Download An Introduction to Social Psychology - E

NEHRU ARTS ANS SCIENCE COLLEGE
DEPARTMENT OF VISUAL COMMUNICATION
INTRODUCTION TO SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
UNIT I : The Nature and Scope of Social Psychology. The Methods of Social
Psychology. The Development of Social Psychology : Early Beginnings – the
Contributions of Sociologists and Psychologists : Comte; Le Bon; Durkheim; Cooley; G
h Mead; Mc Doughall;
UNIT II : Specialization : Social Learning Process. Socialization and Motivation;
dependency; Aggression; Need Achievement; affiliation; etc. Social Factors in
perception. Society and Personality.
UNIT III : Attitudes and Opinions The Nature and Dimensions of Attitudes. The
Formation and Change of Attitudes. Communication and Persuasion. Public opinion –
Nature, measurement, formation and change. Role of Mass communication in Public
Opinion Formation and change.
UNIT IV : Groups and group Processes; Nature and Types of groups; Conditions
Conclusive to Development of Groups; group Dynamics; Group norms and conformity;
Social Facilitation. Group structure and group performance; Cooperation and
competition.
UNIT V : Mass Psychology; Audiences and Collective Behaviour. Classification of
Collective masses. Casual Audiences, Intentional Audiences and Audiences and Mass
Media. Collective Behaviour – the mobs and the Different kinds of Mobs. The
Psychology of Mass Movements.
SUGGESTED READINGS
Mc David and Harris ; “An Introduction to Social Psychology” . Harper & Row, 1968
D Crytchfold, RS and Ballachey, E L “Individual in Society”. McGraw Hill. New York
Sherif, N and Sherif C.W. ”An Outline of Social Psychology” Harper & Row. New York
SECTION-A
1.Father of psychology________.(Sigmund Freud)
2.Motivation can be regarded as the ______.(compulsion)
3.Questionnaire is a ______ form of interview.(written)
4.Emiley Durkheim defined as______ science.(social Institution)
SECTION-B
1.Write about the nature and characteristics of sociology
Characteristics and nature of sociology
Sociology is an independent science.
Sociology is a social science and not physical science.
Sociology is a categorical science and not normative science or normative discipline.
it is relatively an abstract science not a concrete science.
Man is a social animal. How the individuals react in the social problems that is called social
psychology.
Sociology is a generalizing not a particularizing / individualizing one.
It is a general science not special social science.
Sociology is both rational and empirical science.
Sociology as a branch of knowledge as its unique characteristics .sociology has emerged into an
independent science. As an independent science, it has its own field of study , boundary and
methods.
Sociology belongs to the family of social science and not to the family of physical science.as a
social science it concentrates,its
on man,it is social behaviour, social acting and social life.
It makes no recommendation on the matters of social policy and legislation/ any other
programme.but it doesn’t meant the sociological knowledge is useless and serves.it only means
that sociology as the discipline cannot be with good & bad,right & wrong , moral & immoral.
Sociology confines itself to statements about what is , not what should be or to be .as a science ,
sociology is neccasarily silent about questions of value it doesn’t make any kind of value
judgement.
Sociology is the pure science and an applied science because the immediate aim of the sociology
is acquisition of knowledge , about human society , not the utilization of that knowledge.
Sociologist never determine questions of public policy and do not recommend.
Should be passed / respected but the knowledge acquired by a sociologist is of great help to the
administer, legislative, diplomat, the teachers etc.
Sociology is relatively an abstract science and not a concrete science because it is more
concerned with the forms of human events and their patterns.eg: sociology is not concerned with
particular words and revolutions but with what a revolution in general,a social phenomena , as
types of social conflicts.
Sociology explain or tries to find out general law or principal about human interaction and
association about the nature form, content and structure of human groups and society.it does not
study each and every event that take place in the society .it tries to make generalization on the
basis of study of some selected events.eg: a sociologist makes generalization about the nature of
secondary groups.
The area of sociology is general not specialized. It doesn’t investigate
economic,religious,political,legel,moral or any other special kind of phenomena is relation to
human life and activities as such.it only studies human activities in a general way.
There are two broadways of approach to scientific knowledge .it is known as empiricism,is the
approach that emphasis the entire experiment and facts ,the result from observation and
experimentation.the other known as rationalism,stretches reason and the theory that results from
logical inference.the emprises collects facts . the rationalist coordinates and arranges
them.theories and facts required in the constructions of knowledge.in sociological enquiries ,
both are significant.
2.Write about the famous social psychologists.
Social psychology
Social psychology is concerned with interaction between individuals or between individuals and
groups. It is a study of behavior of person in social situation. It is the study of the way in which
an individual influences other individuals and the way in which himself is influenced by other
individuals.
