Social psychology is the branch of psychology that studies the effects of social

Question

Social psychology is the branch of psychology that studies the effects of social variables and cognitions on individual behavior and social interactions how people affect each other. The social context includes the real, imagined or symbolic presence of other people; the activities that take place among people; the settings in which behavior occurs; and the expectations and norms governing behavior in each setting. Obedience research, one type of social psychology research, underscores the power of social situations to control human behavior. When people respond to a social situation, it is not only objective reality; rather, it is to the personal construction of a subjective social situation. How does the social situation affect our behavior?

Explanation / Answer

When people are asked to indicate the things they value the most, they usually mention their social situation,that is, their relationships with other people. When we work together on a class project, volunteer at a homeless shelter, or serve on a jury in a courtroom trial, we count on others to work with us to get the job done. We develop social bonds with those people, and we expect that they will come through to help us meet our goals. The importance of others shows up in every aspect of our lives other people teach us what we should and shouldn’t do, what we should and shouldn’t think, and even what we should and shouldn’t like and dislike. In addition to the people with whom we are currently interacting, we are influenced by people who are not physically present but who are nevertheless part of our thoughts and feelings. Imagine that you are driving home on a deserted country road late at night. No cars are visible in any direction, and you can see for miles. You come to a stop sign.Most likely, you stop at the sign, or at least slow down. You do so because the behavior has been internalized: even though no one is there to watch you, others are still influencing you;you’ve learned about the rules and laws of society, what’s right and what’s wrong, and you tend to obey them. We carry our own personal social situations our experiences with our parents, teachers, leaders, authorities, and friends around with us every day. There are unlimited ways in which society influences behaviour. This can also differ in different cultures. After all we are social creatures who are very much shaped by external factors. Some ways society can influence behaviour includes: - pressures from society may restrict you to doing jobs you may not like, in order to meet societal expectations of success, status, financial stability, gender roles, etc. - society prevents you from committing morally wrong acts. We are never born perfect and each of us have banes. However, due to fear of ostracism/punishment we refrain from committing crimes deemed as wrong by society. - it limits our behaviours, as we fear of being judged. Religion, media, school systems, work place, family, relatives, friends and connections. There are many ways that those factors influence our behavior, our understanding of life, outlook and overall sense of reality. As children grow, they tend to look to their parents and community when forming their understanding of behavior. Therefore, children who grow up in violent and turbulent environments have a higher likelihood of becoming aggressive as adults. Children who live in neighborhoods where racism is prevalent are more prone to become racist. On the other hand, children who grow up in cooperative and tolerant environments are likely to exhibit those traits as adults. When social psychologists analyze an event such as the Holocaust, they are likely to focus more on the characteristics of the situation (e.g., the strong leader and the group pressure provided by the other group members) than on the characteristics of the perpetrators themselves. As an example, it is seen that even ordinary people who are neither bad nor evil in any way can nevertheless be placed in situations in which an authority figure is able to lead them to engage in evil behaviors, such as applying potentially lethal levels of electrical shock (Milgram, 1974). People who commit extreme acts, such as terrorists or members of suicide cults, are unusual or extreme people and research suggests that these behaviors are caused more by the social situation than they are by the characteristics of the individuals and that it is wrong to focus so strongly only on explanations of individuals’ characteristics. Social roles are the part people play as members of a social group. With each social role you adopt, your behavior changes to fit the expectations both you and others have of that role.We conform to the expectations of others, we respond to their approval when we play our roles well, and to their disapproval when we play our roles badly.

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