...Social Psychology Paper Christina Bacon Psych/555 April 4, 2016 Dr. Dobier Social Psychology Paper This paper will attempt to analyze the foundations of social psychology, and to do so this paper will explain what social psychology is, what the four characteristics of social psychology is and how they are addressed. Situationism will be discussed as well as what role it plays, and what the five social motives are and how they affect the field of psychology. Defining Social Psychology Firstly, the definition of social psychology is simply people influencing other people. It is the attempt, or rather the scientific attempt to explain how the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of other people are shaped by the presence of others. For instance, public speaking, now most people have a significant reaction to speaking in front of others. Usually they are nervous and scared or they are confident and comfortable. The role of social psychology would be trying to explain the reason the individual feels that way. Another example would be a professor in front of his or her classroom, if the teacher asked their students to remove their shoes and throw them into a nearby receptacle, most if not all of the students would comply. The role of the social psychologist would be to try and explain the different reactions that the students felt (Fiske, 2010). Analyzing the four characteristics There are four characteristics of social psychology and they are broad scope, cultural...
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...Running head: SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY DEFINITION PAPER Social Psychology Definition Paper PSY 400 October 24, 2011 Matt Diggs Social Psychology Very often, one wonders why one acts the way he or she does. It just seems to be human nature to ask such questions and to try to discover more about the complexity of human actions and causes. Of course, there are many perspectives in the field of psychology that attempt to address these significant questions. For instance, biopsychology considers important factors including one’s brain, genetic predisposition, and many others when addressing behavior. However, social psychology, even though it agrees with other branches in psychology, does focus on different aspects when seeking these kinds of conclusions. Social psychology centers their attention on understanding human actions such as what led to the cruelty of killing millions of people during War II. Why will one always help him or herself first, before helping others? Why do others matter more when making decisions? Social psychology is essential not only to the field of psychology but also to every individual because it provides answers to questions one seeks about him or herself and others. However, social psychology does more than provide answers to these few questions, as these merely touch the surface of social psychology’s focus (Myers, 2010). Definition of Social Psychology Social psychology is a science just like many other fields including astronomy...
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...Although Sarah was usually a rule follower, the peer pressure and the excitement of starting a new school and making new friends was a huge factor in her decision to break the rules she’d always adhered to. The fact that she was so excited to make new friends and wanted them to see her as someone they had things in common with was a major factor in her decision to break the rules she’d always followed. She wanted to fit in with the crowd, and following the rules of her curfew would’ve prevented that from happening. Her decision to break curfew and go to the party was influenced by this need to be accepted by her peers. Sarah displayed cognitive dissonance because she knew that she should be following the rules previously set by her parents to not break her curfew. She felt continuously worried about breaking these rules throughout the night, even though she made the decision to do so. Although during the night she gained memories and even a date with an older boy, she displayed discomfort throughout the time at the thought of breaking the rules. Even at the end of the night when she went home, she began evaluating herself and the night she spent with her friends to determine if the activities that happened were worth her decision to break the rules. She began to conform to her new peers’ beliefs toward the beginning of the night, when she was out with them and they asked her if she wanted to go to the party. Even though she had never broken the rules before, which displayed...
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...Social Psychology and Multicultural Psychology Paper This paper will describe how social psychology can be defined and expanded; by the influence it has social on others. Describing the primary research strategies used in social psychology that can involve variables and hypotheses, along with separating social and multicultural psychology in to two distinct fields. Social psychology can be defined as the scientific attempt to explain how the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of individuals are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of other human beings (Fiske, 2010). These social influence can have an affects not only o our insignificant behavior but can also affects vital behavior, such as yielding to majority opinion over one’s own judgment, Fiske, Harris, & Cuddy, 2004)Our book gives us many example from the folding of paper to being in a cult. Any decisions a person makes can be based on the environment the y are in. The people you are around can have a great effect on who we because as a person and what your goals in life are. Most times when I watch the news I wonder why people choose to do crime and feel not remorse for what they do. Social psychology primarily analyzes what happens to people as individuals. When social scientists investigate the behavior of groups of people, they move toward the sociological end of social psychology; indeed, some social psychologists work in sociology departments. The primary research strategies used in these social...
