Social Self

Relating Harmonously
and Properly with
Everyone
 TOPIC/CONTENT
I. Social Psychology
II. Person Perception
III. Social Norms
IV. Social Role and Social Norms
V. Nature and Depth of
Relationships
VI. The Triangular Theory of
Love
VII.Attitudes
LEARNING OUTCOME
• Explain the basic concepts of social
relationships;
• Discuss how relationships with others
could be enhanced and improved by
applying the ideas on social
relationships;
• Identify and evaluate critical factors for
meaningful social relationships;
• Differentiate behaviors that make for
acceptable social relationships from
those behaviors that are not acceptable;
• And analyze your behaviors to achieve
harmonious relationships with others
 SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
• The study of social relationships or interactions is called social
psychology.
• Lahey (2007) defines social psychology as the branch of
psychology that studies individuals as they interact with others.
• Plotnik and Kouyoumdjian (2014) state that social
psychology is a broad field whose goal is to understand and
explain how thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and behaviors are
influenced by the presence of, or interactions with, others.
• Gerrig and Zimbardo (2002), social psychology is the study
of the effect of social factors on individual behavior, attitudes,
perceptions, and motives.
 • Interaction refers to the mutual and reciprocal exchange of
communication or action between two or more persons or
groups.
• Relationship refers to a particular way in which two or more
individuals, groups, or even countries talk to, behave toward, or
deal with each other.

More often, the participants in a relationship agree to do something

similar to each other or even allow the same rights, privileges, or
benefits arising from any action that they both undertake. Interaction and
relationship can be represented along a continuum-from a simple and
brief exchange between individuals or groups to a continuing
communication and investments to sustain the connection.
 PERSON PERCEPTION

• In psychology, person perception refers to forming

impressions and making judgments about another
person's likability after seeing or meeting him/her.
• The assessment involves as well what kind of person
one is, including his/her intentions, traits, and behaviors
(Plotnick & Kouyoumdjian, 2014).
• First impressions, which are formed within a very
short time with little conscious thought and biased by
past experiences, are part of person perception
(Macrae and Quadflieg, 2010).
• Several other factors influence one's judgment or
perception of another person. One important aspect is
physical appearance. A person who rarely smiles may
be thought of as arrogant or unfriendly. Sometimes, when
an individual forms an opinion on a person based on
perception, he/she tries to justify or explain the said
judgment.
• People usually use external appearance as immediate
basis for assessing, judging, or evaluating others.
However, it is wrong to judge the character of a person
on the basis of first impressions because biases and
errors may occur. It is advisable to always validate one's
perception through further observations, gathering of
feedback and reports, and interaction, among others,
before making judgments.
 SOCIAL NORMS

● Norms are patterns or traits characterized

as typical or usual for a group. Other
terms associated with norms are
"average" and "normal." For example, an
individual's mathematics score may be
considered above the norm if it is more
than the average score or below the norm
if it is less than average.
• Norms change over time. Many years ago, mothers stay at home to
care for their children; women wear only dresses and skirts in
attending church services; or couples raise big families.
• Social norms refer to spoken and unspoken rules for behaving in
particular situations. One example is covering one's mouth when
sneezing or coughing.
• Norms in social behavior serve to guide or regulate the manner in
which people conduct themselves. Behaviors have to be controlled or
regulated because of social consequences. It is one's responsibility to
make sure that his/her behavior does not hurt, offend, or disturb other
people.
• Observing norms in social behavior is expected of members of a
group and the larger society in general. Doing so ensures and
maintains good relationships within the group.
 TOGETHER AS A GROUP
On many occasions, people work in groups. Students organize into
study groups to solve problems together when reviewing for an exam. Teachers
meet with each other to discuss methods to improve teaching and learning
strategies. Farmers work together during the planting and harvesting of palay.
Employees in an office work as a team.
In social situations where people work and do things together for a
purpose, two things may happen.

