{"id":4644,"date":"2018-12-16T10:41:49","date_gmt":"2018-12-16T15:41:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.amyork.ca\/academic\/zz\/?p=4644"},"modified":"2019-05-25T22:58:29","modified_gmt":"2019-05-26T02:58:29","slug":"social-influence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.amyork.ca\/academic\/zz\/exercise\/social-influence\/","title":{"rendered":"Social Influence"},"content":{"rendered":"

Real or imagined pressure to change one\u2019s behavior, attitudes, or beliefs \u00a0o Can come from doctors, fitness leaders, family members, etc.<\/li>\n
\u00a0\u00a0 An understanding of this pressure may lead to the development of interventions that \u00a0use social influence to increase physical activity participation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/p>\n
Social Support<\/h2>\n
- \u00a0\u00a0 Most important<\/strong> type of social influence in exercise and physical activity settings<\/li>\n
- \u00a0\u00a0 The perceived comfort, caring, persistence, and information that a person receives \u00a0from others<\/li>\n
- \u00a0\u00a0 Two approaches:<\/li>\n
- Measure size of one\u2019s social network<\/li>\n
- Measure amount and type of support that an exerciser receives<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
  <\/p>\n
  Size of Social Network<\/h2>\n
  \n
  \u00a0\u00a0 Measured by the number of groups or individuals an exerciser can turn to for \u00a0support<\/li>\n
  \u00a0\u00a0 Does not take into account quality or type of support provided<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
  <\/p>\n
  Types of Support<\/h2>\n
  \n
  \u00a0\u00a0 Instrumental Support<\/strong>: Practical, tangible assistance\u00a0 Ex: If your parents drive you \u00a0to soccer practice<\/li>\n
  \u00a0\u00a0 Emotional Support<\/strong>: Encouragement, praise, empathy, concern<\/li>\n
  \u00a0\u00a0 Informational Support<\/strong>: Directions, suggestions, advice and feedback\u00a0 Ex: Telling \u00a0someone at the gym what exercises to do<\/li>\n
  \u00a0\u00a0 Companionship Support<\/strong>: Friends, family members, exercise groups<\/li>\n
  \u00a0\u00a0 Validation<\/strong>: Comparison with others to gauge progress<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
  <\/p>\n
  Research on Relationships Between Social Support and Physical Activity<\/h2>\n
  \n
  \u00a0\u00a0 Number of social contacts:<\/li>\n
  People who have more available support sources reported greater levels of physical exertion<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
  \n
  \u00a0\u00a0 Amount and type of social support:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
  \n
  The most effective type of support depends on the exerciser\u2019s needs at a given time<\/li>\n
  Exercisers may need emotional support more than they need instrumental support<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
  <\/p>\n
  Individual and Group Influence on Exercise<\/h2>\n
  \n
  \u00a0 Family\u00a0 spouse, children, parents\u00a0 influences exercise the most<\/li>\n
  \u00a0\u00a0 Important others\u00a0 physician, friends, coworkers<\/li>\n
  \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Fitness professionals and instructors<\/li>\n
  \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Other exercise participants<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
  <\/p>\n
  <\/p>\n
  Influence of Family \u2013 Spousal or Partner Support<\/h2>\n
  \n
  Individuals have better attendance and fewer drop out rates when exercising with a \u00a0spouse \u00a0o Emotional Support \u00a0<\/strong>o Companionship Support <\/strong><\/li>\n
  Spouses-partners provide much-needed support to mothers with young children, \u00a0because mothers may have difficulty finding time to exercise \u00a0o Instrumental Support <\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
  <\/p>\n
  <\/p>\n
  Influence of Family \u2013 Parental Support<\/h2>\n
  \n
  \u00a0\u00a0 Social support from parents and family has been identified as one of the most \u00a0important determinants of participation in physical activity<\/li>\n
  Parents provide many different types of social support \u00a0o Instrumental:<\/strong> Provide transportation, pay fees \u00a0o Emotional:<\/strong> Provide encouragement \u00a0o Informational: <\/strong>Teach a new activity \u00a0o Companionship:<\/strong> Play with their children<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
  <\/p>\n
  <\/p>\n
  Downside to Family Support<\/u><\/p>\n
  \n
  \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Behavioral Reactance: <\/strong>When family members pressure a loved one to exercise, that \u00a0person may respond in the opposite manner actually exercise less \u00a0– Social control<\/li>\n
  \u00a0\u00a0 Overprotectiveness<\/li>\n
  \u00a0\u00a0 Parental pressure<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
  <\/p>\n
  Influence of Health Practitioners<\/h2>\n
  \n
  \u00a0\u00a0 Kinesiologists<\/li>\n
  \u00a0\u00a0 Physiotherapists<\/li>\n
  \u00a0\u00a0 Nurses<\/li>\n
  \u00a0\u00a0 Physicians<\/li>\n
  \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Psychiatrists\u00a0 \u00a0– \u00a0 Pharmacist<\/li>\n
  \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Chiropractics<\/li>\n
  \u00a0\u00a0 About 25\u00a0 of people look to health professionals for advice on how to become \u00a0physically active<\/li>\n