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...Social Psychology Psych/555 April 8, 2013 Dr. Anthony Social Psychology Human social behavior has been studied for the last 100 years, giving social scientists insight into the influence of thought on behavior. In this endeavor, scientists have also provided theories on the human need to obtain and maintain close attachments as well as the influence of human interaction. The development of social psychology as a discipline has provided insight into the precarious nature of human behavior and social interaction. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the conceptual foundations of social psychology. Within this analysis will be the definition of social psychology, an analysis of its four key characteristics, an explanation of the concept of situationism, and identification of the five core social motives and how these concepts affect the field of social psychology. Social Psychology Social psychology can be defined as the study of how an individual’s situations influence his or her behavior, emotions, thoughts, etc., with particular focus on how individuals perceive as well as affect on another (Myers, 2008). Furthermore, social psychology primarily focuses on social relations, social influence, and social thinking. According to Myers (2008), social relations refers to certain attributes such as aggression, helping others, prejudice, and attraction and intimacy. Social influence comprises factors such as pressure to conform, biology and culture, groups of people, and...
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...The conflict between Palestine and Israel is a deep rooted one which is about religion, there have been many killings, bombings and bloodshed over this wholly land. Which both are fighting over to have as their own. The United States is in the middle trying to come up with a solution to come up with to help the two sides come up with terms to be able to help each other stop the killing that has been going out for this long. The United States has seen a rise in a pro democratic movement. With all the instability that has been going on in the region the idea could be that the United States helps them come up with a solution to have to states, that both can be safe and peaceful without all the issues that are going on. The conflict is on a broad scale; both side completely and utterly do not like each other at all. The only way to be able to bring peace to both sides is to have a mediator. The United States has stepped forward as the mediator, with the chance of putting both sides at peace. It isn’t as easy as just telling both to stay on one side and the other on their own side. These are two groups of people who have been fighting killing and pillaging each other, for many years. “Genuine peace is more than the suppression of open conflict, more than a fragile, superficial calm. Peace is the outcome of a creatively managed conflict.”[Per course reading]. The reading makes a great point that since this is so deep rooted, that there needs to...
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...SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY DEFINITION PAPER Social Psychology Definition Paper PSY 400 March 25, 2012 For this paper, the definition of social psychology will be assessed, as well as how social psychology is researched. Also discussed will be how social psychology is different from other disciplines, such as sociology, anthropology, and general psychology. What is Social Psychology? Social psychology is the scientific study of social thinking, social influence, and social relations (Meyer, 2010). . Social influence is the effect that words, actions, or the presence of other people, have on our thoughts, feelings, attitude, or behavior. In other words, social psychology is the way in which individual thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by other people, whether they are real people, or imagined in ones thoughts. At the heart of social psychology is a phenomenon of social influence. Every single person is influenced by other people. Sometimes we are influenced by persuasion, where another person deliberately tries to change another individual and their way of thinking and behavior (Meyer, 2010). Social influence is happening now on television and across America with the presidential candidates all trying to persuade the people of America to vote for them, or the commercial on crest toothpaste, using creative techniques to persuade people to buy this particular brand. Another example of social influence is seen in schools a lot. One being direct attempts from...
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...SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY DEFINITION PAPER Social Psychology Definition Paper PSY 400 March 25, 2012 For this paper, the definition of social psychology will be assessed, as well as how social psychology is researched. Also discussed will be how social psychology is different from other disciplines, such as sociology, anthropology, and general psychology. What is Social Psychology? Social psychology is the scientific study of social thinking, social influence, and social relations (Meyer, 2010). . Social influence is the effect that words, actions, or the presence of other people, have on our thoughts, feelings, attitude, or behavior. In other words, social psychology is the way in which individual thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by other people, whether they are real people, or imagined in ones thoughts. At the heart of social psychology is a phenomenon of social influence. Every single person is influenced by other people. Sometimes we are influenced by persuasion, where another person deliberately tries to change another individual and their way of thinking and behavior (Meyer, 2010). Social influence is happening now on television and across America with the presidential candidates all trying to persuade the people of America to vote for them, or the commercial on crest toothpaste, using creative techniques to persuade people to buy this particular brand. Another example of social influence is seen in schools a lot. One being direct attempts from...