Auguste combe: he is the father of sociology. He coined the term sociology in 1839. He defines
sociology as the science of social phenomena subject to natural and invariable laws, the
discovery of which is the object of investigation.
Emile durkheim: He defines sociology as the science of social institution.
Park: He regards sociology as the science of collective behaviour.
Marshel Jones: He defines sociology as the study of man-in-relationship – to-man.
Max Weber: He defines sociology as the science which attempt the interpretative understanding
of social actions in order , there by to arrive a casual explanation of course and its effects.
Morris Ginberg: He defines psychology in the following ways,”In the broadest sense sociology
is the study of human interaction and their relation , their condition and consequences.
SECTION-C
1.What are the Nature of psychology:
Nature of psychology:
The nature of psychology is quite scientific. It may be inferred out of the definition of
psychology (interims of the scientific study or science of behaviour)
Every science subject can be characterized and distinguished on the very basis that it has beoth
theoretical and applied aspects. Psychology is also known to be categorized in the similar way,
that is, pure psychology and applied psychology and therefore it should be included in the
category of science subject.
Like science it believes in cause and effect relationship by emphasizing that every behaviour has
its routes, factors of its causing and naturing.
Psychology like science does not believe in mere hear-say. It uses scientific methods like
observation and experimentation for the study of behaviour.
What is established and discovered in the science is always open to verification and alletration.
The same is true for psychology. Here we can bring changes in the facts and principals of
psychology. In the light of the new experiments and research.
Like science , the establishes facts, laws and principals of psychology enjoyed universal
applicability
The nature of psychology is scientific and non-philosophical or mysterious as was supposed to
be in the early days.
Psychology is a positive science. In its true sense, it can be categorised as a developing positive
science rather than a developed one or we can define it as a developing science of behaviour.
4.What are the methods of study in the social psychology
Methods of study used in social psychology
Social psychology collects its facts by observation and experiment. Considerable attention is
being given to the collection data, by conducting surveys as well as by conducting experiments
using design of experiments. Further attempt or being made to measure the various aspects of
social behaviour and to use statistical methods in the analysis of the data collected.
Observation:
Observation of individuals in their interaction with each other suggest hypothesis. Observation
also yields data.
Interviews:Interview is a face-to-face (Inter personal relationship) meeting in which the
opinions, beliefs etc. may be collected. The primary object of the interview is to uptime verbal
expressions from the person In reply to some well-framed questions
Questionnaire:Questionnaire is a written form of interview. The questions can be framed in
advance and in return, an information can be obtained a group of persons at the same time. Thus,
the questionnaire is less time consuming than the interview. The defects of this method is that
further probing into the response is not possible.
Survey:Survey involves the construction of questionnaire which are administered by interviews
to representative sample of the public.(eg; market research, opinion talks, readership surveys
etc.). The important aspect od the survey, research technique or sampling, version design and
interviewing technique.
There are two principal methods of getting sample responants:
a. The probability method
b. The quota sampling
Probability method:
All geographical units in the population or put on punch thoughts and a sample of such
communities or drawn at random, mechanically; all the households in each area of the cities, for
eg:- or listed; just a few of these households are selected at random for interview since the
selection of the household is at random and unbiased, this procedure guarantees that each
household in the population will have an equal chance of being included in the sample. This
method is very good; but it involves considerable works statistical show that sampling
techniques give as much information, probably with greater exactitude, than the complete
numeration technique.
Quota Sampling:
This is the second method of sampling frequently used neighbourhoods or choosen at random,
but the selection of the household in each area is left to the discretion of the interviewer himself.
But he is given a pre-as-signed proportion of males and females, old and young, rich and poor,
educated and illiterate and so on. This method is cheaper and quicker than the probability
method.
Measurement:
While observation depends on seeing and recording and survey techniques depend on
interviewing and recording measurement those a step for the assign numbers to the events in
accordance with certain rules. Measurement implies the mapping of observation into no system;
when this is done, the resulting values can be added, multiplied and so on.
Experimental method:
An experiment is observation under controlled conditions. The exence of ab experiment is that it
can be repeated at will and that enables the observation being made under varying conditions. In
an experiment the investigator arranges the situation in way that the certain factors or kept
constant and certain others or varied every situation is made of a number of conditions which are
called variables.
Motivation :Motivation may be regarded as something which prones, compels and energies an individual to
act are behave in a particular fashion at a particular time for attaining some specific goal or
purpose.
Needs :Needs are general wants or desires. Every human being has to strive for the satisfaction of his
basic needs if he is maintain actualize or enhance himself in this world. Nothing can be said
about the number of the individual needs. The two categories of human needs are biological and
sociological needs.
