ipl-logo

Five Most Useful Theories In Social Psychology

1795 Words8 Pages

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 …show more content…

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

Show More
Related
1818 Words | 8 Pages

According to Tan et al, “contact hypothesis, first proposed by Allport, states that close contact between members of different races fosters positive racial attitudes”. Tan et al also explains the vice versa telling if the contact between members of different races is not close, it will lead to negative prejudice. This lack of contact is the one that makes those negative stereotypes exist. This theory also will be used to analyze how the different perspective emerges because of that contact.

Read More
1618 Words | 7 Pages

From having not considered the actual meaning of identity and how it operates, to now having a deeper knowledge of the interplay between social and biological influences, I have exited the course with a new perspective of the term identity. Thus, the term identity need not embody a core explanation, rather, it should be defined as a space of

Read More
596 Words | 3 Pages

The social identity theory compares, categorizes, and identifies with certain groups. Memberships to specific groups are important. Elliot placed people in groups based on eye color so all of the blue eyed people tended to stick together and so did the brown eyed people. In the adult groups, the blue eyed people became defensive at times because of the way they were being treated and others stood up to defend from the same group in some instances, The Social Identity Theory is also defined by a sense of superiority to others (Myers, 326). Lacking a positive personal identity, people often seal self-esteem by identifying with a group (Myers, 327).

Read More
871 Words | 4 Pages

Identifying with a group makes people feel secure with and trust one another because of what they have in common. They might share the same interests, language, beliefs, ethnicity, or cultural background. However, by limiting their identities to a specific group, people may miss important opportunities to connect with and understand others. Group identity ensemble the main concept of the group, it can be varied from broad concepts like religion to narrowed ones like hobbies. Anything joins people together can be their group identity.

Read More
1719 Words | 7 Pages

Introduction Social identification is a very important source of both one’s pride and self-esteem. Because groups give us a sense of social identity and belongingness to the social world, intergroup relations have a huge impact on the actions we engage ourselves in. “We are not born with senses of self. Rather, self arises from interaction with others” (Griffin, 2012). In this paper I will first give a summary of Tajfel and Turner’s Social Identity Theory.

Read More
86 Words | 1 Pages

The purpose of this paper is to explore the concepts of social identity and social location as well as the questions about the importance of awareness of one 's own worldview and social position. It also provides an outline of social and cultural experiences, values, beliefs, behaviors, and attitudes that help shape and determine one 's social identity. This is particularly important to me, as I have begun to see a framework emerging from my own personal learning and questioning about social identity and my place in society.

Read More
609 Words | 3 Pages

What do social psychologists mean by “identity”? When social psychologists reference identity, they mean the part of a person’s self-concept that originates from his or her perception regarding participation in a given social group. Some social psychologists have argued that identity describes the value and emotional significance that an individual attaches to his or her membership of a particular group. Identity, therefore, develops along the border that separates groups, so that one can only discover his or her identity when he or she is content as part of a group membership or when they are able to associate and interact closely with a particular group.

Read More
161 Words | 1 Pages

willingness to help victims. They discovered that when members of one racial group inferred significantly lower secondary emotions to other racial groups, their willingness to help them after a disaster plummeted. According to the researchers, by attributing fewer secondary emotions to out-groups, the observers effectively denied others a “human essence, which they reserve for the in-group,” thereby subverting their willingness to help. Conversely, having individuals take the perspective of out-group members has been shown to diminish negative judgments or stereotypes.

Read More
683 Words | 3 Pages

Identity speaks of who we are as individuals but it also comes from two different groups: social and cultural. These groups are connected to power, values and ideology. Social identities are related to how we interact with people and how we present ourselves. Meanwhile cultural identities relate to society in whole such as religion, values, etc. In this paper I will talk about the dominant and subordinate identities.

Read More
1072 Words | 5 Pages

I. INTRODUCTION: Interest-catching opening. : Background: Shutter Island is a 2010 film directed by Martin Scorsese, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as a U.S. Marshall who goes to a mental hospital to solve the disappearance of a patient, and the person responsible for killing his wife. While investigation this disappearance he uncovers secrets and truths of his own, the most damming is the horror of losing all three of his children due to his wife killing them, leading him to kill her.

Read More
1382 Words | 6 Pages

Intergroup conflict, in general terms, is a prevalent issue that has been present throughout history, but never so much as it is in the 21st century. This is issue is more relevant today as it has ever been due to increasing globalisation. Critically, modern psychology has placed great importance on understanding this issue and how we can reduce the harmful social and individual effects intergroup conflict has created. The biggest issue that has caused intergroup conflict is prejudice, which often leads discrimination against minority groups of people. There are many theories that have been developed to help us understand and minimise this issue.

Read More
970 Words | 4 Pages

Each individual has their own different social identity. One’s social identity is constructed based on the different influences around them. The development of social identity is influenced by various factors such as the historical, cultural and religious beliefs of the society, community or family where one is brought up. It is influenced by the behaviours and attitudes of authority figures such as parents, teachers and community leaders around them, it is also influenced by external factors such as the media, one’s peers and the overall exposure one has (Carrim, 2006, p56).

Read More
1210 Words | 5 Pages

Identity is social construct that many have mistaken for something an individual is born with. There are many aspects of identity that one can inherit like genes that can drive a certain type of character and certain aspects of identity a person can adopt and build for themselves. However the most part of one’s identity is consistent of what the person wants and adopts for themselves and what the society/the people around him/her choose to give him/her. Identity is a said to not remain unchanged once established.

Read More
1716 Words | 7 Pages

Therefore, finding an explanation through psychology, for the different specific reactions that human beings exhibit is important. Social psychology is an important sector of psychology that takes interpersonal relationships into consideration. Over the years, many theories have been developed to aid in explaining human behavior, especially ones that administer social experiences. The main focus of this assignment is the analysis of the cognitive dissonance theory in social psychology. Cognitive dissonance theory attempts to explain the human behavior through cognition, in which individuals always look for stability in their attitudes and behaviors (Festinger, 1985).

Read More
957 Words | 4 Pages

Through sports this is possible, since often the person participates in sports in a team or goes for a jog with a friend. Therefore they will be part of a group. This can be described using the social identity theory which was proposed by British social psychologists Henri Tajfel and John Turner in 1979. It is also linked with social well-being. According to this theory, people will behave in a certain way that increases their ability to feel good about themselves due to a membership in a specific group (Posten).

Read More

More about Five Most Useful Theories In Social Psychology

Related Topics

Open Document