1. What is social psychology ?
Social psychology is about understanding individual behavior in a social context. Baron, Byrne & Suls (1989) define social psychology as ....“the scientific field that seeks to understand the nature and causes of individual behavior in social situations”. (p. 6). It therefore looks at human behavior as influenced by other people and the social context in which this occurs. Social psychologists therefore deal with the factors that lead us to behave in a given way in the presence of others, and look at the conditions under which certain behavior/actions and feelings occur. Social psychology is to do with the way these feelings, thoughts, beliefs, intentions and goals are constructed and how such psychological factors, in turn, influence our interactions with others. http://www.simplypsychology.org/social-psychology.html According to psychologist Gordon Allport, social psychology is a discipline that uses scientific methods "to understand and explain how the thought, feeling and behavior of individuals are influenced by the actual, imagined or implied presence of other human beings" (1985). Social psychology looks at a wide range of social topics, including group behavior, social perception, leadership, nonverbal behavior, conformity, aggression, and prejudice. It is important to note that social psychology is not just about looking at social influences. Social perception and social interaction are also vital to understanding social behavior.( http://psychology.about.com/od/socialpsychology/f/socialpsych.htm)
2. What is basic principle of social behavior ?
There are some basic aspects of social behavior that play a large role in our actions and how we see ourselves. • Social behavior is goal-oriented. Our interactions serve goals or fulfill needs. Some common goals or needs include the need for social ties, the desire to understand ourselves and others, the wish to gain or maintain status or protection and the need to attract companions. • The interaction between the individual and the situation helps determine the outcome. In many instances, people behave very differently depending upon the situation. Environmental and situational variables play an important role and have a strong influence on our behavior. • We also analyze and explain the behavior of those around us. One common phenomenon is the expectation confirmation, where we tend to ignore unexpected attributes and look for evidence that confirms our preexisting beliefs about others. This helps simplify our worldview, but it also skews our perception and can contribute to stereotyping. • We often believe that a person's behavior is a good indicator of their personality. Another influence on our perceptions of other people can be explained by the theory of correspondent inferences. This occurs when we infer that the actions and behaviors of others correspond to their intentions and personalities. While behavior can be informative in some instances, especially when the person's actions are intentional, it can also be misleading. If we have limited interaction with someone, the behavior we see may be atypical or caused by the specific situation rather than by the persons overriding dispositional characteristics. People spend a great deal of time considering social situations. Our social interactions help form our self-concept and perception. One method of forming self-concept is through the reflected appraisal process in which we imagine how other people see us. Another method is through the social comparison process whereby we consider how we compare to other people in our peer group.
3. List three theories of social psychology and discuss the main points emphasized in each theory ?
• Social comparison theory – suggests that humans gain information about themselves, and make inferences that are relevant to self-esteem, by comparison to relevant others.According to this theory, humans possess a drive for self-evaluation. People want to evaluate their opinions and obtain some idea of how skilled they are (Martin, 2001). People compare themselves with others when they are unable to evaluate their opinions and abilities on their own (Martin, 2001). For example, a person may know that he/she can run a mile in under five minutes. However, the person cannot know if this is a good time until he/she compares it with other people’s times. Festinger originally wrote that people receive better information when they compare themselves to similar, rather than dissimilar people. Critics argued, however, argue that if a person recognizes similarity in another, then a comparison has already been completed and further comparison would be unnecessary (Martin, 2001). Before exploring the topic more thoroughly Festinger moved on to other areas of research. His theory, however, has been studied and researched by numerous others.
• Social exchange theory – is an economic social theory that assumes human relationships are based on rational choice and cost-benefit analyses. If one partner's costs begin to outweigh his or her benefits, that person may leave the relationship, especially if there are good alternatives available.
All relationships have give and take, although the balance of this exchange is not always equal. Social Exchange theory explains how we feel about a relationship with another person as depending on our perceptions of:
- The balance between what we put into the relationship and what we get out of it.
- The kind of relationship we deserve.
- The chances of having a better relationship with someone else.
Social exchange theory proposes that the relationships we choose to create and maintain are the ones that maximize our rewards and minimize our costs. According to this, we are more self-centered and not necessarily concerned with equality. The basic idea is that relationships that give us the most benefits for the least amount of effort are the ones we value the most and are likely to keep long-term.
It is important to note that social exchange theory is a bit more complex than a simple economic model of costs and rewards.
. • Social identity theory – was developed by Henri Tajfel and examines how categorizing people (including oneself) into ingroups or outgroups affects perceptions, attitudes, and behavior.The central hypothesis of social identity theory is that group members of an in-group will seek to find negative aspects of an out-group, thus enhancing their self-image.Social identity theory is best described as a theory that predicts certain intergroup behaviours on the basis of perceived group status differences, the perceived legitimacy and stability of those status differences, and the perceived ability to move from one group to another
4. Discuss how attitude and behavior are related ?
Attitude is a feeling, belief, or opinion of approval or disapproval towards something. Behavior is an action or reaction that occurs in response to an event or internal stimuli (i.e., thought). People hold complex relationships between attitudes and behavior that are further complicated by the social factors influencing both. Behaviors usually, but not always, reflect established beliefs and attitudes. For example, a man who believes strongly in abstinence before marriage may choose to remain a virgin until his wedding night. Under other circumstances, that same man may engage in premarital sex despite his convictions after being influenced by social messages that his masculinity is dependent on sexual activity. Ideally, positive attitudes manifest well-adjusted behaviors. However, in some cases healthy attitudes may result in harmful behavior. For example, someone may remain in an abusive and potentially deadly domestic situation because they hold negative attitudes towards divorce. Behavior can be influenced by a number of factors beyond attitude, including preconceptions about self and others, monetary factors, social influences (what peers and community members are saying and doing), and convenience. Someone may have strong convictions about improving the public school system in their town, but if it means a hefty increase to their property taxes, they may vote against any improvements due to the potential for monetary loss. Or, they may simply not vote at all because their polling place is too far from their home, or the weather is bad on election day. Studies have demonstrated that, in some cases, pointing out inconsistencies between attitudes and behavior can redirect the behavior. In the case of the school supporter, showing that their actions (i.e., not voting, not attending parent-teacher organization meetings) are harming rather than helping efforts to improve education in their town may influence them to reevaluate their behavior so that it reflects their attitudes. Read more: Attitude and Behavior - Changing attitudes to change behavior, Changing behavior to influence attitudes - Cognitive Therapy Techniques, Adolescence, Social, and Psychology - JRank Articles http://psychology.jrank.org/pages/52/Attitude-Behavior.html#ixzz3aImpUbuv
5. Discuss how knowledge of social psychology is helpful to address social problem in our community ?
Why do we protest? What compels us to participate in crowd violence? Can gender discrimination in the workplace be explained in psychological terms? From terrorist attacks to political uprisings, the social problems that have shaped the beginning of the new millenium can be explained using the theories and application of social psychology. Social Psychology of Social Problems does just that, with top international experts examining real-life issues. The book takes the view that if a problem and its origins can be understood, then perhaps it can be prevented from happening again. Social Psychology of Social Problems is required reading for students and practitioners of psychology, social policy and international relations. Provocative and challenging, it will be an essential resource for those who are seeking a deeper understanding of how social psychology can explain our complex world. http://www.palgrave.com/page/detail/social-psychology-of-social-problems-agnieszka-golec-de-zavala/?K=9780230284753