Drives :A need gives rise to drive which may be defined as a reaction, tendancy or a state of heightened
tension that set up activities in an individual and sustains them for increasing his general activity
to a goal that make bring about the satisfaction of need.
Incentives :Drives are also influenced and guided by incentives. Praise, appreciation, rewards, bonus,
fulfillment of one’s need and getting the desired objectives are some of the example of
incentives.
Motives
Motive is an innerstate of mind or aroused feeling. It is generated through based needs or drives.
A change in goal may bring changes in the nature and strength of motive. Attainment of a goal
helps in the release of tension aroused by a specific motive what we were used to understand by
the word “Drive” has now being replaced by a morce-force-full term “motive”. It is defined as an
energetic force or tendancy (learned or innate) working within the individuals to compel,
persuade or inspire him to act for the satisfaction of his basic needs or attainment of some
specific purposes.
Aggression :-
1. A behaviour that imposed to physical or psychological harm on others.
2. Linked with a innact independent instinctual tendency in human being which expresses
itself indistructive and violent activities
3. Caused as a result of frustration
4. Banburg suggest frustration generate aggression only in those people who already have
developed aggression attitudes and actions. There after, frustration is not always a cause
for aggression.
5. Aggressive behaviour is the product of earlier experience social learning one may be
aggressive because he/she has been brought up in the environment were he\she frequently
observer his\her parents. Teachers, peers showing aggression
6. Violence or aggression shown on TV screen described in the pages of the magazines and
novels may provoke an individual to word aggression. This provoking is re-inforced may
lead him to adopt aggression as a mode of his day to day behaviour.
2.What are the forms and contents of groups
The form and content of groups :-
Over the years making different classification, classificatory scheme of groups have been
proposed. A Common procedure has been to define types of group on the basis of few selected
properties. Among the proper needs, most often employed are; number of members, amount of
physical interaction among members, degree of intimacy etc.
Primary and secondary groups :-
Charles Harton Colley(1909) introduced the primary group concept. By primary groups, cooley
meant those which are composed of individuals having intimate personal relations, who interact
face to face, figuratively and not literally. It is the degree of intimacy, or social distance rather
than physical distance that determines primary group.
The secondary group, by contrast, are all those that are not primary and are frequently
amorphous or unformed. Emotional affinity is not high, interaction is less and are devoid of
personal involvement.
In-group and out-group
An in-group is simply the positive group. An out group is the they-group. An in-group may
include everyone in our family, in our town, in our college. And those who are not members of
our family, our town, our college are outsiders and are considered by us members of out-group.
In groups and out groups are not actual groups except in so far people imagining them in their
views are pronounce ‘we’ and ‘they’. In one context, the in-group may mean only the inhabitants
of our house, in anothere the inhabitants of our country. In-group tends to stereo out groups, and
any red imaginery or real, from an outgroup tends to intensity the cohesion and solidarity of an in
group.
Socialisation and development of itself
The heart of the process of socialization is the emergence and gradual development of the self or
“igo”. It is in terms of the self that personality takes shape and mind comes for xn.
Everyone who is alive,in any society has a consciousness of self.when a child is
born,it has no consciousness of self or of others.He doesn’t posses those behavior mechanisms
which make an individual a part and number of any group.The child
Learns about the relationship and through the process of socialization.
Types of socialization
Ian Robertson in his book “sociology”(1977)has mentioned 4 types of socialization they are:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
Primary socialization
Antireptory socialization
Development solzn
Resocializth
Primary Socialisation :- This is the most essential and basic type of socialization which occurs in
the early of life of the newborn individual. It concentrates in the teaching of language and
cognitine skills the internilisation of cultural and value, establishement of emotionalises and the
appreciation of others role and perpeclecues.
Interlisation of norms is the most important aspect of primary socialization. Which refers to the
process in which the norms of society and become a part of the personality of the individual. By
trial and error, by direct and indirect observation and experience. A child gradually learns the
norms realities to right and wrong behavior. The socializing agents reinforce the child’s learning
be rewards and punishments.
Antireptory socialization :- Men must learn to the culture of the group of which they are
immediate to members may also learn the culture of the group to which they do not belong. Such
a process where by men socialize themselves into the culture of a group with the anticipation of
joiningthat group, is reffered to by sociologists like Maxfon as “Antireptory socialization a
person who intends to join the army strict doing physical exercise to toughen his body and
learning the manners of army personnel to become one with them late. Socialisation is not a
process that takes place nearly in early childhood,ie; It occurs at different times and places
throughout life. “
Developmental Socialisation :- This kind of learning is bared and achievements of primary
socialization. “It builds on already acquired skills and knowledge as the adults progress through
new situations such as marriage or new jobs. These requires new expectations, obligations and
rules. New learning is added to and blinded with old in a relatively smooth and continuous
process of development.” –Jay Robertson
Re-Socialisation :- Individuals change roles with groups and membership group in some
instances. ‘Resocialisation’. The stripping and lay of the learned patterns and substitution of new
ones for them must occur. Such resocialisation occurs mostly when a social role in radially
changed it may also happen. In periods of rapid social mobility, eg; Newly wedded housewife
may be forced to become a prostitute in a brothel. In this instance, the social role of the
individual got changed radially.
