Social Psychology Characteristics, Motives, and Situationism

Social Psychology: Characteristics, Motives, and Situationism PSYCH/550 May 27, 2013 Social Psychology: Characteristics, Motives, and Situationism According to Fiske (2010), the classic definition of social psychology is, â€Å"the scientific attempt to explain how the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of individuals are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of other human beings† [ (p. 4) ]. In other words, where general psychology is the study of human behavior on an individual level, social psychology is the study of human behavior in a social context. There are four key characteristics of social psychology including broad scope, cultural mandate, scientific methods, and search for wisdom. Social psychologists†¦show more content†¦Social psychologists seek wisdom from the knowledge they gain through the study of societies [ (Fiske, 2010) ]. It is not enough to simply know why or how society functions; one must be able to incorporate that knowledge into daily life (wisdom). Situationism in Social Psychology According to Fiske (2010) situationism is the methodical belief in the importance of context as it applies to social interaction. One opposition to the notion of situationism is the theory of virtue ethics. Those in support of virtue ethics believe that character traits are reasonably stable and predictive of how individuals will behave [ (Kamtekar, 2004) ]. Situationists believe that behavior is dependent upon the situation in so much that individuals will behave differently depending upon the context of the situation [ (Kamtekar, 2004) ]. For example, just because a business owner does not cheat his customers, it does not mean that he will not cheat on his wife. Situationism is important in social psychology because it helps to explain the context in which some individuals behave outside their typical character. Most individuals tend to explain behavior from a personality perspective however social psychologists stress the importance of situations as reasons for behavior [ (Fiske, 2010) ]. For example, somebody might label another person a procrastinator if they are always late turning in anShow MoreRelatedPsychology and Impact Personality Development1997 Words   |  8 Pages1. Define personality. 2. Analyze how biological, situational and mental processes impact personality development. 3. Discuss social and cultural contributions to personality development. 4. Describe the major dispositional theories of personality. 5. Describe the major process theories of personality. 6. Evaluate the major personality theories. 7. Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of commonly used personality assessment techniques, validity, reliability. Define personality. Personality Read MorePsychology and Impact Personality Development2008 Words   |  9 Pages1. Define personality. 2. Analyze how biological, situational and mental processes impact personality development. 3. Discuss social and cultural contributions to personality development. 4. Describe the major dispositional theories of personality. 5. Describe the major process theories of personality. 6. Evaluate the major personality theories. 7. Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of commonly used personality assessment techniques, validity, reliability. Define personality. Personality *Read MoreOrganizational Behavior, the Modele, Elements, Challenges.6128 Words   |  25 Pagesexpression. 1. What are the three levels of analysis in this book’s OB model? And draw the diagram of OB model stage II 2. Identify the challenges and opportunities managers have in applying OB concepts. 3. Explain the key biographical characteristics and describe how they are relevant to OB 4. What are the main levels of diversity and how it can be managed in the real organization? 5. What are the main components of â€Å"Attitudes†? Are these components related or