Social Psychology Definition Paper

Social Psychology Definition Paper
Sinthia Brye
PSY/ 400
August 30, 2010
Joyce Willis

Social Psychology
Introduction
    Social psychology it observes as the influence of our situations with special attention on how
we view and affect one another.   Social psychology perceives the way we think, influence
people, and relates to others.   Social psychology lies at psychology’s boundary with sociology,
which sociology is the study of people in groups and societies?   Social psychology is all about
life – your life:   your beliefs, your attitudes, your relationships.
Definition of Social Psychology
    Social psychology is a discipline that uses scientific method “to understand and explain how
the thought, feelings and behavior of individuals are influenced by the actual, imagines or
implied presence of other beings” (Allport, 1985).   Social psychology is also the scientific study
of how people think about, influence, and relate to one another.   Social psychology includes a
broad range of social topics, including group, social perception, leadership, non-verbal 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.   Some of the main ideas that social psychology seeks to address
are:   the construction of our social reality, social intuition, how social influences, personal
attitudes, personality, and biology shape or behavior, and how social psychology principles can
be applied in everyday life (Myers, 2008).
How social psychology differs from other disciplines
    It is important to understand how social psychology differs from other disciplines.   Social
psychology is often confused with folk wisdom, personality psychology and sociology.   Unlike
folk wisdom, which relies on anecdotal observations and subjective interpretation, social
psychology... [continues]

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