Five Most Useful Theories In Social Psychology

Social Psychologists define themselves as scientists who study the methods of how the actual or imagined existence of other people influence the behaviors, thoughts, and feelings of people in general (Aronson, Wilson, Akert, & Sommers, 2016). Over the past spring 2018 semester, various and eminent social psychological theories have been introduced and discussed. All the theories discoursed have had a significant impact in the field of social psychology, however, I have chosen five that have had the most use and application to everyday human interaction. In this paper I will discuss the five most useful theories in social psychology both personally and in general. The theories are Cognitive Dissonance Theory, Attribution Theory, Self-Cognitive

Smith, lecture, February 21, 2018). Furthermore, according to the Social Identity Theory, we also integrate to our self-concept a social identity derived from the groups we belong to (Aronson, Wilson, Akert, & Sommers, 2016). These groups range from occupational, religious, national, political, and other social relationships. Thus, it is important to acknowledge the Social Identity Theory as part of everyday human social life. It is innate of human nature to join and feel a sense of belonginess in groups. We like to associate ourselves with groups that make us feel good about ourselves, but unfortunately, we may fall into the trap of the in-group bias, where we prefer people from our in-group, and look down upon out-group members (Aronson, Wilson, Akert, & Sommers, 2016). This is one of the foundations for prejudice, and it is important for social psychologists to study and produce results that acknowledge this natural phenomenon to tackle it and reduce the level of prejudice and discrimination in diverse societies. For example, social psychologists have created the Contact Hypothesis to attempt to reduce prejudice amongst members of in-groups and out-groups. The Contact Hypothesis states the by mere contact with out-group individuals, and by working together to achieve a common goal, in-groups and out-groups can reduce prejudice and discriminatory behavior toward each other (Aronson, Wilson, Akert, & Sommers, 2016). Thus, both the Social Identity Theory and the Contact Hypothesis can work in tandem to create a more harmonious social world by reducing prejudice and discrimination and help people from diverse backgrounds work together to tackle everyday problems that affect us