Social Psychology: The Study of Influences

Since the beginning of humanity, people have attempted to understand behavior. Rather it is a mother trying to understand her son adamant dislike for broccoli, or a psychologist trying to understand criminal behavior, “why” has always been a question that has been explored. Psychology, or the study of “why”, has been attempting to answer such questions for centuries. Although there are many answers (reflected in the number of schools of psychology), Social psychology attempts to explain the environmental factors that lead to a person behavior. By definition, Social Psychology is “the study of the manner in which the personality, attitudes, motivations, and behavior of the individual influence and are influenced by social groups” (Merriam-Webster, 2013).This school of psychology first explores components that effect emotions, thoughts, beliefs, intentions, and goals, then explores how that affects a person’s behavior, thus exploring the correlation between the components and behavior. Simply put, Social Psychology looks at the experience you have with other people and how they affect what you do.

Social Psychology, like all forms of psychology, has a brief history, however its historical perspectives past is lengthy. Although modern social psychology emerged in the 20th century, its original ideas were heavily influenced by early philosophical concepts (McLeod, 2007). Aristotle, who some credit as the first social psychologist, believed that “the nature of society…is based upon man’s nature” (Gilbert, Fiske, & Gardener, 2003). He argued that in order to understand human behavior, you must be familiar with social environments and the impact it has on an individual. He also believed that how individuals interpreted circumstances inf...

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