Grand Canyon University: History Of Social Psychology
HISTORY OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
Grand Canyon University: Doctoral Studies in Psychology
July 24, 2013
Introduction
“What social psychology has given to an understanding of human nature is the discovery that forces larger than ourselves determine our mental life and our actions - chief among these forces [is] the power of the social situation” ― Mahrzarin Banaji The Banaji quote is the perfect description of social psychology and the intellectual forces behind the journey of its discovery. From the days of the great Greek philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle to the nineteenth century scientists, they all have pondered about the human nature of man and people’s influence on each other. These historical philosophers …show more content…
Norman Triplett, an American psychologist at Indiana University in 1895. Triplett had proposed a research study relating to task changes in a person’s performance when they were being observed by others. Triplett’s question was predicated on what he observed during a bicycle race (Strube, 2005). Published in 1897, this study put Dr. Triplett on the map as one of the first to introduce experimental methods into the social sciences. Another researcher who made an impact and conducted experiments was Floyd Allport. By 1924, Floyd Allport had a social psychology text published. His words still echo today in the field of social psychology:
I believe that only within the individual can we find the behavior mechanisms and consciousness which are fundamental in the interactions between individuals.... There is no psychology of groups which is not essentially and entirely a psychology of individuals.... Psychology in all its branches is a science of the individual. (Allport, 1924, p. …show more content…
Social psychology covers a gamete of social topics relating to leadership, group behavior, perception, conformity, gender, and self to name a few. If social psychology is to stay true to itself and remain relevant it must expand its reach and theoretical framework to include trends addressing social change. Some researchers fear that social psychology has become a discipline of research and scientific methods on behavior and social interactions. Researcher and philosopher Muzafer Sherif (1970) said it best: “A relevant social psychology should be concerned with the study of social movements produced by social problems, for it is these movements that are groping toward the shape of the future” (p. 154).
This reader would surmise that as social psychology began with a vision from an imaginative and revolutionary researcher, it will continue its journey along that same
Grand Canyon University: Doctoral Studies in Psychology
July 24, 2013
Introduction
“What social psychology has given to an understanding of human nature is the discovery that forces larger than ourselves determine our mental life and our actions - chief among these forces [is] the power of the social situation” ― Mahrzarin Banaji The Banaji quote is the perfect description of social psychology and the intellectual forces behind the journey of its discovery. From the days of the great Greek philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle to the nineteenth century scientists, they all have pondered about the human nature of man and people’s influence on each other. These historical philosophers …show more content…
Norman Triplett, an American psychologist at Indiana University in 1895. Triplett had proposed a research study relating to task changes in a person’s performance when they were being observed by others. Triplett’s question was predicated on what he observed during a bicycle race (Strube, 2005). Published in 1897, this study put Dr. Triplett on the map as one of the first to introduce experimental methods into the social sciences. Another researcher who made an impact and conducted experiments was Floyd Allport. By 1924, Floyd Allport had a social psychology text published. His words still echo today in the field of social psychology:
I believe that only within the individual can we find the behavior mechanisms and consciousness which are fundamental in the interactions between individuals.... There is no psychology of groups which is not essentially and entirely a psychology of individuals.... Psychology in all its branches is a science of the individual. (Allport, 1924, p. …show more content…
Social psychology covers a gamete of social topics relating to leadership, group behavior, perception, conformity, gender, and self to name a few. If social psychology is to stay true to itself and remain relevant it must expand its reach and theoretical framework to include trends addressing social change. Some researchers fear that social psychology has become a discipline of research and scientific methods on behavior and social interactions. Researcher and philosopher Muzafer Sherif (1970) said it best: “A relevant social psychology should be concerned with the study of social movements produced by social problems, for it is these movements that are groping toward the shape of the future” (p. 154).
This reader would surmise that as social psychology began with a vision from an imaginative and revolutionary researcher, it will continue its journey along that same