Understanding Social Psychology: Behavior and Thought

Defining Social Psychology

Defining a discipline characterized by a great diversity of fields and a rapid pace of change is challenging. However, it can be defined as the scientific field that seeks to understand the nature and causes of individual behavior and thinking in social situations.

Is Social Psychology a Science?

The term science refers not to a select group of highly advanced disciplines, but rather to a variety of methods. Therefore, when deciding whether a particular field is scientific, we must ask if it uses scientific procedures. To the extent that a discipline uses these methods, it can be viewed as scientifically oriented.

Conversely, disciplines not generally seen as scientific often make statements about the natural world and people that are not subject to careful scrutiny. In those areas, intuition, beliefs, and some special skills are considered sufficient.

So, is social psychology science? Definitely yes. Although the subjects studied by social psychologists differ significantly from those in the physical and biological sciences, the methods we use are similar in nature and scientific in guidance.

Focus on Individual Behavior

Social psychology focuses on individual behavior. Societies differ greatly in their views concerning courtship and marriage, yet individuals still fall in love and fall out. Similarly, societies vary greatly in their overall levels of violence, although individuals still perform aggressive acts. The same argument applies to virtually all other aspects of social behavior, from prejudice to helping: the actions and cognitions in question are primarily made or held by individuals. Therefore, the focus of social psychology is strongly centered on individuals.

Social psychologists obviously realize that individuals do not exist in isolation from social and cultural influences. But the main interest of the discipline lies in understanding the factors that shape the actions and thoughts of human beings in social situations.

Understanding Causes of Social Behavior

Social psychology attempts to understand the causes of behavior and social thought. Social psychologists are mainly interested in understanding the large group of conditions that shape the social behavior and thinking of individuals.