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Social Psychology
One point in the evolution of social psychology that interests me is the Nazi influence upon social psychology in the United States. Before and after WWII, Nazis in various sciences sought and found refuge in the United States. Many of them, because of their experience and education, were put to work. Kurt Lewin is one of these notable Nazis that came from Germany, one of what were called, Gestalt psychologists. This is interesting for a few reasons. Average Americans forget or are ignorant of how many Nazis fled to the states and have had direct influences on many of the things we find in everyday life. It is somewhat ironic that a country that continues to vilify Nazis, especially in the media, owes so much to this group. It is interesting also in that the Nazis, though the agenda of their leader was extreme and flawed, were excellent scientists. They had strong scientific methods though the ultimate goal was deplorable.
Another point in the evolution of social psychology that I find striking is how instrumental media and propaganda were and are now. Again, during WWII, social psychologists used and practiced with propaganda and media to manipulate and study people. Fast forwarding several decades later, this seems very apparent and very relevant in the 21st century, where we are more media savvy, and greater media consumers. There...
We can only presume that social psychologists now have honed methods and are still relevant to areas such as advertising, propaganda, media, film, commercials, new media, social media, and more.
Lastly, I noticed how in social psychology, as in other fields, there was a period of extreme division and ethical controversy (1980s, 1990s). I found this inspiring; there should not be utter agreement within a field at all times. If so, then there is no robust debate, there are no risks taken, and then, is there much use for that field?
Lewin contended that behavior is a function of the person and the situation. Changing behavior and ultimately the person could be a matter of changing the situation. The influence and importance of media in the evolution of social psychology is ripe for analysis with respect to this contention. In my work as an adjunct professor, I believe situationism is relevant. If adjuncts showed bad behaviors such as lateness or late of preparation, to correct this, the department might pay adjuncts for prep hours and provide semi-private workspace. This change in the situation could change the adjuncts' behavior.
The current event of focus in relation to social motives is related to…
References:
BBC. (2013). Chile's judges apologise after coup. BBC News, Web, Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-23967816. 2013 September 04.
Preserve Articles. (2013). Brief notes on Social Motives from psychological point-of-view. Preserve Articles, Web, Available from: http://www.preservearticles.com/201104165507/brief-notes-on-social-motives-from-psychological-point-of-view.html. 2013 September 03.
Social Psychology Cognitive processes, social interactions, cultural context, and biological factors are what form what social psychology is in regards to and also how it is trained in that social psychologists are typically concerned in an individual with stress on all the things that make a person who they act the way they do are and who they are and what they think and also how they perform socially (Baron, Branscombe,
Therefore, the person who chooses to suspend his interests to comply with those artificial externally-imposed social values for the benefit of others will ultimately always suffer disadvantage because others cannot be counted upon to do so consistently and in a meaningful way, at least not beyond the ability of the state to control and ensure. To Freud, modern civilization provides various tangible benefits to the individual but only at a
Nonetheless, this does not make philosophy any less important in the field. Philosophy today can be seen as a manifestation of the workings of the human mind, while psychology studies the mind itself. Philosophy is therefore a very important aspect in helping the psychologist understand the human mind. Philosophy is indeed responsible for the birth of psychology as a discipline in itself, as mentioned. While the early philosophers, Socrates, Plato and
social science indentified as social psychology studies the influences that affect how individuals in a society interact with one another (Kenrick, 2006). In doing so, it applies scientific methods to measure how a variety of different factors such as group behavior, social perception, leadership, conformity, aggression and prejudice serve to affect how members of society relate to each other. In doing so, social psychologists examine the attitudes, beliefs, and
Social Psychology Studies: Explaining Irrational Individual Behavior by Understanding Group Dynamics Social psychology is, as its name suggests, a science that blends the fields of psychology, which is the study of the individual, and sociology, which is the study of groups. Social psychology examines how the individual is influenced by the group. It looks at the influence of group or cultural norms on individual behaviors, thoughts, and feelings. However, because group
Sociobiology Theory and Criminology Criminology field has varying psychological and biological theories that explain the criminality and factors that predispose individuals to engaging in criminal behaviors. Biological theories consider criminal behavior as a product of biological abnormality or defect. The criminal cannot change their behaviors because of the variation of their biological traits, thereby, forcing them to act in a specific manner. However, biological theory is considered odd with the presence