Social Psychology

Social psychology studies how individuals' thoughts, feelings, and behaviour are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others.

Scope

It covers attitudes and persuasion, social cognition, conformity and obedience, group processes, and intergroup relations and identity.

Sub-topics

• Group & Interpersonal Processes
• Social Perception & Cognition

Core questions

• How do social situations shape behaviour?
• How are attitudes formed and changed?
• Why do people conform and obey?
• How do group memberships shape identity and conflict?

Key concepts

• Cognitive dissonance
• Attitudes and persuasion
• Conformity and obedience
• Social identity
• Social cognition
• Group processes

Key theories

Cognitive dissonance

Festinger showed that inconsistency among cognitions creates discomfort that motivates attitude change.

Obedience to authority

Milgram demonstrated the power of situations to elicit obedience.

Social identity theory

Tajfel and Turner explained intergroup behaviour through identification with groups.

History

Modern social psychology emerged after WWII with work on attitudes, group dynamics (Lewin), dissonance (Festinger), obedience (Milgram), and social identity (Tajfel), and now integrates social cognition and neuroscience while navigating the replication crisis.

Debates

Person versus situation

Whether behaviour is driven more by personal dispositions or by social situations — a defining debate.

Key figures

• Leon Festinger
• Stanley Milgram
• Henri Tajfel
• John Turner

Seminal works

• festinger-1957
• milgram-1963
• tajfel-turner-1979

Frequently asked questions

What is cognitive dissonance?

The mental discomfort from holding inconsistent beliefs or acting against one's beliefs, which motivates people to reduce the inconsistency.