1. SOCIAL FACILITATION. The performance of each individual member of the

group is improved. This is also referred to as social facilitation (Levine,
Resnick, & Higgins, 1993).
2. SOCIAL LOAFING. Working or being with a group may also reduce
individual effort, a phenomenon known as social loafing.
 CONFORMITY
Conformity refers to yielding to group pressure to act as everyone does, even when
no direct request has been made (Lahey, 2009). It is brought about by two
motivations: to gain reward (approval) or avoid punishment (disapproval); and to
gain information.
Some factors make conformity more likely to exist in a group (Lahey, 2009):
1. Size of the group. The more people there are in a group, the more likely a member
tends to conform.
2. Unanimous groups. Conformity is highest when an individual faces a group in
which all members feel the same way about a topic, a problem, or an issue.
3. Culture. Conformity occurs in all cultures. However, some cultures emphasize the
welfare of the individual; thus, people are less conforming. Others focus on collective
welfare so people tend to be more conforming. A high degree of conformity leads to
faster accomplishment of a task or work.
4. Gender. In the past, females were more likely to conform than males, but research
has shown that it is no longer the case (Eagly, 1978; Eagly & Johnson, 1990).
 In social groups, the likelihood of conformity among members is
very high. However, individual members are not expected to always yield
to the pressure to conform. An individual member can decide for
himself/herself whether or not to conform and to what extent. The
decision to yield to group pressure should be based on answers to any of
the following questions:
1. Will conforming do you good? What advantages or rewards will you
get from it?
2. Will conforming put at stake or endanger your integrity and that of
your family?
3. Will it cost much on your part if you conform?
4. Will you be penalized or punished if you do not conform?
5. Will things change if you yield/do not yield to social pressure?
 SOCIAL ROLES AND SOCIAL NORMS

• Social roles specify the part or position of a person in society. It also

specifies behavior expected to be exhibited by an individual in practicing
his/her role. Whether aware or not, a person may play several roles, each of
which influences the behavior of another individual.
• A sociogram indicates the social structure of a group and the relationship
of people within that group. It shows who are popular. isolates, islands, and
mutual friends.
NATURE AND DEPTH OF RELATIONSHIPS
• Relationships are among the most important aspects of our lives. They
can be positive or conflicted, but the lack of relationships could be the
worst of all, as it creates loneliness.
• Familiarity refers to being comfortable with another person and is a
necessary condition for a close relationship to develop.
• Attraction may lead to deeper relationships (Santrock, 2003). One
person may be drawn or attracted to another due to reasons like
similarities or differences in interests, personality characteristics, life goals,
and lifestyles, to name a few.
• Love is a special attachment one has for himself/herself or for
somebody else. It is an intense feeling of deep or constant affection and
emotion in which a person always sees to the good, happiness, and
welfare of the other.
Three of the most common kinds of love are as follows:
1. Romantic Love. Also called passionate love, it includes an
intermingling of different emotions: fear, anger, sexual desire,
joy, and jealousy, among others.
2. Affectionate Love. Also referred to as companionate love, it is the
type of love that occurs when someone has deep and caring
affection for a person and desires to have him/her near constantly.
3. Consummate Love. It is the strongest and fullest type of love
(Sternberg, 1985). This ideal form of love involves passion,
intimacy, and commitment. It is also referred to as the Agapetic
Love or the love of God for Mankind.
 The Triangular Theory of Love
In 1985, Robert Sternberg postulated that love is made
three components: passion, intimacy, and commitment.

• Passion up of has something to do with physical and sexual

attraction to another.
• Intimacy is characterized by the emotional feelings of warmth,
closeness, and sharing of the relationship.
• Commitment is the cognitive appraisal of the relationship and
the intent to maintain it even in the face of problems. One or a
combination of these ingredients forms a kind of love or love-like
feeling.
Figure 4: Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love
Some interpretations on the illustration are as follows:

• If passion is the only ingredient present, the feeling is infatuation,

as in a fling or an affair.
• Intimacy and commitment without passion show affectionate love.
• The combination of passion and commitment without intimacy
results in fatuous love.
• Consummate love is achieved if all three components are present.

