Social psychology is the methodical study of how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others. Although studying many of the same substantive topics as its counterpart in the field of sociology, psychological social psychology places more emphasis on the individual, rather than society; the influence of social structure and culture on individual outcomes, such as personality, behavior, and one’s position in social hierarchies. Social psychologists typically explain Human Behavior as a result of the relationship between mental states and social situations, studying the social conditions under which thoughts, feelings, and behaviors occur, and how these variables influence social interactions.
Social psychology academically concerns how and why individuals’ thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by other people, whether real, imagined, or implied. The field investigates this dynamic across a broad range of topics, often grouped into three main categories: social thinking, social influence, and social relationships.
This area examines how people perceive themselves and others, make judgments, and process social information.
Social cognition: The mental processes used to perceive and think about people, relationships, and groups. Researchers in this area study concepts like:
Attribution theory: How people explain the causes of their own and others’ behavior. A common phenomenon studied is the fundamental attribution error, the tendency to overestimate personality-based explanations for others’ behavior while underestimating situational factors.
Social schemas: Mental blueprints or expectations about how individuals and situations generally work.
Biases: Systematic patterns of deviation from norm or rationality in judgment, such as confirmation bias.
Self-concept and identity: How individuals view and understand themselves within a social context. Topics include:
Social identity: How group memberships shape an individual’s sense of self.
Social comparison: How individuals compare themselves to others to evaluate their own abilities and opinions.
Attitudes: The opinions, feelings, and beliefs people hold about other people, concepts, or groups. Researchers study how attitudes are formed, measured, and how they predict behavior.
Social influence
This branch investigates the social factors that affect individuals’ attitudes and behaviors. Research explores how people change their ideas and actions to meet the demands of a social group.
Conformity: Changing one’s opinions or behavior in response to real or imagined social pressure.
Obedience: Complying with demands from an authority figure, famously studied in the Milgram experiment.
Persuasion: The process by which a person’s attitude or behavior is influenced by another person’s communication.
Group dynamics: The behavior of individuals within or between groups, including:
Social loafing: The tendency of individuals to put in less effort when working in a group.
Groupthink: When group members prioritize harmony and conformity over critical evaluation of alternative viewpoints.
Leadership: The process by which certain group members motivate and guide the group.
This category focuses on the interpersonal processes and interactions between individuals and groups.
Prejudice and discrimination: The formation, maintenance, and reduction of negative attitudes and behaviors directed toward individuals based on their group membership.
Implicit bias: Unconscious biases that affect a person’s behavior without their awareness.
Stereotypes: Oversimplified, widely held beliefs about a group of people.
Aggression and violence: The psychological factors that cause people to behave with hostility and the social influences that contribute to violence.
Prosocial behaviorand altruism: The reasons why people help others, and why they sometimes refuse, including phenomena like the bystander effect.
Interpersonal attraction and close relationships: The factors that cause people to like or love each other, and how relationships develop, are maintained, and dissolve.
Modern and applied social psychology
In addition to these core concerns, academic social psychology also investigates and applies its principles to contemporary issues.
Culture and diversity: The role of culture in shaping behavior and cognition, with research exploring differences between collectivistic and individualistic societies.
Social issues: Applying social psychological insights to address pressing societal problems, such as public health, prejudice, crime, and misinformation.
Technological impact: Exploring how technology and social media influence human interaction, self-perception, and attitudes.
Research methodology: Social psychologists are also concerned with the research methods used to study these complex phenomena, including experimental, correlational, and observational approaches. They also address ethical challenges that arise when studying human behavior.
Social psychology
Social psychology academically concerns how and why individuals’ thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by other people, whether real, imagined, or implied. The field investigates this dynamic across a broad range of topics, often grouped into three main categories: social thinking, social influence, and social relationships.
Social thinking
This area examines how people perceive themselves and others, make judgments, and process social information.
Social cognition: The mental processes used to perceive and think about people, relationships, and groups. Researchers in this area study concepts like:
Attribution theory: How people explain the causes of their own and others’ behavior. A common phenomenon studied is the fundamental attribution error, the tendency to overestimate personality-based explanations for others’ behavior while underestimating situational factors.
Social schemas: Mental blueprints or expectations about how individuals and situations generally work.
Biases: Systematic patterns of deviation from norm or rationality in judgment, such as confirmation bias.
Self-concept and identity: How individuals view and understand themselves within a social context. Topics include:
Self-esteem: How people feel about themselves.
Social identity: How group memberships shape an individual’s sense of self.
Social comparison: How individuals compare themselves to others to evaluate their own abilities and opinions.
Attitudes: The opinions, feelings, and beliefs people hold about other people, concepts, or groups. Researchers study how attitudes are formed, measured, and how they predict behavior.
Social influence
This branch investigates the social factors that affect individuals’ attitudes and behaviors. Research explores how people change their ideas and actions to meet the demands of a social group.
Conformity: Changing one’s opinions or behavior in response to real or imagined social pressure.
Obedience: Complying with demands from an authority figure, famously studied in the Milgram experiment.
Persuasion: The process by which a person’s attitude or behavior is influenced by another person’s communication.
Group dynamics: The behavior of individuals within or between groups, including:
Social loafing: The tendency of individuals to put in less effort when working in a group.
Groupthink: When group members prioritize harmony and conformity over critical evaluation of alternative viewpoints.
Leadership: The process by which certain group members motivate and guide the group.
Social relationships
This category focuses on the interpersonal processes and interactions between individuals and groups.
Prejudice and discrimination: The formation, maintenance, and reduction of negative attitudes and behaviors directed toward individuals based on their group membership.
Implicit bias: Unconscious biases that affect a person’s behavior without their awareness.
Stereotypes: Oversimplified, widely held beliefs about a group of people.
Aggression and violence: The psychological factors that cause people to behave with hostility and the social influences that contribute to violence.
Prosocial behaviorand altruism: The reasons why people help others, and why they sometimes refuse, including phenomena like the bystander effect.
Interpersonal attraction and close relationships: The factors that cause people to like or love each other, and how relationships develop, are maintained, and dissolve.
Modern and applied social psychology
In addition to these core concerns, academic social psychology also investigates and applies its principles to contemporary issues.
Culture and diversity: The role of culture in shaping behavior and cognition, with research exploring differences between collectivistic and individualistic societies.
Social issues: Applying social psychological insights to address pressing societal problems, such as public health, prejudice, crime, and misinformation.
Technological impact: Exploring how technology and social media influence human interaction, self-perception, and attitudes.
Research methodology: Social psychologists are also concerned with the research methods used to study these complex phenomena, including experimental, correlational, and observational approaches. They also address ethical challenges that arise when studying human behavior.