Chapter 1 - Social Psychology: What is it?
It is a social science that systematically studies people’s thoughts, feelings and behavior in social contexts.
Just like other social sciences, systematic study is a key element.
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Social scientists do not rely on speculation – they systematically test theories
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Social scientists do not develop theories to explain the behavior of a single individual – they develop theories to explain how and why different people will tend to behave in similar ways when facing similar situations or placed in similar roles
It’s not Psychology.
What do I mean by that?
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Sociological social psychologists study many of the same topics as psychological social psychologists – emotions, identity, attitudes – but they use theories and perspectives that tend to place emphasis on the role of society in social processes.
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Microsociology – the study of the effects of larger society on social psychological processes o Study impact of larger social factors on individuals and their interactions o Study the role of the individual in the creation and maintenance of society
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Social conditions provide a context for understanding interactions between individuals o We use our sociological imagination – def. p. 16 – the ability to see our personal lives in the context of the history, culture, and social structure of the larger society within which we live o Give Durkheim example – study of suicide
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Use three faces handout to talk about psychological social psychology and introduce students to various perspectives in sociological social psychology o Good example p. 10 – study self-esteem
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Sociological social psychologists more likely to make comparisons between racial/ethnic groups
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Psychological social psychologists more likely to study the thinking processes associated with self-esteem o Figure 1.1 can be discussed here
Perspectives in Sociological Social Psychology
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Symbolic Interactionism o The study of how people negotiate the meaning of social life during their interactions with other people o Mead credited with fathering perspective

o From an SI perspective, the important connection between society and our inner experiences lies in our interactions with other people – these interactions provide information about the world, that we then accept or modify for our own use
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Social Structure and Personality o Focuses on the influence of social structure on individuals
 Social structure – def – persisting patterns of behavior and interaction between people or social positions – p. 14
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Elements of social structure – the way in which society is organized
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Statuses – p. 19 – position you hold
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Roles - p. 19 – expectations of how you behave in a particular position
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Groups – two or more people
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Social Institutions – p. 19 – consists of patterns of interaction in which the behavior of a large group is guided by the same norms and roles – see Box 1.5 p. 20
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Group Processes o Study how basic social processes operate in group context o Study how our interactions and positions within groups influence our meaning-making processes and other outcomes o Particularly interested in processes that come into play when groups form
– statuses for example, power for example, justice for example (fairness)
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P. 14 for summary table
Sociological Toolkit – other things worth mentioning for studying human behavior
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Culture – def. p. 20 – unique patterns of behavior and beliefs o Elements of Culture – p. 21 Box 1.6
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Language and Symbols
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Values – guidelines for living (what’s good and what’s bad)
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Beliefs – what people believe to be true
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Norms – rules guiding our behavior
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Formal
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Informal
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Sanctions
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Positive & Negative
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Material Culture – tangible artifacts of culture (cars, clothes, etc) o Elements of culture help us interact because they help us interpret a social situation and decide how to react or behave
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We make choices within cultural limitations o People from different cultures react differently to symbols for instance because the elements of culture they are using to interpret the symbol is different than our own. Can anyone give an example of our use of the elements of culture to interpret a symbol that would be interpreted differently elsewhere? o Is culture static or dynamic?