A sociologist focuses on how the interplay among different groups of people - those with religious beliefs or ethnicity in common - affects the course of civilization. Naturally, the work done by both types of social scientists occasionally overlaps. During World War II, researchers conducted studies into the effects of propaganda on the behavior of entire populations.ĭifferent Ways of Looking at Similar Issues Later experiments sought to explain how and why certain artists and performers seemed to shine in front of an audience, while others faltered. An early study in 1898 of “social facilitation” by Indiana University psychology researcher Norman Triplett sought to explain why bicycle racers seemed to exceed their solo performances when they competed directly against others. Social psychology has been a formal discipline since the turn of the 20th century. This gave rise to subcategories of psychology, including social psychology. As the field of psychology matured, researchers began to focus on specialized aspects of the mind and behavior. ![]() These and other researchers wanted to uncover how human perceptions - of oneself, of others, and of the world at large - influence behavior. Psychology as a field of scientific exploration remains relatively new, yet its importance as a discipline is clear from the well-known names and concepts of early 20th-century research into human behavior: Pavlov and his salivating dog, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and Jung’s archetypes of the unconscious. ![]() The Origins of the Social Psychology Field What follows is an overview of social psychology as a science, including its origins, its theories of human cognition and behavior, and the educational pathways to becoming a social psychologist, which can include earning a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology degree. Social psychology is one of the broadest and most complex subcategories of psychology because it is concerned with self-perception and the behavioral interplay among the individuals who make up society. What is social psychology? It is a scientific exploration of who we are, who we think we are, and how those perceptions shape our experiences as individuals and as a society. To me it is a prison.” Whether presented as a trick of the mind (“thinking makes it so”) or as an exploration of everyday thought and action, social psychology is concerned with explaining some of the deepest mysteries of human relationships and behavior. When the beleaguered prince of Denmark explains why he considers his native country a prison rather than a paradise, he reflects: “Why then … there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so. ![]() William Shakespeare provided one of the earliest known examples of an insight worthy of a social psychologist in his most psychologically complex play, “Hamlet.” Social psychologists explore the power of thought and perception to shape action and cement emotional connections.
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