INDIVIDUAL
AND SOCIETY
DR. KIRAN BABU N C
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, ALLIANCE
UNIVERSIT Y, ANEKAL, BANGALORE
Definitions
Social Psychology
Social psychology is “the scientific investigation of
how the thoughts, feelings and behaviours of
individuals are influenced by the actual, imagined or
implied presence of others” (G. W. Allport, 1954a, p.
5)
Definitions
Baron, Byrne, and 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).
How Individuals Think, Feel, and
Behave
How Individuals Think, Feel, and Behave Social psychology concerns an
amazingly diverse set of topics. Like; Group behavior; social
perception; Leadership; non-verbal behavior; conformity;
Aggression; Prejudice etc….
People’s private, even nonconscious beliefs and attitudes;
their most passionate emotions; their heroic, cowardly, or merely
mundane public behaviors.
Our social
relationships and
interactions are
extremely important to
us. Most people seek
out and are profoundly
affected by other
people. This social
nature of the human
animal is what social
psychology is all about.
Important Characteristics
Research on attitudes offers a good illustration. Whereas
economists and political scientists may be interested in people’s
economic and political attitudes, respectively.
social psychologists investigate a wide variety of attitudes and
contexts, such as individuals’ attitudes toward particular groups
of people or how their attitudes are affected by their peers or
their mood.
In doing so, social psychologists strive to establish general
principles of attitude formation and change that apply in a variety
of situations rather than exclusively to particular domains.
Note the word individuals in our definition of social psychology.
This word points to another important way in which social
psychology differs from some other social sciences.
Sociology, for instance, typically classifies people in terms of
their nationality, race, socioeconomic class, and other group
factors. In contrast, social psychology typically focuses on the
psychology of the individual.
Even when social psychologists study groups of people, they
usually emphasize the behavior of the individual in the group
context.
Principles
Individual and Society Interplay: Social
psychologists assume an interplay exists between
individual minds and the broader social context.
An individual’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are
continuously shaped by social interactions, and in turn,
individuals influence the societies they are a part of.
Behavior is Contextual: One core assumption is that
behavior can vary significantly based on the situation or
context.
While personal traits and dispositions matter, the
circumstances or social environment often play a
decisive role in determining behavior.
Objective Reality is Difficult to Attain: Our
perceptions of reality are influenced by personal
beliefs, societal norms, and past experiences.
Therefore, our understanding of “reality” is subjective
and can be biased or distorted.
Social Reality is Constructed: Social psychologists
believe that individuals actively construct their social world.
Through processes like social categorization(Social
categorization is the process through which we group
individuals based upon social information. Example: “Big
Three” are sex, race, and age),
Social attribution- (an area of social psychology that deals
with how people explain the causes of their behavior and the
behavior of others.) and
cognitive biases, people create their understanding of
others and societal norms.
People are Social Beings with a Need to
Belong: A fundamental assumption is the inherent
social nature of humans.
People have an innate need to connect with others,
form relationships, and belong to groups. This need
influences a wide range of behaviors and emotions.
Attitudes Influence Behavior: While this might
seem straightforward, it’s a foundational belief that
our attitudes (combinations of beliefs and feelings) can
and often do drive our actions. However, it’s also
understood that this relationship can be complex and
bidirectional.
People Desire Cognitive Consistency: This is the
belief that people are motivated to maintain consistency
in their beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors.
Cognitive dissonance theory, which posits that people
feel discomfort when holding conflicting beliefs and are
motivated to resolve this, is based on this assumption.
People are Motivated to See Themselves in a
Positive Light: The self plays a central role in social
psychology. It’s assumed that individuals are generally
motivated to maintain and enhance a positive self-view.
Example:(Ideal Self and real Self)
Behavior Can be Predicted and Understood: An
underlying assumption of any science, including social
psychology, is that phenomena (in this case, human
behavior in social contexts) can be studied,
understood, predicted, and potentially influenced.
Cultural and Biological Factors are Integral:
Though earlier social psychology might have been
criticized for neglecting these factors, contemporary
social psychology acknowledges the roles of both
biology (genes, hormones, brain processes) and culture
(norms, values, traditions) in shaping social behavior.
