behaviour sweeps Britain
From http:nationaltreasures,yahoo.co.uk/press/

Appendices

1. Theory

Eccentricity is a relatively un-researched topic so there are therefore not many psychological or sociological theories based on being eccentric or the eccentric personality. Neurophysiologist David Weeks has conducted research on thousands on eccentric personalities and I used his research and conclusions in my blog, mainly that eccentricity is a psychologically health state and associated with self-actualisation.

2. Research

There are very few journal articles on eccentricity and the ones that I found, UC weren’t subscribed to. Most of the information for my blog was found in textbooks (for background knowledge on normality, conformity and self-actualisation) and on-line transcripts and articles (for most of the information on eccentric personalities). From the amount of information (or lack of it) I think I covered my topic in detail.

3. Written Expression

I conducted the readability analysis of my blog and for Flesch Reading Ease got 25.8 which is lower than the benchmark aim of 42 or above and 15.5 for Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level which is higher than the recommended reading grade level or year 12 or below. This indicates that my blog may contain too many long words, sentence and/or paragraphs. My APA style is not perfect in this blog mainly because of the lack of journal articles found on eccentricity, but where possible APA style is perfect. I think my blog flows and is clearly presented.

4. One-line Engagement
   

This term I engaged in the on-line blogging more. I made comments and suggestions on fellow student’s blogs (and included a link on my blog). I published a few blogs myself (not as many as I would have liked due to conflicting time restraints) on my topic and other topics related to Social psychology in general. I customised my blog this term by adding pictures and quotes of eccentricity for interest and to make my blog look more interesting. I think my on-line engagement was a lot higher than that of last term but as always, there is room for improvement.

Social Psychology Research

Hi everyone,

While recently surfing for information for my 2nd blog i found a link to a Psychology student who is having trouble finding participants for her research on personality measures. She needs over 250 participants at this stage.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=oLlGclPn8YMLX_2byZT1Uk2w_3d_3d]PERSONALITY%20STUDY[/url

Here is the link to complete her survey which only takes 15-20 mins to complete and lets help out a fellow student!!!

Blog 2: Eccentricity

Hi everyone,
My second blog is on eccentricity "Explain eccentricity from a socio-psychological perspective"
I thought this would be an interesting topic but decided I should get a defintion to help myself (and others) fully understand the concept.
this is what i found on wikipedia:
"eccentricity refers to unusual or odd behavior on the part of an individual. This behavior would typically be perceived as unusual or unnecessary, without being demonstrably maladaptive. Eccentricity is contrasted with "normal" behavior, the nearly universal means by which individuals in society solve given problems and pursue certain priorities in everyday life. For people who consistently display benignly eccentric behavior, there is a label: "eccentrics"."

What does everyone think? Do you have a better definition or do you think this encapsulates eccentricity?

Appendices

Theory
In my blog I think I used current theories involved in attitude change but i only expanded on the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM). I could have expanded on more theories that I have listed on my concept map such as Cognitive Dissonance Theory but word restrictions made it hard to elaborate on any more theories.

Research
I could have used more articles in this assessment; I found it hard to find articles that were specifically on what I was writing about. I think the research I did talk about though did cover the topic quite well but for my next blog I will defiantly have to look at more sources and expand on my references.

Written Expression
I used a concept map to show how I thought the concepts of attitude change fit together, the theories and the factors that enhance the success of the message promoting attitude change. My APA style is very good in this blog, i have correctly referenced everything necessary. I used the readability statistics in word, quite a different experience:

Flesch Reading Ease(FRE) = 29.7
Web text should ideally achieve a FRE of between 60-80; the higher the score the more readable the work is.
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level = 14.1
Web text should ideally achieve a FKGL of between 6-7; the lower the score the more readable the work is.
Didn't really get very good results with that though!

Online Engagement
I have been a little reluctant to engage in the on-line blogging this term. I commented on a few people’s blogs but felt very over-whelmed by the amount of information available to read and comment on. Hopefully during the next term and with the second blog ill make my own posts for people to comment on as I am more competent in adding posts and making comments.