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...Social Psychology Definition Paper Social psychology is fairly new, and an important aspect of human psychology. This paper will define social psychology and how it differs from other disciplines, such as clinical psychology, general psychology, and sociology. This paper will also describe the types of research in social psychology. Researching these elements will be informative and exciting. When we, as human beings, do something to influence a situation, there are probably some motives behind our influences. Some influences happen as a matter of resonance bouncing off other planned influences. Other influence may be unintentional. For example, if a child were to be talked down to and verbally abused for a period of time this may influence self-esteem. If a child were to be encouraged and praised for their efforts throughout their childhood that may also influence self-esteem in a different way. At times, we may relate to some people better than others because of past social influences we have experienced with others in those environments. For example, if a woman were to meet someone and that person looked like, and reminded her of a rapist, that may influence the way she looks at that person. All of this brings us within the realms of social psychology. “Social psychology is a science that studies the influences of our situations, with special attention to how we view and affect one another. More precisely, it is the scientific studies of how people think about, influence...
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...PSY/400 | Social Psychology Definition Paper | Julee Poole | | Jamie Uber | 7/29/2013 | In this paper I want to explain what the meaning of social psychology is and how social psychology differs from other fields, such as clinical psychology, general psychology, and sociology. Also I will explain the methods used to research social psychology. | Social psychology is the branch of psychology that deals with social interactions, including their origins and their effects on the individual. Social psychology looks at all different types of social interactions, including group behavior, social perception, leadership, nonverbal behavior, conformity, aggression, and prejudice. One thing to know about social psychology is that it does not just deal with social influences, but they are vital to understand it. Social psychology has been around since the 1800’s, but wasn’t really used until the horrors of the Holocaust; it led researchers to study more on the effects of social influence, obedience, and conformity. Also the government wanted to use social psychology to influence the citizens; it has grown since then and more and more are interested in understanding social experiences and behaviors. Social psychology differs from sociology because it deals with social behavior of an individual and uses more experimentation, when compared with personality psychology; it tends to focus less on an individual and more on how they affect one another. Social psychology tends to...
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...Beverly McClaskey SOC 300 Week 12—Fall 2014 November 6, 2014 Final Project Self-esteem is defined in our text as “people’s evaluations of their own self-worth—that is, the extent to which they view themselves as good, competent, and decent (Aronson, Wilson and Akert 13). I have observed over the past couple of decades that more emphasis has been placed on the recognition and support of personal self-esteem. In generations past, this concept was not recognized as part of development. When our parents and grandparents were growing up, it was not common practice for adults to foster an inner belief of capability. My feelings on this subject have not changed; I am, however, more informed in regards to the foundation of self-esteem. I have learned that self-esteem is a method in which we deal with our own mortality (Aronson, Wilson and Akert 130) and that while having a high self-esteem can help you to be a more productive person, an increase in narcissism has been observed in students born after 1980 (Aronson, Wilson and Akert 131). I bounce between wanting to help others develop their own self-esteem to feel more confident in their abilities to wanting people to realize that there are just some things that they are not going to be good at regardless of how much they tell themselves that they can do this. A healthy dose of reality is necessary to balance the high self-esteem that can lead to narcissism. Every one of us has encountered a new person and immediately made initial...
