Social Psychology: Bringing It All Together
According to Feenstra (2013):
"Social psychologists investigate how people view themselves and others, how they interact with and influence others, and how people act when part of a group. Given the amount of time spent thinking about and interacting with other people, it follows that much of our lives are spent with the subject matter of social psychology."
Include the following components in your research paper:
1. Discovering the Self - How do we perceive ourselves and our interactions with others? a. Self-concept, awareness, and self-schemas
b. The acting self
c. Self-esteem and self-efficacy.
2. Thinking About Others - What judgments do we make about other people?
a. Attributions: internal, external, explanatory style.
b. Attitudes and behavior
c. Prejudice, stereotypes, discrimination
3. Influencing Others: Persuasion - How do we use the power of persuasion?
a. Persuasion techniques
b. Characteristics of the persuader, message, audience
4. Influencing Others: Obedience and Conformity - What factors lead us to conform and become obedient?
a. Aggressive behavior and aggression cues
b. Prosocial behavior
c. Relationship building, love, and attraction
5. Group Dynamics - What are elements of a group?
a. Types of groups
b. Consequences of Groupthink
c. Social dilemmas
After addressing the components above, reflect on the future of social psychology. Given the immense changes that our society is experiencing (both nationally and internationally), what do you predict will occur in the field of social psychology? What ground-breaking new research do you anticipate?