Social psychology concepts and theories

Social psychology, both as an academic and a professional practice, is extremely useful for elucidating the phenomenon of high rates of suicide within the military, and within the United States in general. The frequency of the occurrence of suicide within the military is explicitly denoted within Brewin's article (2013), in which there are record rates for suicide in the armed services in 2013 and the "number of military suicides has more than doubled since 2001" (p. 1). Sweeping phenomena such as the high incidence of suicide within a specific population setting validates social psychology as a discipline, since it is apparent that such problems are indicative of social concerns. Such problems will not simply go away, and require psychological means to address this issue.

This fact is widely alluded to within the aforementioned article. One of the chief reasons for suicide is the general perception that seeking counseling or psychological help is a sign of "weakness" (Brewin, 2013, p. 1) or something reserved for inferior individuals. There is the perception that suicide and mental health has been "stigmatized" (Langhinrichsen-Rohling et al., 2011, p. 600) in the U.S. Air Force. It is interesting to note that one of the proposed ways of counteracting such a perception and to encourage military personnel to obtain psychological help is to quarter the facilities for such assistance in the same compound as conventional medical assistance. In such a way social psychology is more accessible and acceptable to military personnel, which will enable this discipline to extend its assistance to this population group, certain members of which are more susceptible to die via suicide than by enemy fire in Afghanistan (Thompson & Gibbs, 2012, p. 22).

There are other ways in which social psychology is utilized to help with this problem. The counseling that social psychologists are able to administer is greatly suggested by the implementation of hotlines that soldiers can call to discuss problems affecting their mental health and performance. This form of counseling is one of the most fundamental practices within the discipline of social psychology.

I have learned a significant amount about both myself and about social psychology by taking and fulfilling the coursework for this class. I understand now that social psychology is used to explicate many of the systemic, repeated occurrences that are prevalent for a particular social group within an identifiable time period. Additionally, it is a valuable means of understanding some of the cultural mores of that particular society. However, this discipline does more than simply note the occurrence of various sociological phenomena; it can actually aid in changing them. The potential for change endowed within social psychology is most effective when used as a curative and a means of contextualizing and ameliorating problems people endure within a society.

One of the key takeaways that I learned within this class pertains to the role of gender within our contemporary society. Although many facets of gender have changed and there is greater equality between the sexes, I realize that there are a lot of differences that women encounter -- especially within the professional realm -- in which they are treated worse than men are (Furuya, 2013, p. 10). These facts are key information that I will remember while I attempt to embark on my own professional career.