Blog 10: Final Paper: The Vampire Effect

Abstract:

The “Vampire Effect” was first mentioned in Paying for the Party by Elizabeth Armstrong and Laura Hamilton.  According to the authors, it was a social phenomenon in which socially-integrated students would ignore and shun the shy students.  The root issue was that students who were not that wealthy would seem invisible compared to the upper-class students, who would always have the spotlight.  Armstrong and Hamilton imply that this phenomenon is caused by the more affluent students purposely neglecting and rejecting the “social isolates.”  However, the “Vampire Effect” is not caused by the affluent students, but rather by the subconscious of the anti-social students who feel that they are being targeted.  The main theory that supports this argument is the Social Comparison Theory, which states that people evaluate their own worth based on the people they are surrounded by.  The main difference that the two groups of students had was their financial status: the confident, affluent students being more financially stable, and the insecure, shy students coming from a poorer background.  Once the shy students start to compare themselves to their peers, they eventually become envious and self-blaming. These feelings ultimately result in anxiety and self-isolation. However, this is all done unknowingly and neither party is to blame.  The movie The Red shows how the “Vampire Effect” comes into play with two friends of different backgrounds.  My own experience also portrays how this effect really works and what causes it.   

Work Cited

Armstrong, Elizabeth and Laura Hamilton.  Paying for the Party: How College Maintains Inequality.  Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 2013. Print.

Bridges, Sarah, and Richard Disney. "Debt and Depression." Journal of Health Economics 29.3 (2010): 388-403. Web.

Cooke, Richard, Michael Barkham, Kerry Audin, Margaret Bradley, and John Davy. "Student Debt and Its Relation to Student Mental Health." Journal of Further and Higher Education 28.1 (2004): 53-66. Web.

Dyrbye, Liselotte N., Matthew R. Thomas, and Tait D. Shanafelt. "Medical Student Distress: Causes, Consequences, and Proposed Solutions." Mayo Clinic Proceedings 80.12 (2005): 1613-622. Web.

 Festinger, L. "A Theory of Social Comparison Processes." Human Relations 7.2 (1954): 117-40. Web. 

Hansson, Robert O., and Warren H. Jones. "Loneliness, Cooperation, and Conformity Among American Undergraduates." The Journal of Social Psychology 115.1 (1981): 103-08. Web.

 "Journal of Further and Higher Education." Student Debt and Its Relation to Student Mental Health: : Vol 28, No 1. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2016. 

Juliana Breines, Richard Smith Ph.D., Leon F Seltzer Ph.D., and Art Markman Ph.D. "Psychology Today." Social Comparison Theory | Psychology Today. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2016.

Leonard, Garry. "Monsters and Mortgages The Horror Movie as Prime Economic Indicator." Film International 8.1 (2010): 11-17. Web.

Liu, Jiangmeng, Cong Li, Nick Carcioppolo, and Michael North. "Do Our Facebook Friends Make Us Feel Worse? A Study of Social Comparison and Emotion." Human Communication Research 42.4 (2016): 619-40. Web. 

 Novotney, Amy. "Facing up to Debt." American Psychological Association (n.d.): n. pag. Web. 

Smith, Richard H., and Sung Hee Kim. "Comprehending envy." Psychological Bulletin 133.1 (2007): 46-64. Web.

Taibbi, Matt. "Ripping Off Young America: The College-Loan Scandal." Rolling Stone. N.p., 2013. Web. 05 Dec. 2016.

 "The Mental and Physical Toll of Student Loans." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2016.

Williams, Jeffrey. "The Pedagogy of Debt." College Literature 33.4 (2006): 155-69. Web.

link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/16VSS9_2oInAritpXgPCT6nwAQ98b_mM8NOvXSiBo-kM/edit?usp=sharing

Blog 6

Visual:

I have found 1 visual that I think is representative of my topic. I have also made one that I find explains my topic.

This is a picture of Count Dracula, who is a vampire. Since I am discussing the vampire effect, I think this is a good image that represents my topic. The vampire effect discusses how the social individuals tend to "suck" the life out of the social isolates. This can be compared to Dracula and how he sucks the life out of his victims. Also, Dracula can be used to discuss how the upper-class are generally the ones who will do the life-sucking, since he is a rich count. In society, this can be compared to the upper-class students who might feel more confident and have less worries since they do not have financial issues.

The second image is a flowchart that I made discussing the events that occur during the vampire effect:

This flowchart shows the order of events that take place: first social comparison is done due to individuals comparing themselves to their peers. They then feel envy, however cannot feel too angry since they believe that they have to take responsibility for their actions. This leads to repression of their envy, which leads to anxiety and self-isolation.

Blog 5

List of Sources:

Bridges, Sarah, and Richard Disney. "Debt and Depression." Journal of Health Economics 29.3 (2010): 388-403. Web.

Cooke, Richard, Michael Barkham, Kerry Audin, Margaret Bradley, and John Davy. "Student Debt and Its Relation to Student Mental Health." Journal of Further and Higher Education 28.1 (2004): 53-66. Web.

