Social Psychology and Human Behavior Essay

Open, View, and/or
Download this Document

Total Length: 1167 words ( 4 double-spaced pages)

Total Sources: 1

Page 1 of 4

Psychology and Social PsychologySocial psychology is considered the scientific study of how individuals’ thoughts, behaviors, and feelings are influenced by other people’s behaviors and characteristics, notwithstanding if these behaviors and characteristics are inferred, real, or imagined. Social psychology is critical in understanding how the psychology of individuals works and the external factors that have an overarching impact on developing the self-concept.Psychology and social psychology intersect as the individuals interact; they may act following social expectations or depending on people’s behaviors, attitudes, and thoughts in different cultures (Morris & Maisto, 2016). Thus, behaviors often are perceived as reflections of individual traits, such as values and attitudes, instead of situational behavior that other people’s social expectations may prompt.Social psychology acknowledges peoples’ behaviors are greatly influenced by a sense of universality, exploring how social behaviors differ in different cultures. Further, social psychology is not oblivious to the biological influence on a person’s behavior; thus, neuroimaging and social cognition are examined extensively to understand factors that come into play in social interactions.Social cognition is one of the main sub-topics in social psychology explored in-depth in social psychology. Social cognition refers to a set of complex mental abilities that are the foundation of stimulus perception, processing, interpretation, and responses (Morris & Maisto, 2016).Collectively, these cognitive abilities aid the development of sufficient social competence and adaption. In social psychology, the process of influence in a social setting is associated with the organization and interpretation of information about other people that seek to understand their behavior to determine the extent to which they influence our behavior.Before starting a conversation with a new person, a person forms an ideal perception of the individual that informs their interaction for the first time. After that, even if the individual share is contrary to the first impression. For example, the first impression can be formed based on the clothes, manners, body build, facial features, or gestures a person uses (Morris & Maisto, 2016).

Stuck Writing Your "Social Psychology and Human Behavior" Essay?

View All Our Example Social Psychology and Human Behavior Essay

Have A Custom Example Essay Written

This phenomenon is based on a schema, a set of expectations and beliefs an individual has built over time based on their experiences. Consequently, the schema we develop about an individual often informs our behaviors based on what we expect their behaviors might be or our expectations of what an interaction with an individual might be like. This effect is self-fulfilling if the other person mirrors our behavior.Notably, social cognition focuses mainly on the axioms upon which the thinking process is predicated upon. As established, individuals rely on schemas to understand the world, but these schemas differ among people. The cultural background of an individual mainly determines the differences in schemata.The cultural influence at an early age informs how individuals think and perceive their environment and people from other cultural backgrounds (Hunt et al., 2012). These are stereotypes that are presumed to be shared unanimously across all members of a social grouping. Notably, after forming the first impression, people are reluctant to change perceptions based on the newly acquired information but infer from that individuals’ distinguishing feature.Social cognition is essential in social psychology since it creates a foundation for studying social interactions and the dynamics of social interactions. Study the cognitive process before an individual interacts with another person to educate people on their own biases that might inhibit successful interactions. For example, the stereotypes traditionally held across races have been dismantled by establishing that life experiences in different cultures do not differ, but their perception does. Social cognition gives us an insight into the manner individuals are biased and offers strategies to….....

Show More ⇣

     Open the full completed essay and source list


OR

     Order a one-of-a-kind custom essay on this topic


sample essay writing service

Cite This Resource:

Latest APA Format (6th edition)

Copy Reference
"Social Psychology And Human Behavior" (2021, June 21) Retrieved May 16, 2024, from
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/social-psychology-human-behavior-2176349

Latest MLA Format (8th edition)

Copy Reference
"Social Psychology And Human Behavior" 21 June 2021. Web.16 May. 2024. <
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/social-psychology-human-behavior-2176349>

Latest Chicago Format (16th edition)

Copy Reference
"Social Psychology And Human Behavior", 21 June 2021, Accessed.16 May. 2024,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/social-psychology-human-behavior-2176349
   

Open, View, and/or
Download this Document
order custom essay example