Social Psychology- What Exactly is It?

What is social psychology, and how does it differ from regular psychology? As psychology is the overarching study of the human mind, thought, and behavior, social psychology focuses on all of these things but in a social context. It is the examination of the way you act and the things you feel in certain situations as a result of other people. For example, social psychology may explain why the smell of chocolate chip cookies reminds you of your grandma or why you have certain prejudices and stereotypes against someone or something. Social psychology is a vast and very interesting field of psychology that we encourage you to further explore on our site; its findings may surprise you. 

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While aspects of social psychology were studied much earlier, the first official texts on the topic emerged in the early 20^th century. Aristotle, an early influence, believed in the naturally sociable qualities of humans, an essential characteristic that allowed them to live amongst each other. In 1860, philosophers Lazurus and Steinthal also introduced the interesting idea of a collective mind that links cultural and community influences with personality and social development in an individual. The first known published study was by Norman Triplett in 1898 and tested social facilitation, or the effect on performance when one is alone compared to when one is in the presence of other people. Since then, numerous books and experiments have been published on the science of social psychology. Some popular social psychology projects, like the Milgram Shock Experiment or the Standard PrisonStimulation, for example, you may have heard of. During World War II, social psychologists studied the effects of persuasion and propaganda for the U.S. military. The 1980s and 1990s, which is most representative of the subject today, saw an increased interest in not only theories but also regulations to ensure ethical research. One of the largest challenges social psychologists still face today is finding a means to objectively measure and define something so objective, like personality or specific behaviors. What makes social psychology so fascinating is that it holds an undeniable relevance to who we are, why we do what we do, and the people that surround us every day.