Every person is capable of loving. Without love, people

become lonely and social relationships suffer. There are many ways
of showing love, and they could vary in form and in depth. People
who freely share and give love, and are loved in return, are happy
people.
 ATTITUDES
Attitudes are beliefs that predispose people to act and feel in
certain ways towards people, objects, or ideas. They can either be positive
or negative. A positive attitude is reflected in a happy, pleasant, or
optimistic disposition. On the other hand, a negative attitude is
associated with pessimism or a general feeling of dislike. The three distinct
features of an attitude include belief, feelings, and disposition.

For example, the negative attitude of a person towards sidewalk

vendors can be described by:
a) a belief that sidewalk vendors are dishonest;
b) a strong dislike for sidewalk vendors; and;
c) a refusal to buy from sidewalk vendors.
 HOW ATTITUDES ORIGINATE

Generally, attitudes of a person develop over time and

have emotional components. However, they are normally
acquired from two sources-first-hand experience and accounts
by others.
Attitudes are also learned from others through modeling
and reinforcement. If parents show positive attitudes towards
certain ethnic groups by socializing with them, their children will
develop the same attitudes towards these groups. The same
thing happens when parents discriminate against certain groups.
This attitude reinforces or strengthens children's prejudices or
biases.
 PERSUASION AND ATTITUDE CHANGE
Attitudes are not permanent. They can be changed or modified even
after they have been formed. Persuasive communication plays a big part in this
process. The extent of change in the attitude depends on the speaker, the
message, and the listener. If the speaker is a credible source of information, he/she
is more likely to persuade a person to change or modify his/her attitude. The more
credible the speaker is, the more persuasive the message becomes. Moreover,
speakers tend to be less persuasive if their intention to change a person's views is
obvious, more so if the speaker will gain something by changing one's opinion. An
attractive speaker is also more effective in changing opinions than an unattractive
speaker, but it seems to be limited to trivial or unimportant issues. Certain
characteristics of the message also lead to attitude change. Messages that contain
the element of fear seem more able to persuade changes in attitude or thoughts.
 STEREOTYPES
• Stereotypes are generalizations in which the same traits or characteristics are
assumed to be possessed by all members of a group (Gerrig & Zimbardo,
2002).
• Negative stereotypes are accompanied by prejudice and discrimination.
Prejudice is an unfair, biased, or intolerant attitude or opinion towards the
members of a group.
• Discrimination is the specific unfair behavior or treatment towards the
members of a group. It is against people because of their gender is referred to
as sexism.
• Challenges in life are inevitable. They can result in two things: either the
person comes out stronger to face another challenge or he/she feels defeated
or discouraged. The outcome boils down to the person's attitude, which
determines how one looks at life events, people, and reality. Thus, a person
should strive to develop positive attitudes rather than negative ones.
 QUIZ!!!
1. It is the study of the effect of social factors on individual
behavior, attitudes, perceptions, and motives.
2. It refers to the mutual and reciprocal exchange of
communication or action between two or more persons or
groups.
3. It refers to a particular way in which two or more individuals,
groups, or even countries talk to, behave toward, or deal with
each other.
4. Are patterns or traits characterized as typical or usual for a
group. Other terms associated with norms are "average" and
"normal.“
5. Serve to guide or regulate the manner in which people conduct
themselves.
 QUIZ!!!
6. refers to yielding to group pressure to act as everyone does,
even when no direct request has been made.
7. It specify the part or position of a person in society. It also
specifies behavior expected to be exhibited by an individual in
practicing his/her role.
8. It indicates the social structure of a group and the relationship of
people within that group.
9. Also called passionate love, it includes an intermingling of
different emotions: fear, anger, sexual desire, joy, and jealousy,
among others.
10. Also referred to as companionate love, it is the type of love that
occurs when someone has deep and caring affection for a person
and desires to have him/her near constantly.
 Answer Key
1. Social Psychology
2. Interaction
3. Relationship
4. Social Norms
5. Norms in Social Behavior
6. Conformity
7. Social Roles
8. Sociogram
9. Romantic Love
10.Affectionate Love