Concept Map

Blog one: Attitude Changes

Attitudes are global response dispositions that a person holds towards a person, object or issue (Scott, 1996). People organise their perceptions of the world in terms of their attitudes towards various stimuli (Scott, 1996). Attitudes are important for humans, they help people adjust to new situations, separate punishment from reward and influence what risks or precautions we take with our lives (Baumeister & Bushman, 2008). Attitude and attitude changes influence how people construct their world but also how people behave in a wide range of situations (Scott, 1996). When a person’s attitude changes about a certain object, person or issue, it either becomes more or less favourable and is usually the consequence of persuasion (Coleman, 2006).
The Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) is a model of attitude change viewed as developing form two distinct routes, the central and the peripheral route (Petty, Wegener & Fabrigar, 1997; Scott, 1996). The central route states that a change in attitude is most likely to occur from careful and thoughtful consideration of the information presented (Scott, 1996). For attitudinal change to occur through the central route an individual must be motivated to think and scrutinise the merits of an advocacy, because of this, central route attitude change tent to persist and are more predictive of behaviours (Scott, 1996). The peripheral route of attitudinal changes usually includes the use of simple decision rules, cues from the environment or mere exposure processes that induces change without the scrutiny of the merits of information relevant to the issue (Petty et al.1997; Scott, 1996). Attention to these cues may cause an individual to reach an attitude without engaging in any meaningful cognitive processing (Scott, 1996). As a consequence, this form of attitude change is less persistent as the individual is less likely to personalise the message arguments within the context of their attitude schema (Scott, 1996). Thus attitudes can be formed and changed under different circumstances based on either environmental cues or motivated thinking.
Drug abuse is common among adolescents and as there are many short-term and long-term risks associated with drug use a variety of polices and prevention and intervention programs related to drug use have been developed (Scott, 1996). The Australian Government has implemented a National Drug Campaign which aims to reduce young Australians motivation to use illicit drugs by increasing their knowledge about the potential negative consequences of drug use. The campaign aims to change young Australians (ages 13-25 years) attitudes about four illicit substances; ice, marijuana, speed and ecstasy by increasing their knowledge of potential serious consequences through credible evidence-based depictions of negative drug outcomes. The ads show the potential negative physical, psychological and social consequences of drug use.
Whether a message is successful in changing attitudes depends on a number of factors including the target characteristics, source characteristics, message characteristics and cognitive routes (Harrington et al., 2003). Target characteristic refer to the characteristics of the person who receives the message. Intelligence is an example of a target characteristic, the more intelligent a person is the less easily they are persuaded by the message content. Self-esteem, mind frame and mood are other target characteristics that may affect the successfulness of the message (Harrington et al., 2003). Source characteristics are how trustworthy or credible the source of the message is. People are more likely to be persuaded to change their attitudes if the source of the message is from is trustworthy source such as a professional journal rather than a popular magazine or newspaper (Harrington et al., 2003) The message characteristics can play a role in the effectiveness of a campaign, sometimes hearing both sides of the story can help change peoples attitudes (Harrington et al., 2003). Central and peripheral routes as explained by the ELM determine the level of cognitive processing. Modern advertising that use celebrities, experts or doctors to endorse certain messages encourage individuals to look at the source of the message and not the content utilising the peripheral route to try and change peoples attitudes (Harrington et al., 2003).
For most adolescents the topic of drug use is neither important nor relevant in their lives (Scott, 1996). Most of them have not lives long enough to have experienced any serious negative consequences to drug taking (Scott, 1996). They typically view the negative consequences associated with drug use abstractly, as something that will happen to other people and not to them and thus not relevant to them (Scott, 1996). As adolescents have this view, the attractiveness and credibility of the message source would be an important factor as well as the number of arguments presented within the message (Scott, 1996). A successful intervention or prevention campaign would be one that increases the exposure to expert and or attractive sources and the message delivery should focus on many arguments instead of focusing on just one (Scott, 1996).
The current government National Drug Campaign seems to incorporate these key factors into their drug prevention strategy and thus indicates that it should be affective in changing young Australians and adolescents attitudes about drug behaviours.


References

Baumesister, R. F. and Bushman, B. J. (2008). Attitudes, beliefs and consistency. In Social Psychology and Human Nature (pp. 223-249). Belmont: Thomson Wadsworth.

Harrington, N. G., Lane, D. R., Donohew, L., Zimmerman, R. S., Norling, G. R., An, J., Cheah, W. H., McClure, L., Buckingham, T., Garofalo, E. and Bevins, C. C. (2003). Persuasive strategies for effective anti-drug messages. Communication Monographs, 70(1), 16-38.

Petty, R. E., Wegener, P. T. and Fabrigar, L. R. (1997). Attitudes and attitude change. Annual Review of Psychology, 98, 609-647.

Scott, C. G. (1996). Understanding attitude changes in developing effective substance abuse prevention programs for adolescents. School Counsellor, 43(3), 187-196.

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