Social psychology as a science is based on. Socio-psychological phenomena: definition, classification

To obtain the profession of a social psychologist, you need to become familiar with universities and colleges that recruit applicants for the Faculty of Psychology. As a rule, the specialty of psychology has various directions, for example: psychology official activities, clinical psychology, social, organizational, educational and others.

Social psychology studies interpersonal relationships, social development of individuals and groups, the psychology of mass consciousness and intergroup relations. The duration of training in this specialty is from 3 to 5 years. In addition to theoretical knowledge, future specialists also undergo practical training. A social psychologist applies the acquired knowledge in his work with people in need of psychological help.

A specialist in this field can find a job in a rehabilitation, crisis or psychological center, employment service, educational or medical institution. The quality of the education received and personal qualities increase the chances in this specialty.

Qualities of a social psychologist

Undoubtedly, the work of a social psychologist includes interaction with various categories of people: disabled people, elderly people, mothers of many children, orphans and others. Therefore, it should be noted that the future specialist needs to develop communication skills, the ability to find individual approach by establishing trusting relationships with different people.

To give a person psychological assistance, it is necessary to know what bothers him and causes heartache. A social psychologist must demonstrate openness and readiness to help a person - this way he can win him over to dialogue. Consequently, the ability to sympathize and empathize with another person helps a social psychologist understand the motives and actions of people. It is necessary to provide them with support, taking into account their life circumstances and mental characteristics.

It is worth noting that a social psychologist encounters aggression and rudeness. For example, in working with children from families with unfavorable conditions. Such children are prone to illegal actions and have not received proper education and attention from their parents. The task of a psychologist is to help them cope with the psychological trauma they have received using special methods. That is why a social psychologist must have endurance, stress resistance and high self-control.

