Intro to Social Psychology
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What is social psychology and how is it used? This lesson offers an introduction to the social influences as well as group and individual behaviors covered by this field.
What Is Social Psychology?
Why do we do what we do? Science has addressed this question through the field of social psychology, which studies group behavior and how we interact in social situations. Consider the ways our ideas, emotions and actions are bound by social norms or influenced by the opinions of others.
Kurt Lewin was the father of social psychology. He developed the equation that behavior is a function of a person's character plus their environment. Behavioral psychologists hold the stance that behaviors arise as a response to conditioning. However, social psychologists recognize that a person's perception of various social situations affects behaviors.
Lewin, who fled to the United States from Nazi Germany, is well-known for working with the American Jewish Council in the post-Holocaust 1940's to reduce anti-Semitism. Lewin and other social psychologists studied prejudices and other issues relevant to the World War II era, including the use of persuasion and military propaganda.
How Is Social Psychology Relevant to Our Lives?
Marketing and sales professionals use techniques of persuasion identified by social psychologists in their advertising campaigns and sales pitches. Psychological theories of attraction and influence are also of interest to anyone who promotes products or services.
Social psychology studies group dynamics and obedience to authority, topics which are relevant to organizational management. A human resources professional may use social psychology to assess how the dynamics of work-groups influence productivity and decision-making tasks.
Overview
Social psychology is concerned with how we think about ourselves in relation to the world we live in. We've covered the foundation of social psychology, which looks at the ways we perceive and understand things. Social psychology combines sociology (the study of social organizations) with psychology (the study of mental processes) to understand how society influences our thoughts, feelings and actions.