SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
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THEORY AND PERSPECTIVE
Psychology as a science emerged in late 1800.
-Structuralism (Titchener); Mind follows
“structures”. Able to find structures able to
find truth.
-Functionalism (James); How does the mind work,
psychological processes. Can tell you how one
can survival.
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THEORY AND PERSPECTIVE
Psychoanalytic Perspective (Freud)
Person lives in two realms, Conscious and
Unconscious.
Person mainly Unconscious with a small proportion
Conscious. The two (conscious and unconscious)
are unaware of each other with the exception of
moments of Preconsciousness.
Preconscious is small crack in the window to the
Unconscious.
∞
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THEORY AND PERSPECTIVE
Psychoanalytic Perspective (Freud)
Defined self as three parts (selves). Id, selfish /
hedonistic desires and basic instincts; Superego,
higher conscious and socially adjusted; Ego,
mediator of Id and Superego.
Ego in constant struggle with trying to satisfy the needs
of the Id and Superego in a realistic (conscious) way.
∞

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THEORY AND PERSPECTIVE
Branching off Freudian Psychoanalytic
Psychology
-Erikson, psychosocial stages
-Adler, individual psychology
-Jung, archetypes and collective unconscious
∞
-many more…
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OTHER THEORIES AND PERSPECTIVES
Humanistic Psychology (Maslow, Rogers)individual’s potential.
 Cognitive Psychology-Understanding physical
structures (anatomy) and mental processes to
understand a person’s mind.
 Behaviorism (Pavlov, Skinner)-Understanding
observable behavior and environmental influences
thus equating the person.
 Social Learning Theory (Rotter, Bandura)- social
environment and context in determining behavior.
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WHAT IS SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY?

The thought, feeling, and behavior of
individuals’ as shaped by the actual, imagined,
or implied presence of others. G.W. Allport
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Figure 1.1
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SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY’S BIG IDEAS

We Construct Our Social Reality
 We
react differently because we think differently
Objective reality
Beliefs about others
Beliefs about ourselves
What Theories and/or Perspectives would explain
why we think differently?
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SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY’S BIG IDEAS

Our Social Intuitions Are Often Powerful but
Sometimes Perilous (Wrong)
 Dual
processing
 Conscious
- deliberate
 Unconscious - automatic
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SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY’S BIG IDEAS

Social Influences Shape Our Behavior
 Locality
 Educational
level
 Subscribed media
 Culture
 Ethnicity
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SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY’S BIG IDEAS

Personal Attitudes and Dispositions
 Internal
forces
 Inner
attitudes about specific situations
 temperament, emotional intelligence “?”, intelligent
quotient (IQ)
 Personality
dispositions
 Different
people may react differently while facing the
same situation
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SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY’S BIG IDEAS

Social Behavior Is Biologically Rooted
 Evolutionary
 Natural
 Social
 We
psychology
selection predisposes our actions and reactions
neuroscience
are bio-psycho-social organisms
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