What Is Social Psychology?

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One thing my parents taught me growing up is that my actions will always drown out any words I may say. They instilled in me a sense of integrity and character. I take those same traits and translate them onto other people. The early wisdom imparted to me has shaped the way I interact with others as well. I have always been observant and a bit of a people watcher so it fascinates me to watch how people interact with others. Moreover, it intrigues me to see how these interactions play out and trying to figure out what the motivation is behind the interaction. I also like trying to see if I can determine just what each person is benefiting from it as well. I feel studying social psychology will allow me to do this on a deeper level and make better …show more content…

4). It studies the “why” behind how you interact with others and the way you react to others. Social psychology is said to blur the line between psychology (the study of the mind and human behavior) and sociology which studies society and behaviors on a larger scale, not the individual level (Myers, 2013, p. 4). Social psychology is also different than general psychology or personality psychology because rather than trying to see how individuals differ, it is concerned with how individuals “view and affect one another” (Myers, 2013, p. 4). Social psychology does not just venture to know why you do what you do but why you do what you do and how your relationships with others affects …show more content…

These interactions can be both positive and negative depending on the situation. Social relations include any judgements or prejudices people have against one another (Myers, 2013, p.8). This can also lead to aggression and hostility. I think we all have modern day references we can draw upon from events that have been major headlines in the media recently. There has been a lot of ugly that has come out and for some it has changed longstanding relationships and the way we interact with some people. On the other side of that, attraction can change the way we interact with each other. When a person sees someone of interest they can experience biological change such as “butterflies” in their stomach, heart rate increasing, sweaty palms etc. It also seems that when a person is talking to someone they are attracted to they speak to them in a different, maybe more seductive tone of voice. In the end, good bad or indifferent social relations, social influences and social thinking all dictate the way we move about the social

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