an area of ​​research activity that studies the mechanisms of consciousness and behavior of social communities, groups, individuals, their interpersonal relationships, social determinism and the role of these mechanisms in various spheres of society and different situations. Origins of plural ideas and methodological the principles that influenced the subsequent development of social science were contained in the works of the philosophers Plato, Aristotle, Spinoza, Locke, Hume, Helvetius, Vico, Kant, Hegel, Feuerbach, Tocqueville, and others. Definition. The work of sociologists G. Tarde, G. Lebon, N.K. Mikhailovsky, who studied socio-psychological, also played a role. characteristics and internal driving forces mass movements, problems of leadership, psychologists W. James, W. McDougall, who tried to highlight socio-psychological. problems in the field of psychology of human behavior. These sociologists and psychologists were characterized by the desire to build theories of social action based on the characteristics of the individual’s psyche (see Psychologism in Sociology). E. Durkheim and L. Lévy-Bruhl moved in a different direction, considering the psyche and behavior of the individual as a product of certain characteristics. systems of societies. connections, type of culture. This direction became especially popular in the 20th century. in the works of their followers, seeking to apply the principles of structural-functional analysis and the theory of social roles to the study of socio-psychological. characteristics of a person and his behavior (J. Mead, T. Parsons, R. Merton, I. Hoffman, etc.). Definition The works of W. Wundt, K. Kluckhohn, and others on the peculiarities of the consciousness and behavior of nations and cultural and ethnic groups played a role in the formation of social psychology. communities. Since the 20s Empirical studies are becoming increasingly widespread within the framework of sociology. socio-psychological research characteristics of social groups, societies. opinions and mechanisms of personality socialization (W. Thomas, F. Znaniecki, S. Stauffer, P. Lazarsfeld, J. Stetzel, etc.), studies of interpersonal relationships, formal and informal structure of behavior in teams and organizations (E. Mayo, etc. ). At the same time, experimental methods of internal research are becoming widespread, primarily among psychologists. personality structure, motivation and orientation systems, social attitudes and reactions to social situations, as well as interpersonal relationships in small groups. Some of these studies are associated with Gestalt psychology (K. Levin, S. Asch, F. Heider, L. Festinger, etc.), others with behaviorism (F. Allport, R. Bales, J. Homans, K. Howland, etc. ). Means. The development of social psychology was influenced by the theories of S. Freud and the work of neo-Freudians (K. Horney, E. Fromm, A. Kardiner, T. Adorno, and others). The official status of industrial production as a special branch of society. knowledge developed in the USA (by the end of the 30s and especially after the 2nd World War), where there are corresponding institutes, departments and periodicals. publications In capitalist In European countries by 1958 there were no special scientific or educational institutions, as well as prof. socio-psychological magazines. The intensive development of S. production began only in the late 50s. Work in the field of S.P. by scientists from these countries is noticeably influenced by the Americans. S. p., although a number of leading representatives of the Amer. S. p. - emigrants from Europe in the beginning and middle. 30s (L. Festinger, K. Levin, etc.). Within the framework of Marxism-Leninism there is a strong tradition of studying socio-psychological. phenomena. In the works of the founders of Marxism-Leninism, as well as in the works of G. V. Plekhanov, A. Labriola, A. Gramsci and others, examples of scientific research are given. psychological analysis characteristics of different classes, nations, social groups and movements; the role and meaning of traditions, habits, moods, characteristic features various social types personalities in history and above all a revolutionary. process; internal mechanisms of human behavior and their perception of social reality. In the USSR, the process of becoming socio-psychological. research began in the 20s. Great importance had the works of psychologists V. M. Bekhterev, K. N. Kornilov, L. S. Vygotsky, sociologist M. A. Reisner, literary critic L. N. Voitolovsky and others. In the 20–30s. the development of S. p. was accompanied by an acute struggle in philosophy. and ideological. problems associated with the general process of formation of Marxist-Leninist theory and methodology in the USSR. Huge contribution in the study of social and psychological phenomena and processes contributed by Sov. teachers (especially A. S. Makarenko and his school) and psychologists (S. L. Rubinshtein, D. N. Uznadze, A. N. Leontyev). In the 50s and 60s. scientific work in the field of S. p. is noticeably intensifying, the problems are expanding, and theoretical theories are being developed. basics, empirical and experimental methods and procedures, there are lively discussions about directions and future prospects for work. The Department of S. P. was created in Leningrad. University, special courses on S. p. are given in Moscow. and Leningr. un-takh (at the departments of psychology, philosophy and journalism), there are socio-psychological. laboratories in a number of scientific institutions and universities (Moscow, Tbilisi, Minsk, Tartu, etc.), All-Union Society of Psychologists and Sov. sociologist association have special researched committees on S. p. In socialist. countries are actively developing