Social Psychology

Briefly examine the discipline of social psychology.
> as a part of your examination, be sure to address the following items:
â?¨ a. Define social psychology.â?¨
b. Discuss how social psychology differs from other related disciplines (e.g., clinical psychology, general psychology, sociology).â?¨
c. Explain the role of research in social psychology. © BrainMass Inc. brainmass.com March 21, 2019, 10:11 pm ad1c9bdddf
https://brainmass.com/psychology/social-psychology/social-psychology-407849

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a. Social psychology is the study of the social causes of and influences on our behavior. According to psychologist it is a discipline that uses scienctific methods” to understand how the thought, feeling and behavior of individuals are influenced by the actual, imagined or implied presence of other human beings.” Social psychologists have long suggested that many of the answers to the questions of human behavior lie in understanding such things as gender roles, group norms conformity and group pressure.
Some basic principles of social psychology:
The interaction of individuals is function to serve a goal or fulfill a need. Some of these goals or needs include th need for social ties, the desire to understand ourselves and others, the wish to gain or maintain status and protection and attract companions.
The interaction between the indvidual and the situation determine the outcome.
Our social interactions help form our self-concept and perception.
We also analyze and explain the behavior of those around us.

b. Social psychology differs from other related psychological disciplines. It is different from personality psychology in the sense that personality psychology focuses on individual traits, characteristics and thoughts while social psychology focuses on situations. Social psychologists are interested in the impact that the …