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History and systems of psychology chapter 1
Essays on the history of psychology
Essays on the history of psychology
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Discuss the social psychological approach in psychology and identify the kinds of questions that social psychologists attempt to answer. This essay will study what social psychology actually is and the debates within the field as well as the history and origins of social psychology. In addition to this it will then continue and look at what they study within this field and what types of questions to ask and what results they gain from this. The question of what social psychology actually is, is not something that is easy to answer as it has been regarded as a diverse and fragmented discipline that is divided by the battle between experimental and critical social psychology. This is based on whether it should be a science or not, the ideology and what constitutes the social world (Rogers,). It is regarded as an umbrella discipline in which many sub-disciplines sit under including biological, clinical and organisational. (Myers,) Many social psychologists argue that social psychology is a scientific study that investigates how others influence thoughts, behaviour and feeling (Hogg & Vaughan,). Theses are the experimental psychologists who try to find a cause effect relationship between two variables by testing hypotheses, whilst ensuring that all variables are operationalized in order to gain results that are valid and there are no confounding variables. They do this whilst in a controlled laboratory environment ensuring that no other factors could play a part and act as a confounding variable. Critical psychology on the other hand would argue that the scientific method to measure behaviour is not the only method that can be used. It argues that the scientific method if often unsuitable for studying certain aspects of peoples ... ... middle of paper ... ...ing used as many were relying on experimental methods and the assumptions of positivists to produce explanations that were reductionist instead of holistic and looking at the whole environment and not just the person. The ideology was also criticised during this period as the values of individualism were arising rather than the sociologist ideology that had previously existed (Myers). Social psychologists have a range of different subject areas and topics that they can choose from when deciding what research they want to do, including; obedience, conformity, identity, communication and language, persuasion and influence. In addition to this there are two main theories that derive from social psychology, the first being behaviourism and the second being social learning theory. The first theory behaviourism, derived from Pavlovs work looking at operant conditioning
Social psychology is one of the many variations of psychology. By definition, social psychology is how humans influence each other’s way of behaving and thinking. Under social psychology, there are various ways to define human behaviour and understand why we behave in a particular manner. These approaches deal with multiple concepts such as conformity, obedience, and social influences. They help answer questions about our behaviour and actions, while also analyzing our cognitive processes in certain situations. Social experiments conducted throughout history have also led to more understanding in the aforementioned areas. With these understandings of social behaviour, society can benefit and become aware of themselves and their mentalities.
Social Psychology is the scientific study of how we influence, affect, and relate to one another. Social psychology is studied to see how the influence of others can impact how we act. This can be seen in many aspects in life. Most specifically, social psychology can be seen in movies. Recently, I have viewed the movie Shrek which was released in 2001. Shrek is a kid’s movie about an ogre named Shrek who rescues a princess from a castle for Lord Farquaad in order to regain his swamp and privacy. During this process, however, Shrek falls in love with the princess and discovers a secret about her. While watching Shrek, I have noticed that many theories and concepts from social psychology were apparent in the film.
Social Psychology is the study of how we think and relate to other people. These psychologists focused on how the social situation influences others behavior. We see social influences everywhere we go, but might not notice it. Like when watching a movie for fun you do not notice it as much as when you are actually looking for the behaviors, like in the film The Breakfast Club. There are several examples of social psychological behaviors in the film.
Psychology is a social science that aims to study the mind and the behaviors of humans. It aims to understand what drives humans to act the way they do. It differs from sociology and anthropology in that it takes accounts the individual rather than society as a whole.
Crisp, R, J. Turner, R, N. (2007). Essential Social Psychology. Sage Publications Limited. London. (UK). First Edition.
Social psychology is a scientific study that studies how people think, feel, and how they behave under the influence of other people (Aronson, Wilson & Akert, 2013, p. 2). Thinking about what social influence really means, we tend to think of a person who tries to persuade another person to acting a certain way. It can be a form of peer pressure, like taking that first puff of a cigarette, or it can be conforming to popular societal views, such as obeying the law of the land. Fiction is a great way to learn about social psychological perspectives. Watching popular theatrical films is the perfect way to learn because it illustrates the application of many perceptions within the subject of social psychology.
As you can see, the field of psychology covers a broad scope which overlaps into many different fields. Though the area of social sciences has been questioned for its validity over the years, it is becoming more and more of a trusted tool in many different areas of society.
...ject. To be a psychologist you have to be a good listener and know how to relate to people’s problems as well as other things. Just like every job there are drawbacks, but don’t all jobs have some sort of drawbacks? Being a surgeon you make great money but there’s so much schooling involved and bad hours but in the end you do what you enjoy and all your hard work pays off.
Social Psychology is a part of psychology, which studies human behavior in the society. Overall, this section of the science is one of the most useful parts of psychology. People have to know which variables affect their behavior and change them if they are not appropriate. In my essay I discuss three theories of social psychology such as: fundamental attribution error, cognitive dissonance and obedience to authority.
Social Psychology is the study of social behavior such as people’s thoughts, feelings, behaviors in certain social situations (Aronson, E., Wilson, T. D., Akert, R. M., & Sommers, S., 2015). There are many concepts and principles in this field, specifically in social influence, which was talked about in chapter 8. Social influence is a part of everyday life and in one way or form everyone takes part in it. The literal definition of social influence is the result of words, mere presence, or actions that other people can
Hergenhahn, B.R. (2009). Social and Theoretical Psychology: Conceptual and Historical Issues 1. An introduction to the History of Psychology. 1 (1), p1-28.
There are many types of diverse people classified under various categories. Some people have different types of personalities. They could be classified as extremely manipulative, others as impulsive, and some may not show anything on the outside and have wonderful social skills. These categories help in the understanding of humans. This study is called Psychology and there are many different subfields in this diverse study of the people around us. One subfield that is particularly interesting is personality psychology. Personality psychology is a branch of psychology that studies personality and its variation between individuals.
Social cognitive theory is the study on how an individual stores, processes, and applies information about others in their everyday life. It was first known as the “Social Learning Theory”, and was later changed to the term known today as the “Social Cognitive Theory”. The definition of social cognition is defined as any cognitive process that involves one or more than one person. While the definition of cognition is unconscious process in the brain that bring about representations. Social cognition purpose is to study social knowledge, social structure, group behavior, social influences, social categories (age, race, sex) defines a person. (Science Direct) Social cognition is thought to be the outcome of social interactions. One will learn by observing others, this is known as vicarious learning. For example, one is more likely to follow another’s behavior if they can identify with them, whether it be personality wise, age proximity, and more. (Verywell)
Sociology and psychology is the study of the mind and the environment around us which makes us who we are. These theories assist us to understand behaviour from individual and societal levels.
As Sir Karl Popper argues "The only course open to social sciences is ... to tackle the practical problems of our time with the help of the theoretical methods ... A social technology is needed which can be tested by social engineering" (Popper 1945 vol ii p210) These two tools (i.e. theory and social technology) are indispensable for social sciences to deal w...