WHAT IS SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY

1. WHAT IS SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY ?

2. “Social Psychology is the scientific field that seeks to understand the nature and causes of individual behaviour in social situations.” Baron, R & Byrne, D (1991) “The scientific study of the way individuals' thoughts, feelings, and behaviours are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others.” Gordon Allport (1985) “Social Psychology is the scientific study of how people’s thought, feelings, and actions are affected by others.” Robert Feldman (2001)

3. Sociological definition Lindesmith and Strauss (1968) Social psychology …is concerned with the behaviour and psychological processes of individuals who occupy positions in social structures, organizations, and groups. Focused on explaining the behaviour of individuals as it is controlled, influenced, or limited by the social environment. It is also concerned with the manner in which the behaviour of individuals reacts upon, shapes and alters social structures and enters into the functioning of groups.

4. Social psychology and other disciplines Sociology, Psychology and Social Psychology <-----S--------------SP-------------------P----->

5. Social psychology and other disciplines Sociology- focuses on societal forces. It is the study of social interaction and its consequences- the creation of human society and social behaviour. It focuses on group factors such as race and socioeconomic class. Psychology- focuses on individual differences. Social Psychology- focuses on the individual in the context of others and how the presence of others influences the individual. Social Psychology is allied with other disciplines outside the field Anthropology- the study of consequences of culture on human behaviour Economics

6. A main goal of social psychology is to… …Understand and predict behaviour It helps to answer the question WHY? The social psychological perspectives 1. Focus on the situation and, 2. the individual in the context of the group.

7. Social psychology Social psychology recognizes that an individual is both a psychological and a social being and as such it refers to: Situations Variability and Changeability

8. THE SITUATION “Social encounters do not occur in open, featureless settings, but in busy physical environments that contribute their own remarkable influence on our behaviours.” (Feldman, 2001) Apart from these existences however, the person can also be a social psychological being contingent on the situation he/she find himself in.

9. Variability Social psychologists focus on variability in behaviour rather than stability in behaviour in a situation. They also tend to analyze the capacities for different types of group behaviour in these situations. In short, social psychology studies the variability of behaviour and interaction of individuals in the situational context given their social and psychological consistencies.

10. Changeability Social psychology reminds sociology that although structures, institutions and patterns exist, these have been created by individual thought, emotion and behaviour, and therefore social life can be changed by these very same individual characteristics. Social psychology reminds the psychologists that the individual who thinks himself separate from others is very much affected by groups in his thoughts, feelings and behaviour.

11. SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY Social psychology is a branch of psychology that studies individuals in the social context. It attempts to provide a framework within which to understand the interactions between people.

12. AREAS OF STUDY Focus- Influence of Social Factor on the individual. Topics Judging others, Stereotypes Self- presentation Health

13. Focus- Social Interaction between and among people Topics Liking and loving Interpersonal relationships Aggression and helping Attitudes and persuasion

14. Focus- Group Processes Topics Conformity Jury Behaviour Politics Organizations Culture

15. “ We do not live out our lives in isolation; rather we are enmeshed in a complex social world that continually influences us in many ways.” (Feldman 2001)

16. The TWO social psychologies As a discipline, it emerged out of two fields: Sociology and Psychology and so both areas have different influences and emphases on the discipline that we are now concerned with. So they spoke of the TWO SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGIES: Sociological Social psychology and, Psychological Social psychology proposed by Walter Stephan and Cookie Stephan (1990)

17. The Three Faces of Social PsychologyJames House in 1977 

18.  Types of social psychology   PSYCHOLOGICAL SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY SOCIAL STRUCTURE AND PERSONALITY SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM

19. PSYCHOLOGICAL SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY (PSP) The emphasis is on social cognition (thoughts) and social influences i.e. the individual’s behaviour is a function of perceived social stimuli. Explores social cognition, affect and behaviour at the individual level i.e. the effect current social institutions have on perceptions, feelings, behaviour. They are also concerned with attitude formation as influenced by the social environment.

20. Studies behaviour in simplified or controlled social settings, usually varying one or more factors in the setting. Some work in PSP is derived from social learning theory, exchange theory, and role theory. PSP counts psychoanalytic theory, learning theory, and field theory among its many intellectual roots.

21. Personality and Social Structure This approach insists that the individual and the society are interdependent. Social structure is the underlying framework of society, the regularity in patterns of relationships in a society. Personality and social structure perspectives deals with the macro- social processes i.e. relationships between the micro- social individual characteristics AND macro- social characteristics of society.

22. Personality and social structure- look at the links between the individual and the society. They employ a variety of social psychological theories in their research, such as role theory or exchange theory. They also use theories from other areas of sociology and mini- theories that apply to a given topic.

23. SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM Herbert Blumer (1900-1987) describes the characteristics of the approach as Human interaction Interpretation or definition rather than mere reaction Response based on meaning Use of symbols, and Interpretation between stimulus and response Symbolic interactionism is a sociologically oriented theory that assumes individuals’ conception of self develops as they interpret and selectively internalize others’ symbolic gestures. (Forsyth, 1995)

24. Symbolic interactionism focuses on the social construction of reality or in other words how meanings are subjectively defined rather than objectively defined. Meanings for the symbolic interactionist are relative and negotiable. Hence social interactionists study the varying perceptions of the same situation held by varying groups and individuals. Focuses on a micro- social processes i.e. events concerning individuals and small groups (self, socialization, language, roles, etc.).

25. Symbolic interactionists think individuals should be studied in their natural settings. Uses more qualitative methods. The symbolic interactionist focuses on the social construction of reality; meaning is determined through social interaction.

26. Kurt Lewin: interactionism Interactionism is a general conceptual orientation that assumes each person’s behaviour is a function of his or her personal qualities, the nature of the situation, and the interaction of these personal qualities with factors present in the particular situation. This is represented by Lewin’s formula: B = f(P,E) Behaviour is a function of person and the environment. We must also think about the interaction between the person and the environment as a factor that can influence the eventual behaviour.