What are Social Psychology’s BIG

IDEAS (Figure 1.2)

There is an objective reality out there, but we always view it through the
lens of our beliefs and values.

Some Big Ideas in Social Psychology.

Social Thinking :

We construct our social reality,

We may react differently to a situation because we think differently.
We humans have an irresistible urge to explain behavior, to attribute it to some cause, and
therefore make it seem orderly, predictable, and controllable.
How we construe the world, and ourselves, matters

Our social intuitions are powerful, sometimes perilous

Our instant intuitions shape our fears ( Is flying dangerous?) (Can I trust him?) (Does she like
me?)
Dual Processing: We think on two levels, intuitive and deliberate
We intuitively judge the likelihood of things by how easily various instances come to mind. For
example, we carry readily available images of planes. Thus, most of us are afraid of flying and
prefer to drive in order to avoid the skies. When the truth is, that we are many times safer flying
in a commercial plane than in a motor vehicle.
We intuitively trust our memories more than we should. We misread our own minds
We deny being affected by things that do influence us.
We mispredict our own feelings and future, thanks to the judgement that our intuition makes.

What are Social Psychology’s BIG IDEAS (Figure 1.2) 1

 Our intuitions and unconscious information processing are routinely powerful and sometimes
perilous

Social Thinking & Social Influence

Attitudes shape, and are shaped, by behavior

Social influences shape behavior
We speak and think in words we learned from others. We long to connect, to belong and to be
well thought of.
Relationships are a big part of being a human.
As social creatures, we respond to our immediate contexts.
The power of a social situation leads us to act contrary to our expressed attitudes.
Powerfully evil (social) situations sometimes overwhelm good intentions, inducing people to
agree with falsehoods or comply with cruelty. ( Nazi, Holocaust)
“Show me how your ideology has been shaped (either by socialism or capitalism) and I will
understand how you define social justice”
“Whether you focus primarily on your self - your personal needs - or on your family, clan
depends on how much you are a product of Western individualism

Our attitudes and behavior are shaped by external social forces

Personal Attitudes and Dispositions also shape behavior

Our attitude also follow our behavior, which leads us to believe strongly in those things that we
have committed ourselves to or suffered for.
Personality Dispositions also shape behavior

Attitudes and personality influence behavior

Social Relations:
Social Behavior is also biological behavior

What are Social Psychology’s BIG IDEAS (Figure 1.2) 2

 Our inherited human nature predisposes us to behave in ways that helped our ancestors survive
and reproduce. We carry the genes of those whose traits enabled them and their children to
survive and reproduce.
Our behavior, too, aims to send our DNA into the future.

Nature endows us to learn to adapt to varied environments.

We are sensitive and responsive to our social context.

What brain areas enable our experiences for love and contempt, helping and aggression,
perception and belief?
Social Neuroscience : A field that explores the neural bases of social and emotional
processes and behaviors, and how these processes and behaviors affect our brain and
biology.

Feelings and actions toward people are sometimes negative and sometimes positive

All of these social psychology’s principles are applicable to

everyday life

What are Social Psychology’s BIG IDEAS (Figure 1.2) 3