Social Psychology Introduction

Social Psychology: Introduction

• Social psychology studies how individuals' thoughts, feelings, and actions are impacted by the presence (actual, imagined, or symbolic) of other people.
• It focuses on how people influence each other.
• The course is designed to apply theoretical concepts and methods to real-world scenarios through experiments and ethnography.
• Influence involves the ability to affect others' thinking and behavior. It's a crucial social skill.
• A key concept, according to the Dalai Lama, is that real power lies in influencing the hearts and minds of others.
• Influence flows both ways, from self to others and vice-versa.
• There are several areas of study within social psychology, including attraction, persuasion, conformity/obedience, prosocial behavior, and prejudice.
• These notes cover topics like attraction (making others like you), persuasion (influencing thoughts), conformity/obedience (following rules), prosocial behavior (helping others), and prejudice (hate and dealing with it).
• Social psychology is important to psych majors as it helps understand people's interactions and influence.
• Maslow's hierarchy of needs, including physiological, safety, love/belonging, and esteem, is relevant to understanding individual motivations and how different societal factors may influence behaviors.