Final answer:
Sylvan Goldman capitalized on the psychological tendency for people to seek social proof in uncertain situations by hiring individuals to use his invention, the shopping cart, which encouraged others to follow suit. This strategy leveraged human behavior insights from psychologists like Freud, Jung, and Asch, who explored the influence of the subconscious and social conformity.
Step-by-step explanation:
The insight that uncertainty awakens the need for social proof helped Sylvan Goldman in 1934 by making use of a psychological tendency where people look to the behavior of others to guide their own actions in situations of uncertainty. Sylvan Goldman, the inventor of the shopping cart, took advantage of this concept to boost his invention's acceptance. At first, customers were reluctant to use the shopping carts, so Goldman hired people to use them, demonstrating their utility and normalizing their use in the eyes of other shoppers. This provided the needed social proof and reassured customers that using the carts was a beneficial and acceptable behavior.
Pioneering psychologists like Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung examined the complexities of the human subconscious and how it influences our control and awareness. Similarly, psychologist Solomon Asch's experiments highlighted the immense pressure to conform within a group, thereby showing how social proof can strongly influence individual behavior.
Ronald Glassman's observations, from a Freudian perspective, about the attraction towards charismatic leaders due to existential despair and the inherent human need for guidance further illustrate the underlying psychological principles that Goldman harnessed. This concept of social proof is also reflected in the way public figures like President Roosevelt used their position and authority during the Great Depression to reassure the public and restore confidence, exemplifying the power of perceived legitimacy and authority.