Social Psychology Definition Paper
Samantha Craig
Psy/400
9/7/2015
When it comes to human beings, we are all naturally social creatures. The second we are welcomed into the world each becomes surrounded by many different things that will have an influence on them, such as other individuals in their lives. This paper will cover information on what social psychology is, how it differs from other disciplines, and explain the role of research in social psychology.
Social Psychology is still considered a new science considering the fact that the first documented experiment occurred around 1898. The specific definition is "The scientific study of how people think about, influence, and relate to one another." (Myers, 2010) This particular study of psychology is based on how people not only view themselves, but also each other. Along with how individuals think, interact and influence those around them. This particular branch of psychology differs from other similar disciplines such as clinical psychology and sociology due to the main fact that it is based primarily on the use of scientific methods and empirical data in order to understand social behaviors. Social Psychology is broken down into three big ideas, or disciplines, these would be social thinking, influence, and relations.
Social thinking, the first big idea, is more how individuals view not only themselves but others, along with the judgments each person makes. This can also be considered by people as their intuition that according to (Merriam-Webster, 2015) "a feeling that guides a person to act a certain way without fully understanding why." Many get that gut feeling when they think someone is a bad person or if something makes them uncomfortable without really knowing what or why it happens. Mothers say that they have this when it comes to their children and can get their child to confess what is bothering them or what they did wrong just by asking the right questions when the get that uneasy feeling.
Social influences are the second big idea. This is more where the environment and culture can have an effect on how individuals can be influenced. A child can be raised in a religious family to where they were specific clothing and have strict manners. This can shape their behaviors so that when they are out in social settings some individuals might judge them because they act differently than the way they do. This can also happen when around certain groups of individuals such as friends who behave badly and go against the rule book. The saying you are who you hang out with comes to play with this. People feel that to fit in they need to conform to those around them and then end up with individuals looking at them like they are as bad as the others instead of getting to know them.
Social Relations is the last big idea. When it comes to this final idea it is according to (Myers, 2010) "Social behavior is also biological behavior." As individuals grow and adapt to their environment the learn behaviors that help them become stronger. These traits can be passed down to different generations. This particular idea also states that our behaviors can occur based on how we think or feel about others. These feelings can be good such as intimacy or bad as is in feeling prejudice against a person.
When it comes to social psychology and its three big ideas, there is also the research that goes into it. Research plays a huge role within this study as it does in many other parts of psychology. When it comes to behaviors people will ask questions such as "Why do people act this way?" "What would happen if this person was in this group instead?" These questions are answered through research. Each has their sets of behaviors so to understand these it comes down to watching and observing what changes these particular things.
In conclusion, Social Psychology is considered a new science and just like with every science there is research that goes into it. Everyone always wants to know why certain people act a certain way and through studies the answers can be found. There are also three big ideas that make up social psychology. These three ideas are social thinking, social influences and social relations that all revolve around how individuals feel about themselves, others, and how the environment influences them.
References
Myers, D. (2010). Social Psychology. 10th edition McGraw Hill, New York, N.Y
merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intuition
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Psychology Essays (UOP)
RandomEssays that have been written for psychology classes. This was used in Bachelors of Science for Psychology at the University of Phoenix