Conditions of learning
Socialism, as a kind of learning contributes to one’s ability to perform social roles. It is desirable
and desired learning. H.M Johnson mention 3 such conditions.
1. Discrimination
2. Reward and punishment
3. Control of the effects of frustration
Discrimination:- The person to be socialized must be enabled to distinguish between the new
objects and the behaviour patterns which are already known to him. The socializing agent must
provide some ‘clues’ or ‘hints’, which help the learner to learn new things. If the learner has to
react appropriately, he must know what he is acting to. Hence, it is necessary to define the
situation correctly, for often the same manner of behaving is appropriate in some situations, but
is appropriate to others.
Reward and Punishment :- Another condition that favour successful learning is the regard to
‘reward aand punishment’. The socializing agent must give reward for the child for ‘correct’
performance, and either with hold ‘reward and punishment’ for ‘incorrect’ performances.
As Johnson has stated, the effectiveness of reinforcement of desired behavior patterns increases
under certain conditions, ie;
1. When the correct behavior is rewarded very often
2. When such behaviour is more constitently rewarded
3. When there is greater difference between the satisfaction coming from the correct
behavior and the dissatisfaction resulting from the incorrect behaviuor in the same
situation.
4. When the reward comes soon after the correct behavior. Various studies have revealed
that both ‘reward and punishment’ are effective in training.
Control the effects of frustration:- The feeling of frustration is an unpleasant response.
Frustration is likely to be relatively severe during the early years for 2 years.
1. The young child can’t understand the ‘reasons’ as why others are frustrating him.
2. The child is yet to know clearly his own feelings and to cope with them.
Due to the feelings of aggression, indignation and aviety, a child is not able to give attention to
the ‘task’ of learning. He may even fail to make necessary discrimination and even refuse to cooperate. Hence it is necessary for the socializing agent to do something to counteract the effects
of frustration. But the amount of frustration the child must undergo in socialization varies
considerably from one society to another. It all depends upon the practice of society and its value
system.
3.Describe attitude
ATTITUDE
Definition:“mental & neural state of readiness,organised through experience,exerting a directive or
dynamic influence upon the individuals response to all objects & situations with which it is
related.
* In short attitude is a set torespond in a particular way.
* Attitude includes a congnitive component,a feeling component & an action tendency
for eg:- the upper caste man has an unfavourable attitude towards a Harijan. these attitudes
involves some knowledge about the other groups (cognitive component)’some feelings of dislike
(the affective,evaluational,emotional component)’& a predisposition to avoid,attack etc (the
action.component).
*Primarily attitudes are derived from social influences & primary social unit-family.that’s why,
later,attitude cannot be changed.
FUNCTIONS OF ATTITUDES
* Helps to organise, simplicity & understand the world around them.
*Protects self-esteem,by avoiding unpleasant truths about themselves
*Allows to express their fundamental values
* Helps to conform to the group & thus maximise rewards from the group.
DIMENSIONS OF ATTITUDE
a) Positive vs negative affect & b) seeking vs avoiding contact.
positive affect
(Going toward)
avoid contact
seek contact
(going away )
(going against)
negative affect
* +ve attitude make a person sacrifice himself to the loved object.
eg:-Patriotism.
* -ve attitude make a man to destory. eg Govt.Bus, Postoffice etc. are being destroyed.
* Seeking contact towards
+ve (embracing the beloved)
-ve (stbbing a person).
* Avoiding contact towards –ve affect - Going away
* Avoiding contact towards +ve affect is rare.eg: we like a person but hesistate to go near them
& talk.
Attitude formation:
forms through family members ,peer groups,personal experience from early childhood & later.
* attitude formation begins primarily as a learning process during childhood & adolscence.at that
time the individual is passive
*once the attitude is formed , the individual becomes active,& begins to process new information
in terms of what he already learnt.
*he will reject inconsistent information and accept informations only consistent with his attitude
*thus well established attitudes are extremely resistant to change,but others may be more
amenable to change .
Attitude change:
* new information from people or through mass media
*direct experience
*legislation
Attitude measurement:
*self report measures(self measurement)
*observation of overt behaviour(eg: sales figures)
*interpretation of partially structured stimuli(measuring others attitude)eg: showing a photo /
scene & ask to describes.