socio-psychological. research in the GDR (M. Vorwerg, X. Hibsch), Poland (X. Malevskaya, S. Mika, S. Novak), Czechoslovakia (A. Yurovsky, J. Janushek). In the process of differentiation of societies. sciences are defined specifically. objects S. p., socio-psychological. research, its methodology and procedures. Such objects, for example, are communities of people with relatives. unity of views, attitudes, moods, needs, character traits. At the same time, classes, nations and other social communities are considered not only in connection with the objective impersonal characteristics of society at a given stage of its development, but primarily in connection with the mental mechanisms that are social in nature. activities of members of these societies. formations. The state of consciousness (as well as the internal mechanisms of its emergence and functioning) of social communities is the product of a complex interaction of material and ideological. relations: 1) direct experience of members of a given social community, arising as a result of direct contact with objective reality; 2) stable value orientations, ideological. and political traditions recorded in the system of culture and language; 3) systems of organizations, institutions, parties, etc., influencing the minds and feelings of people. When studying the system of interaction of these elements, differences in the understanding of the subject of socio-psychological appear. research. One group of scientists considers the object of such research only directly. social experience of people and calls social psychology (as opposed to ideology) a special layer of societies. consciousness, associated ch. arr. with such experience of an individual or group. Other scientists proceed from the fact that any human perception of societies. phenomena depends on the nature of the internal. relatively stable social attitudes formed in the process of upbringing an individual, and the task of socio-psychological. Research is seen in the study of mechanisms that arise in the psyche of people (groups, classes, etc.) at the junction and intersection of all three of these elements. Along with this, there is a noticeable tendency towards a certain isolation of socio-psychological. personality research. Identify the main psychological tendencies inherent in a class and group can only be determined by defining the basic personality types most characteristic of a given class or group. Knowledge of quantitatively dominant features and forms of consciousness among members of a class or group, based on the laws of averages, given, for example, as a result of surveys, although it plays a role important role, but cannot reveal the deep processes taking place in the minds and feelings of people, and detect typological. personality differences hidden behind average values ​​and uniform external manifestations of consciousness and behavior. The relationship between the personal and the objective-class is complex and indirect, because the obvious fact is socio-psychological. differences between members of the same class; people who are objectively in the same conditions can react in different and sometimes opposite ways to the same phenomena; people belonging to different social groups can demonstrate commonality of consciousness and behavior. If in sociology research social functions, the roles assigned to individuals, sources of influence are considered impersonally, as elements of a social system, then socio-psychological. vision involves an analysis of how these functions, roles, influences are embodied in the internal. personality structure. Dialectical-materialistic approach to the study of socio-psychological. phenomena involves not only clarifying their dependence on the objective logic of history. development, but also their influence on this development. S. p. studies the influence of socio-psychological. processes on the organization, functioning and evolution of material and spiritual production, various social institutions, mass social movements and revolutionaries. activities. The direction of social-psychological is highlighted. research that addresses spec. attention to the study of means and mechanisms of targeted social influence on the psyche of people (education, mass ideological influence, ideological struggle), problems of human socialization, his inclusion in the cultural system, political. life and practical activity. Social and psychological research is becoming important. problems associated with the activities of mass media (see Sociology of mass communication). Social and psychological are also studied. scientific problems management of society (for example, the influence of socio-psychological characteristics of the leader and group members on the effectiveness of group activities). Means. Research on motivation and incentives is gaining momentum labor activity people, overcoming the phenomena of alienation in the consciousness and behavior of people in the labor process. Finally, the phenomena of social pathology are explored, denied. and residual processes in the consciousness and behavior of people (crime, immorality, alcoholism, etc.), issues of developing effective socio-psychological. means of combating these phenomena. Ideological and practical orientation socio-psychological. research depends on socio-economic. and political systems within the framework of which they develop (differences between capitalism and socialism), depending on the nature of the social order accepted by researchers. Marxists pay attention. attention critical methodological analysis installations and goals of research, which are imposed on the social psychologist by the state-monopoly organization. capitalism. Mn. American work authors demonstrate a tendency to