  \u00a0\u00a0 There is a significant increase in exercise after a doctor\u2019s visit that includes exercise \u00a0counseling<\/li>\n
  \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Physicians who exercise regularly themselves are important role models<\/li>\n
  But not all physicians prescribe exercise. Why not? \u00a0o Don\u2019t perceive exercise as an immediate treatment\u00a0 not enough confidence in \u00a0it<\/li>\n
  Don\u2019t feel qualified to perform exercise counseling not enough knowledge of \u00a0it<\/li>\n
  Not enough time sometimes the doctor, sometimes the client<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
  <\/p>\n
  Dogs as Social Influence<\/h2>\n
  \n
  \u00a0\u00a0 People who own dogs are more likely to meet recommended physical activity levels \u00a0than those who do not<\/li>\n
  \u00a0\u00a0 Many dog owners report feeling guilty if they do not walk their dogs; guilt avoidance \u00a0becomes a powerful incentive<\/li>\n
  \u00a0\u00a0 Dogs provide companionship support<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
  <\/p>\n
  <\/p>\n
  Influence of Exercise Class Leaders<\/h2>\n
  \n
  \u00a0\u00a0 Single most important determinant of an exerciser\u2019s continued participation in an \u00a0exercise program<\/li>\n
  Exercise leaders can provide many different types of social support: \u00a0o Informational: <\/strong>Show what exercises to do \u00a0o Emotional:<\/strong> Provide encouragement-praise \u00a0o Instrumental:<\/strong> Organize fitness classes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
  o Companionship:<\/strong> Distract from feelings of pain, fatigue, boredom<\/p>\n
  <\/p>\n
  <\/p>\n
  Leadership Styles of Exercise Class Leaders<\/h2>\n
  \n
  \u00a0\u00a0 Socially supportive:<\/strong> Encouragement, verbal reinforcement, praise, showing \u00a0interest in participants, engaging in casual conversation before and after class\u00a0 very \u00a0successful at keeping people engaged in exercise<\/li>\n
  \u00a0\u00a0 Bland:<\/strong> Verbal criticism of exercisers who made mistakes, no encouragement or \u00a0praise, no interaction before or after class<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
  <\/p>\n
  Effects of Socially Supportive Leadership Styles<\/h2>\n
  \n
  \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Greater exercise self-efficacy<\/li>\n
  \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 More energy and enthusiasm<\/li>\n
  \u00a0\u00a0 Less post-exercise fatigue<\/li>\n
  \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Less concern about embarrassing oneself and trying new things \u00a0– \u00a0 More enjoyment<\/li>\n
  \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Stronger intentions to join another class in the future<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
  <\/p>\n
  The Exercise Leader as a Role Model<\/h2>\n
  \n
  \u00a0\u00a0 Emphasize importance of getting adequate rest between workouts and taking time \u00a0to fully recuperate when sick or injured<\/li>\n
  \u00a0\u00a0 Emphasize fitness and fun during exercise<\/li>\n
  \u00a0\u00a0 Encourage participants to set realistic fitness and weight loss goals<\/li>\n
  \u00a0\u00a0 Give praise and advice about future goals<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
  <\/p>\n
  Influence of CoCExercisers and Observers<\/h2>\n
  \n
  \u00a0\u00a0 Actual effort:<\/strong> People increase effort and performance when others are watching<\/li>\n
  \u00a0\u00a0 SelfLReported Effort: <\/strong>Presence of others and the desire to make a good impression \u00a0can influence self-reported effort<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
  <\/p>\n
  Ratings of Perceived Exertion\u00a0 RPE<\/h2>\n
  \n
  People report a lower RPE when exercising next to a person who makes an exercise \u00a0look easy<\/li>\n
  \u00a0\u00a0 Men report a lower RPE with tests involving heavy workloads when women are \u00a0conducting the tests<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
  <\/p>\n
  <\/p>\n
  <\/p>\n
  Dangers of Trying to Make a Good Impression<\/h2>\n
  \n
  \u00a0\u00a0 People may exert themselves too strenuously when others are watching\u00a0 which may \u00a0result in injury<\/li>\n
  \u00a0\u00a0 People may be concerned that others perceive them as weak if they reduce the \u00a0amount of weight they are lifting<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
  <\/p>\n
  Influence of Society<\/h2>\n
  \n
  \u00a0 Norms\u00a0 i.e. what is \u201cnormal\u201d\u00a0 are reflected by a number of factors:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
  o Media\u2019s portrayal of physical activity \u00a0o Amount of resources dedicated to helping people be physically active \u00a0o Visibility of physically active individuals<\/p>\n
  \n
  Stereotypes are beliefs about the characteristics of people in a certain group: \u00a0o Weight training is a \u201cman\u2019s activity\u201d \u00a0o Non-exercisers are lazy and couch potatoes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
  <\/p>\n
  Influence of Exercise Groups<\/h2>\n
  \n
  \u00a0\u00a0 Can promote<\/strong> exercise-related thoughts, feelings and behaviors<\/li>\n
  Positive social influence<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
  \n
  \u00a0\u00a0 Can undermine<\/strong> exercise-related thoughts, feelings and behaviors<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