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...Social Psychology Definition Social Psychology is the study of how individuals think, influence, and relate to other individuals. In social psychology the focus is more on the individuals and use of experimentation. The boundary of social psychology is based through asking questions and dealing with how people see and affect each other. Social psychology also covers topics such as attitudes, beliefs, conformity, and independence. In society, humans have the natural urge to explain behavior, attributing it to a cause, to make it seem predictable and controllable. Social influences play a role in shaping the behavior of individuals. As individuals, the response to social interactions are immediate, which can contribute to individuals responding to expressed attitudes (Myers, 2010). For example, in a catastrophe such as tornados in Missouri, individuals pull together and donate to help those in need. Whether it be through donation of items or through the physical aspect of volunteering to help clean up or rebuild. As humans inner attitudes affect behavior. This making individuals vulnerable to peer pressure and attitudes, which influence individual’s political views are some examples (Myers, 2010). As individuals attitudes play a role in how each individual behaves. Social psychology has principles that are used to guide thinking and behavior, which play a vital role in everyday life. First one must understand what clinical psychology, general psychology, and sociology are...
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...Sarah is a 15-year-old Caucasian girl who just started her sophomore year of high school. Her family lives in a more affluent part of town and she has been known to have very nice things. She has always been a rule-follower and did everything that her parents told her to do. She gets good grades and takes mostly honor’s classes. Since the school-year just started, she has made some new friends in some of her classes. She was excited to have new people to spend time with and was looking forward to their first night going out together. Sarah’s parents have strict rules regarding her curfew and she had never broken them before. When it came time for Sarah to go home, her new friends asked her to stay out with them because they were going to go to a party. Sarah had never been to a party before and really wanted her new friends to keep inviting her out. Her friends kept telling her how much fun the party was going to be and how she would be missing out if she didn’t go, so she decided to go. When they arrived at the party, Sarah began to realize how popular her new friends were, as they seemed to know everyone there. While she knew that she should be at home, obeying her curfew and was worried that she was going to get caught, she was still having fun at the party and felt happy that she went. Sarah began talking to a guy named Jack. Jack was a junior at her school. They found that they liked the same music and had some of the same hobbies. Jack’s family lives in the same...
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...Social Psychology Definition Madaline Goldstein PSY. 400 July 15, 2013 Julee S. Poole, Ph. D Social Psychology Definition Psychology in general involves a complex view of one’s mind and mental processes (Myers, 2010). Social Psychology is the scientific field of psychology, which focuses on how people individually think, feel, and relate to one another. Compared to other disciplines in relation to psychology, social psychology has its own uniqueness in relation to others such as sociology, personality psychology, biological psychology, and clinical psychology (Myers, 2010). Social Psychology Verses Sociology. Many confuse sociology with social psychology as a result of the common misconception that social psychology is the study of social groups (Greenwood, 2013). Some may assume that sociology is a sub-study of psychology regarding how individuals deal with various social settings. In actuality, while sociology is the study as a whole in a group, social psychology focuses on each individual in a group setting. Sociology puts an emphasis on the origins of a social society, the developments of that society, the organizations developed within the society, and the institutions founded by the society (Greenwood, 2013). Sociology, does of course, resemble much of the focal point of social psychology. Social Psychology Verses Personality Psychology. Personality psychology and social psychology are more similar than contradictive (Cherry, 2013). Social psychology involves...
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...Social Psychology Definition Paper Douglas Cooper PSY/400 April 4, 2016 Ami Taharka Social Psychology Definition Paper How do people think about, influence, and relate to each other? These are just some of the questions that social psychologists are looking to answer. This paper will further define social psychology’s goals to elicit a richer understanding of the field. It will discuss how social psychology differs from other disciplines, such as clinical psychology, general psychology, and sociology and why those differences are important. Finally, it will examine research methods and strategies that social psychologist utilize to answer questions. Social Psychology Defined According to our text, social psychology “is the scientific study of how people think about, influence, and relate to one another” (Myers, 2010, pg. 4). It is a relatively young science, that some may confuse with sociology. Whereas sociology focuses on group dynamics, social psychology focuses more on how individuals interact with each other. At the heart of social psychology are three different constructs. These are: social thinking (what we perceive about ourselves and other, what we believe, the judgements we make, and our attitudes), social influence (culture, conformity pressures, persuasion), and social relations (prejudice, aggression, attraction and intimacy, and helping). There are several concepts that contribute to these constructs. Some of these include the following. First is that...
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