be bureaucratic. manipulating the minds and feelings of people in the interests of the ruling circles. The objective needs of practice have made it especially relevant to study specific conditions and factors that directly influence the behavior and consciousness of people in the process of interpersonal group activities. Studies of contact, or small, groups are important for solving practical problems. issues of management and organization of effective collective activity and collective education (see Theory of small groups). This also includes studies of the mechanism of people’s perception of themselves and each other, the dependence of interpersonal communication on individual typological. characteristics of communication participants, their intellectual and cultural development, attitudes, stereotypes reflecting their group and professional belonging, finally, to the general emotional atmosphere, conditions and organizational framework in which communication takes place. This type of research analyzes the influence on the thoughts, feelings and behavior of some individuals by the actual, imagined or perceived presence of other individuals or small groups (so-called reference groups). It is expressed by the viewer. that it is precisely this sphere that is, in the strict sense of the word, the subject of S. p. as an independent one. (mostly experimental) science. At the same time, sociologists are increasingly using experimental material related to small groups when solving complex social problems (for example, scientific organization of labor, propaganda, education, process mass media and communications). At the same time specific. psychological mechanisms that arise in the field of interpersonal communications are increasingly considered in a broader social context. In order to identify interpersonal connections in their internal. relates independence, it is necessary for some time to escape from the objective (“impersonal”) social mechanisms, operating in society, for example. from its social structure. But in general process development of social knowledge there is a need to overcome this distraction. Considering interpersonal socio-psychological. connections based on the analysis of the system of societies. relations, the researcher more accurately determines a specific coordinate system for empirical. and experimental research directly. interactions between people. A distraction that is not consciously explored. technique, which arises only as a spontaneously developing attitude, can easily turn into a kind of “methodological ritualism”, narrowing scientific. social vision of the researcher. Without being a clearly formed science, sociology uses research techniques and methods that are mainly typical for sociology and general psychology. Among the specific procedures can be indicated in a controlled group experiment (for example, in the works of R. Bales on the study of small groups), methods of questionnaires and interviews (focused and in-depth). Research related to the study of socio-psychological. ethnic features groups, societies. self-awareness of representatives of different social systems usually include surveys of societies. opinions, examination of documents and direct observations in test situations. S. p. also uses the entire apparatus of logical-theoretical. and empirical analysis, widely using mathematics in the latter case. methods (statistical and non-statistical). Means. advances have been made in attempts to model group processes in terms of graph theory. There are special procedures adapted for studying group tension and the level of group cohesion, as well as for describing the relationship of group members with each other (sociometric procedures). Recently, among foreigners. social psychologists are showing interest in restoring the rights of psychophysiological techniques. control of individual behavior in a group process, i.e. methods traditional for Pavlovian psychology. S. and. is in the process of its formation, clear boundaries and patterns of which are still difficult to define with certainty. An urgent task, which the efforts of scientists are aimed at solving, is an objective analysis of the ways and prospects for the development of socio-psychological. research. Lit.: Marx K. and Engels F., German Ideology, Works, 2nd ed., vol. 3; Marx K., Theses on Feuerbach, ibid.; his, The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte, ibid., vol. 8; his, Capital, vol. 3, ibid., vol. 25; Lenin V.I., Tasks of Russian Social Democrats, Works, 4th ed., vol. 2; him, On strikes, ibid., vol. 4; him, On the mixing of politics with pedagogy, ibid., vol. 8; his, Socialism and Religion, ibid., vol. 10; his, How to organize a competition?, ibid., vol. 26; his, Report at the II All-Russian Congress of Trade Unions on January 20, 1919, ibid., vol. 28; his, Childhood disease of “leftism” in communism, ibid., vol. 31; his, New Economic. politics and tasks of political education, ibid., vol. 33; Plekhanov G.V., Essays on the history of materialism, Izbr. Philosopher proizv., vol. 2, M., 1956; Bekhterev V.M., The role of suggestion in society. life, St. Petersburg, 1898; him, Subject and tasks of societies. psychology as an objective science, St. Petersburg, 1911; his, Collective reflexology, P., 1921; Ovsyaniko-Kulikovsky D.N., Psychology of Nationality, P., 1922; Byzov L., Psychology of the collective, in: Issues of organization and management, No. 1(6), M., 1924; Voitolovsky L., Essays on collective psychology, parts 1–2, M.–P., ; Kornilov K.N., Sovr. Psychology and Marxism, 2nd ed., Leningrad, 1925; Chelpanov G., S. p. or " conditioned reflexes "?, M.