Issues in Social Psychology

Issues in Social Psychology
Dr. Rony Berger

 

Social psychology, the scientific study of human nature, is one of the most fascinating and exiting branches of psychology. It covers a breathtaking array of topics that all of us are engaged in including self-esteem, the nature human beings, decision-making, emotions and social relationships, happiness, conformity, obedience to authority and compliance, persuasion, attraction, and romantic relationships, stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination, aggression, altruism, empathy and behavior of groups. For instance, you will learn way we tend to distort reality to confirm our view, how charismatic leaders influence our behavior, why ordinary people commit evil acts, why do we form negative opinions about outgroup members and how we can change it and finally, who are we attracted to some people and not to others.
 

Thus, it seems that social psychology deals with positive or pro-social behavior (self- esteem, self-affirmation, altruism, helping behavior etc.) and negative or anti-social behavior (self-hate, suicide, prejudice, stereotypes, violence etc.) as well as with stability and change in individuals and groups.
 

As "social animals" people have long sought explanations for human behaviors, and in that context, one can characterize all human beings as laymen social psychologists. We constantly attempt to understand our behaviors as well as the behavior of others - our family members, our neighbors, our co-workers, our politicians and even our enemies. Furthermore, we often draw conclusions about their motives and intentions based on our latent and subjective theories (heuristics). We even share common beliefs about human nature and explanations regarding social phenomena. We call this knowledge "folk wisdom", a wisdom that is often transmitted through literature, art, fairy-tales, maxims and our historical narratives. Unlike folk wisdom, social psychology attempts to establish the scientific basis for understanding human behavior by conducting studies and experiments. This empirically-based knowledge helps us uncover the fundamental principles of human behavior and then apply these principles to social problems in the real-world.
 

Course Requirements
Minor assignments:
Mid Term:
A multiple choice in-class exam based about the materials covered in class and in the text book – 15%
Final requirement:
A multiple choice in-class exam based about the materials covered in class and in the text book – 70%
Attendance and Participation:
Attendance and participation 15%