Social psychology is a scientific study that studies how people think, feel, and behave under the influence of other people (Aronson, Wilson & Akert, 2013, p. 2) . When thinking about what social influence really means, we tend to think of a person trying to persuade another person to act in a certain way. It may be a form of peer pressure, such as taking the first drag of a cigarette, or it may conform to popular social views, such as obeying the law of the land. Fiction is a great way to learn about social psychological perspectives. Watching popular theatrical films is the perfect way to learn because it illustrates the application of many perceptions within social psychology. The film The Hunger Games, originally based on a book by Suzanne Collins, is about a place called Panem, which is governed by the Capitol and has 12 districts within it. These 12 districts are separated based on their economic status, meaning that the higher the district, the poorer the residents. There are 2 tributes who are chosen to participate, forcibly, in The Hunger Games every year. Each contestant is asked to eliminate each other to survive and emerge victorious. There is only one tribute allowed to leave the arena alive. Katniss lives in District 12, which is the poorest district of all, and volunteers as a tribute to the "Reaping" when her sister is chosen to participate. She and her district's other tribute, Peeta, enter the arena with the hope that one of them will emerge victorious and, more importantly, alive (Ross, 2012). I will refrain from going any further in case you haven't read the book or seen the movie. In terms of associates......middle of paper......rate of feeling such strong feelings that he has never felt before. Maybe they're just looking for a little comfort and a little scapegoating to get away from their horrible reality. These types of feelings could also be due to deindividuation, which means that when in a crowd a person behaves in a way that they would never behave if they were not in this crowd (Aronson et al., 2013, p. 247 ). In the circumstances Katniss has been forced into, she's doing things she wouldn't normally do, like kissing Peeta while being watched by all 12 districts or almost committing suicide while still inside the arena. People tend to adapt to their surroundings, and when others around them do crazy, unimaginable things, like killing to survive, then they follow suit. Another social psychological concept found in The Hunger Games is cognitive dissonance.