Dyrbye, Liselotte N., Matthew R. Thomas, and Tait D. Shanafelt. "Medical Student Distress: Causes, Consequences, and Proposed Solutions." Mayo Clinic Proceedings 80.12 (2005): 1613-622. Web.

 Festinger, L. "A Theory of Social Comparison Processes." Human Relations 7.2 (1954): 117-40. Web. 

 "Journal of Further and Higher Education." Student Debt and Its Relation to Student Mental Health: : Vol 28, No 1. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2016. 

Liu, Jiangmeng, Cong Li, Nick Carcioppolo, and Michael North. "Do Our Facebook Friends Make Us Feel Worse? A Study of Social Comparison and Emotion." Human Communication Research 42.4 (2016): 619-40. Web. 

 Novotney, Amy. "Facing up to Debt." American Psychological Association (n.d.): n. pag. Web. 

Taibbi, Matt. "Ripping Off Young America: The College-Loan Scandal." Rolling Stone. N.p., 2013. Web. 05 Dec. 2016. 

 "The Mental and Physical Toll of Student Loans." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2016.

Williams, Jeffrey. "The Pedagogy of Debt." College Literature 33.4 (2006): 155-69. Web.

***I have a book but I cannot cite it because I have to purchase it. It is about social comparison*** 

Blog 4

1) Working Title

"The Vampire Effect: A Life-draining Phenomenon

2) Topic

The vampire effect is caused by a number of different factors. I will be going into social comparison and how it leads to social isolation. I am writing about this because I think that it is very present in our society, especially college. Also, I believe that many times, the social groups are mostly blamed for other people's isolation, however I will be talking about how the socially isolated individuals allow it to happen to themselves.

3) Research Question

What causes the vampire effect?

4) Theoretical Frame or Approach?

I will be talking about how social comparison leads to individuals feeling insecure about themselves. The main comparison I will be focusing on will be income.  Not having as much money as the other people in someone's life would lead them to feel that it is their fault. We are raised to believe that we should take responsibility for our actions, and so this would make a person feel that it is their own fault that they are not as financially stable. This would lead to repressed feelings and ultimately isolation.

5) Research Plan, Case or Additional Questions

Additional things I would like to address is whether or not the vampire effect exists at all. Perhaps it is just a theory. Also, I will be using 'The Red' to focus on Clara and Kate and discuss the difference between their lives.  

6) Sources:

 Williams, Jeffrey. "The Pedagogy of Debt." College Literature 33.4 (2006): 155-69. Web.

Liu, Jiangmeng, Cong Li, Nick Carcioppolo, and Michael North. "Do Our Facebook Friends Make Us Feel Worse? A Study of Social Comparison and Emotion." Human Communication Research 42.4 (2016): 619-40. Web. 

 "The Mental and Physical Toll of Student Loans." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2016.

Taibbi, Matt. "Ripping Off Young America: The College-Loan Scandal." Rolling Stone. N.p., 2013. Web. 05 Dec. 2016. 

 Novotney, Amy. "Facing up to Debt." American Psychological Association (n.d.): n. pag. Web. 

 Festinger, L. "A Theory of Social Comparison Processes." Human Relations 7.2 (1954): 117-40. Web. 

Very Very Rough Draft

Social comparison has existed among most everyone throughout college and lives.  It is essentially how we view ourselves based on the standards of the people around us.  Armstrong and Hamilton mention a term in Paying for the Party called the “vampire effect” which essentially is when the more socially ambitious people seem to shun out the more quiet and isolated people.  Because of this, the “dark side”  and “social side” are created.  The “dark side” houses the ignored and isolated individuals who are not able to confront or communicate with the members of the other side.  The “social side” consists of the affluent and outgoing people (partiers, in the context of this book), who seem to not acknowledge the people of the other side.  Armstrong and Hamilton also mention how social and economic class seem to be the determinants of these sides, and how people of the upper class seem are more likely to be in the “social side.”  Being a biology major, I am very interested in the human mind and the psychological aspect behind things.  Because of this, I decided to research the root psychological cause of the “vampire effect.”   

Since social comparison exists, individuals constantly evaluate themselves compared to other people.  It is something that can be done subconsciously or consciously, and I think that it is the reason that the “vampire effect” exists.  I want to do more research on how social class plays a role in this, and talk about how it is ignored. It seems that nobody ever seems to acknowledge that economic class can socially  segregate people, especially in a place like college where everyone is told that people of all different background mingle.   

Dracula can be used to describe the relationship of the members of the “dark” and “social” side.  He is a monster that is known for sucking the blood of its victims.  Called “Count” Dracula, he is a nobleman who has a lot of money and lives in Transylvania.  He is symbolic of the people of the upper class, with his victims symbolizing the members of the lower class.  Just as Dracula drains the life out of his victims, the more affluent students in college can drain the ambition out of the isolates.   

Another underlying factor that may impact the “vampire effect” is debt and its portrayal.  Many students who are not of the upper class are required to take out loans in order to go to college.  There is a lot of research done which shows how debt actually causes more stress and strain on a person’s brain and how people who have it are more prone to getting depressed. Keeping this in mind, it is interesting to consider that perhaps having this extra stress, “isolates” feel even less worth for themselves subconsciously.