Evaluating case studies is a common way to demonstrate concepts and terms used in courses. A usual assignment would ask you to re

Group and Cultural Issues.html

Group and Cultural Issues

You are a member of a larger social group with cultural norms and traditions. In society, your relationships influence how you perceive yourself. This influence makes your perceptions of self-dynamics subject to change, which is important to keep in mind when discussing the concepts of persuasion, obedience, and conformity. For instance, when you observe an individual over time, you realize the individual does not act in exactly the same way, even in similar circumstances.

 There are many confounding variables that modulate an individual’s behavior and the intensity of the individual’s actions. For instance, you are at home working while listening to your favorite band on the radio. You may bob your head and sing along with the music, but for the most part, you can concentrate on whatever task is at hand. Now, what if you are at a live concert with the same band playing the same song? Do you think you would be quietly bobbing your head, or would you be yelling and whooping with the rest of the crowd? You would undoubtedly be doing the latter. Being part of a group does have a significant influence on an individual's behavior. This is the reason social psychologists are interested in the events and the influence group dynamics have on behavior.

Let’s understand social psychology by examining how you perceive yourself.

Introduction to Social Psychology.html

Introduction to Social Psychology

What is Social Psychology?

Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior.  Social psychology expands on this definition of psychology to examine what influences an individual’s mind and behavior.

 While studying social psychology, the first question arising in your mind will be, "Is social psychology just the study of psychology (the study of the mind and behavior) combined with sociology (the study of human society and the dynamics of social phenomena)?" The answer to this question is that social psychology neither focuses entirely on an individual's behavior nor focuses just on understanding society as a whole. Social psychology is the study of how we think, influence, and relate to one another (Myers, 2008).

View the PDF transcript for  A social psychology perspective on behavior

We are social beings. The majority of us are part of a series of expanding relationships, ranging from friends and families to groups and organizations. The influences of others alter our perceptions of ourselves, as well as influence our overall behavior. Therefore, we tend to speak and think in words learned from others. Does this mean our relationships shape our beliefs and attitudes, or do our belief system and our attitudes shape our relationships?

We enter new relationships all the time and bring into them our preconceived notions and mindsets, either cultivating or terminating the relationships. The old adage "Opposites attract each other" is not true in the case of social psychology. We, as social beings, tend to seek out individuals and groups fitting our self-perceptions and attitudes. However, this does not mean we never change. In spite of different attitudes and beliefs, we tend to adapt ourselves to strengthen our relationships. For example, when a couple gets married, both partners alter their beliefs and attitudes to fit into the relationship.

Myers, D. (2008). Social psychology (9th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill.

Issues of Self in Social Psychology.html

Issues of Self in Social Psychology

“Self-esteem is a person’s overall self-evaluation or sense of self-worth” (Myers, 2008). 

What is self-worth? Is there a way to objectively state you are worth a specific amount? How do you define your worth in terms of U.S. cultural norms? You may define your worth by the money you make or by the things you own. Why would you want a cell phone that can play movies and a 54-inch flat-screen high-definition television to get the movie theater feel? There is some relevance to the old adage "Keeping up with the Jones's," partly because you are defined by the extrinsic values of what you can see, feel, and touch.

See linked document for an example of people’s perceptions of self-worth

Most people relate self-esteem with what they see, feel, or touch. However, self-esteem is not really what can be measured in such a concrete manner. Self-esteem forms a basis of who you are. Although self-esteem can fluctuate, it remains somewhat apart from life stressors. It is only when you are at the either extreme of self-esteem that you may have a dysfunctional reaction to events. For instance, in the movie Fun with Dick and Jane, Dick realized he was losing the material things he enjoyed so much. In such a situation, he should have been in a bleak mood, almost depressed. However, this was not the case. Dick's self-esteem was high to the extent he could adapt (albeit illegally and inappropriately) to his life stressors.

Self-esteem is one part of many factors that determine how an individual will react to a given situation. However, self-esteem may be too abstract a term to be measured or at least defined in objective terms. A better way to examine self-worth is to examine your perceptions of your competency in accomplishing a task. 

See linked documents for information on Self-Efficacy and Locus of Control.

Eden Alternative (2008). Mission, vision, values. Retrieved from http://www.edenalt.org/mission-vision-values Myers, D. (2008). Social psychology (9th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill.

Additional Materials

View the PDF transcript for Example of an Individuals Perception of Self-Esteem

View the PDF transcript for Locus of Control

 View the PDF transcript for Self-Efficacy