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FYBA PSYCHOLOGY

SEMESTER II

PAPER – I SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY

Jaimala Ashok Sode

Assistant Professor

Department of Psychology

S.P.H.Mahila College Malegaon.

Dr. Mrunal A Bhardwaj

Professor & Head

Department of Psychology

L.V.H. College, Panchavati, Nashik

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Unit – 1

Introduction

1.1 Definition, Brief history of social psychology (special emphasis on India)

1.2 Scope of social psychology

1.3 Levels of social behavior

1.4 Approaches towards understanding social behavior

1.5 Community Mental Health

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Learning Outcome

After studying this module students would be able to:

  • Familiar with the Definition & Nature of Social Psychology
  • Familiar with the history of Social Psychology
  • Know the Scope of Psychology
  • Understand the Levels of Social Behavior
  • Learn the various approaches of social behaviour

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1.1 Definition and Brief history of social psychology (special emphasis on India)

Social psychology is the branch of psychology which scientifically studies how people’s thoughts, feelings and behaviours are influenced by other people.

Based on the four goals of psychology:

  • Describe
  • Explain
  • Predict
  • Control

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Definitions

Kimball Young:

“Social Psychology is the study of persons in their interactions with one another and with reference to the effects of this interplay upon the individual’s thoughts, feelings, emotions and habits.’

“Social Psychology is the scientific study of how people’s thoughts, feelings and behaviour are influenced by the actual, imagined or implied presence of others”.

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Social Psychology influence of Social Processes on the way people:

Think

Thoughts and Cognition

Feel

Feelings and Emotions

Behave

Behaviour and Actions

Basic Principles of Social Behaviour

  1. Social behavior is goal oriented. People interacted with one another to achieve some goal or satisfy some inner motivation.

2. Social behavior represent continual interaction between the person and situation.

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  • Plato and Aristotle are the social theorists.
  • Hartley, Steinthal and Lazarus, Tarde, Ross and McDougall psychologists and philosophers, contributed towards the development of social theory
  • Lazarus - In 1860 started journal “Folk Psychology”
  • Edward Roos – 1901 worked on social control, sympathy, sociability and social justice
  • William McDougal – In 1908 written first book “An introduction to Social Psychology”
  • Kurt Lewin known as father of social Psychology – 1945 established The American Sociometric Society

History of Social Psychology

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  • In 1916 the first department of psychology was established in Calcutta under the chairmanship of Dr. Narendranath Sengupta.
  • Later, in 1924, the second department was established at Mysore University and

the third at Patna University in 1946.

  • In 1992 Dr. Girindrasekhar Bose established Indian Psychoanalytical Society in Calcutta.
  • Multiple forces within the Indian intellectual tradition have influenced the study of social life and behaviour.

History of Social Psychology – Indian

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1.2 Scope of Social Psychology

Socialization of the Child Social Motivation

Attitudes and their Measurement Social Interaction

Social Perception Social Learning

Culture and Personality Language and Communication Social Change

Group Structure, Group Morale, Group Decision and Leadership

Public Opinion, Propaganda & Rumour

Prejudices, Stereotypes and Social Tensions

Altruism, Aggressiveness, Cooperation and Competition

International Tensions and Industrial Conflicts

Applications of Social Psychology in Education Business, Military, National Affairs etc

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1.3 Levels of social behavior

According to Allport (1924): Social Psychology "as the scientific study of the experience and behaviour of individuals in relation to other individual, group and culture."

As per this definition there are three levels of social interactions/ behaviour are:

Individual

    • Person and their needs, desires, personality traits etc.,
    • Person’s individual qualities , traits effects on their social behaviour.

Interpersonal

    • Person with other persons
    • Social interaction of one person with another person.

Group

    • Person with Group
    • Social interaction of one person with a group.

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1.4 Approaches towards understanding social behavior

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Sociocultural Perspective

  • The theoretical view point that searches causes of social behaviour in influence from larger social groups.
  • Forces in Large social group.

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Social Learning Perspective

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  • The theoretical view point that forces on past learning experiences as determinants of person’s social behaviour.
  • Rewards and punishments. Observing how other people are rewarded and punished for their social behaviour.

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Social Cognitive Perspective

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  • The theoretical view point that focuses on the mental processes involved in paying attention to interpreting, judging and remembering social experiences.
  • What we pay attention in a social situation, how we interpret it, and how we connect the current situation to related experience in a memory.

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1.4 Approaches towards understanding social behavior

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Evolutionary Perspective

  • The theoretical view point that searches for the causes of social behaviour in the physical and psychological dispositions that helped are ancestors survive and reproduction.
  • Inherited tendencies to respond to the social environment in ways that would have helped our ancestors survive and reproduction.

Phenomenological Perspective

  • The view that social behaviour is driven by a person’s subjective interpretation of events in the environments.
  • Person’s subjective interpretation of the social situation

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1.5 Community Mental Health

  • Community mental health care includes provision of crisis support, protected housing, and sheltered employment in addition to management of disorders to address the multiple needs of individuals. 
  • Community-based services can lead to early intervention and limit the stigma of treatment.
  • Community-based treatment enables people with mental disorders to maintain family relationships, friendships and jobs while receiving treatment, which facilitates early treatment and rehabilitation.
  • Establish Community Health Centre
  • A community mental health team support person to recover from mental health issues.
  • They can give a short or long-term care and treatment if person are in the community. 
  • Health professionals from different backgrounds work in the CMHT.
  • Help to know various government policies
  • Create awareness in society related to various schemes

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Thanks !