  \n
  Negative social influence<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
  \n
  \u00a0\u00a0 There are three aspects of the exercise group that affect exercise:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
  \n
  Group Size o Group Composition<\/li>\n
  Group Cohesion: Has the largest effect<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
  <\/p>\n
  Group Cohesion<\/h2>\n
  \n
  Cohesive exercise group<\/strong>:\u00a0 \u00a0o One in which group members are drawn to a common goal\u00a0 \u00a0o \u00a0Are integrated around the pursuit of that goal \u00a0o The pursuit of satisfying social interactions and communication<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
  <\/p>\n
  Conceptual Model of Group Cohesion<\/h2>\n
  <\/p>\n
  Group Cohesion<\/h2>\n
  \n
  \u00a0\u00a0 More cohesive exercise groups, especially those higher in ATG-T, foster greater \u00a0exercise adherence<\/li>\n
  \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Team building results in improved adherence and fewer dropouts<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
  <\/p>\n
  <\/p>\n
  How to Increase Feelings of Group Cohesion\u00a0 Team Building<\/h2>\n
  \n
  \u00a0\u00a0 Develop feelings of distinctiveness among members<\/li>\n
  \u00a0\u00a0 Assign group roles and-or positions\u00a0 give them something to do and they will be \u00a0more likely to come back – makes them feel important<\/li>\n
  \u00a0\u00a0 Establish group norms\u00a0 shared beliefs that everyone follow, fosters in-group \u00a0behavior<\/li>\n
  \u00a0\u00a0 Provide opportunities to make sacrifices for the group<\/li>\n
  \u00a0\u00a0 Provide opportunities for interaction<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
  How Does Group Cohesion Actually Foster Adherence?<\/h2>\n
  \n
  Cohesive groups foster: \u00a0o More positive attitudes toward class attendance\u00a0 \u00a0o Greater social support and interaction \u00a0o Greater self-efficacy in group members<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
  <\/p>\n
  Group Size<\/h2>\n
  \n
  As number of people increases, perceptions of group cohesiveness decrease. Why? \u00a0o Crowding: Lack of comfort as personal space decreases \u00a0o Fewer interactions with other members<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
  o Fewer interactions with the group leader ! Leader seems less accessible\u00a0 \u00a0o Less communication and enjoyment<\/p>\n
  <\/p>\n
  Group Composition<\/h2>\n
  \n
  What are factors that might affect how comfortable someone feels in an exercise \u00a0group? \u00a0o Similarity of members\u00a0 age, gender, fitness level, etc.<\/li>\n
  Affects comfort level and motivation o Mixed gender makeup<\/li>\n
  May cause discomfort<\/li>\n
  May cause feelings of being an oddity o Group Enthusiasm<\/li>\n
  Results in greater enjoyment and future intentions to join an exercise group<\/li>\n
  May decrease feelings of self-consciousness and worries about embarrassment and social evaluation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
  <\/p>\n
  Practical Recommendations<\/h2>\n
  \n
  \u00a0\u00a0 Encourage exercisers to seek social support<\/li>\n
  \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 If you are in a position of social influence, encourage and promote physical activity<\/li>\n
  \u00a0\u00a0 Many intervention strategies exist to improve social aspects of exercise \u00a0environments<\/li>\n
  \u00a0\u00a0 If physical activity is to become commonplace amount all members of society, we \u00a0need to change some cultural norms and stereotypes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
  Real or imagined pressure to change one\u2019s behavior, attitudes, or beliefs \u00a0o Can come from doctors, fitness leaders, family members, etc. \u00a0\u00a0 An understanding of this pressure may lead… Continue Reading Social Influence<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[120],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.amyork.ca\/academic\/zz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4644"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.amyork.ca\/academic\/zz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.amyork.ca\/academic\/zz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amyork.ca\/academic\/zz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amyork.ca\/academic\/zz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4644"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.amyork.ca\/academic\/zz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4644\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4811,"href":"https:\/\/www.amyork.ca\/academic\/zz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4644\/revisions\/4811"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.amyork.ca\/academic\/zz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4644"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amyork.ca\/academic\/zz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4644"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amyork.ca\/academic\/zz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4644"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

Conceptual Model of Group Cohesion<\/h2>\n <\/p>\n

Conceptual Model of Group Cohesion<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n