–L., 1926; Reisner?. ?., Problems of S. p., Rostov-n/D., 1925; ?rtemov V. ?., Introduction to S. p., [M.] , 1927; Pedology and education, M., 1928; Kovalev A. G., O S. p., "Vestn. LSU. Ser. economics, philosophy and law", 1959, issue 2, No. 11; Baranov A.V., On the subject of S. p., "Issue. psychology", 1962, No. 2; Bodalev?. ?., Perception of man by man, [L.], 1965; Problems of social psychology, edited by V. N. Kolbanovsky and B. F. Porshnev, M., 1965; Harutyunyan S. M., The nation and its mental make-up, Krasnodar, 1966; Theoretical and methodological problems of S. p., M., ; Zamoshkin Yu.?., The crisis of bourgeois individualism and personality. Sociological analysis of certain trends in social psychology USA, M., 1966; Parygin B. D., Public mood, M., 1966; his, S. p. as a science, 2nd ed., Leningrad, 1967; Porshnev B. F., S. p. and history, M., 1966; Kuzmin E. S., Fundamentals of S. p., [L.], 1967; Kon I. S., Sociology of personality, M., 1967; Sigele S., Criminal crowd: Experience of collective psychology, translated from French, St. Petersburg, 1893; Regnard P., Mental epidemics, translated from French, St. Petersburg, 1889; McDougall W., Basic problems of social psychology, translated from English, M., 1916; Shibutani T., Social psychology, translated from English, M., 1969; Allport F. H., Social psychology, Boston–?.?., ; Brown J. F., Psychology and the social order. An introduction to the dynamic study of social fields, N. Y., 1936; Sumner W. G., Sumner today, , 1940; Сantril H., The psychology of social movements, N. Y.–L., 1941; Bogardus E. S., Fundamentals of social psychology, 3 ed., N. Y.–L., ; Sherif M., Сantril H., The psychology of Ego-involvements. Social attitudes and identifications, N. Y.–L., ; Krech D., Crutchfield R. S., Theory and problems of social psychology, ?. ?., 1948; Stоuffer S. A., Studies in social psychology in World War II, v. 1–4, Princeton, 1949–50; Adorno T. W., The authoritarian personality, ?. ?., ; Social psychology at the crossroads, ed. J. H. Rohrer and M. Sherif, ?. ?., ; Handbook of social psychology, ed. by G. Lindzey, 2 ed., v. 1–5, Camb. (Mass.), 1968; Psychological warfare casebook, ed. W. E. Daugherty and M. Janowitz, Balt., 1958; Israel J., Self-evaluation and rejection in groups, Uppsala, 1956; Hall S. S., Lindzey G., Theories of personality, ?. ?., ; Thouless R. H., General and social psychology, , L., ; Readings in social psychology, ed. ?. ?. Mac Corby, T. M. Newcomb, E. L. Hartley, 3 ed., L., 1959; Group dynamics. Research and theory, ed. D. Cartwright and A. Zander, 2 ed., Evanston (Ill.)–?. ?., ; Lazarus R. S., Adjustment and personality, N. Y., 1961; Leadership and interpersonal behavior, ed. L. Petrullo and B. M. Bass, ?. ?., ; Society and self. , ed. by W. H. Stoodley, Glencoe, 1962; Rocheblave-Spenl? A.-M., La notion de role en psychologie sociale, P., 1962; Social psychology through experiment, ed. G. Humphrey and M. Argyle, L., ; Massusso S. ?., La psicologia oggi, ; Asch S. E., Social psychology, Englewood Cliffs (?. ?.), ; Hare A. P., Handbook of small group research, Glencoe, 1962; Dudycha G. J., Applied psychology, N. Y., 1963; Stoetzel J., La psychologie sociale, P., 1963; Daval R., Trait? de psychologie sociale, v. 1–2, P., 1963–64; Ranulf S., Moral indignation and middle class psychology, N. Y., 1964; Anastasi?., Fields of applied psychology, [?. ?.], 1964; Verelson?. R., Steiner G.?., Human behavior. An inventory of scientific discoveries, 1964; Sprott W. J., Social psychology, L., 1964; Machotka O. R., The unconscious in social relations, N. Y., 1964; Ms. Grath J. E., Social psychology. A brief introduction, N.Y., 1964; Sampson?. ?. , Approaches, contexts and problems of social psychology, Prentice Hall (N.J.), 1964; Seсord P. F., Backman S. W., Social psychology, N. Y., 1964; Maisonneuve J., La psychologie sociale, P., 1964; March J.-C., Simon H.-?., Les organizations. Probl?mes psycho-sociologiques, P., 1964; Reynaud P.-L., La psychologie ?conomique, P., 1964; Hopkins T.K., The exercise of influence in small groups, ; Personality change, ed. P. Worchel and D. Byrne, N. Y., 1964; Deutsch M., Krauss R. M., Theories in social psychology, N. Y.–L., ; Newcomb T. M., Social psychology. N.Y., 1965; Levy?., Psychologie sociale. Textes fondamentaux anglais et am?ricains, v. 1–2, P., 1965; Perspectives in social psychology, ed. O. Klineberg and R. Christie, N. Y., 1965; Hiebsch H., Sozialpsychologische Grundlagen der Pers?nlichkeitsformung, V., 1966; Sherif M., Sherif C., Groups in harmony and tension. An Integration of studies on intergroup relations, N. Y., 1966. See also lit. at Art. Wundt, James, Simmel, Cooley, Le Bon, Lewin, Personality, Mead, Moreno, Psychology, Ward L., Jung. Yu. Zamoshkin. Moscow.

Social psychology as a science studies the characteristics of human behavior among other people in various life situations and in specific historical contexts.

Social psychology as a science includes social psychology of personality; social psychology of communication, cognition and mutual influence of people; social psychology of individual groups.

To understand the specifics of social psychology as a science, it is necessary to consider the complex of levels at which it develops. social behavior people in general.

Sciences consider people at the following levels: social, personal and interpersonal. The social level implies the influence of individuals on the person included in them (for example, in the process of migration, in an environment of unemployment, etc.) This level of relationships is studied by sociology. The personal level is the influence of a person’s individual and psychological characteristics on his own behavior. This is studied by personality psychology and differential psychology. The interpersonal level belongs to the research and study of social psychology. At each level there is an explanation of the phenomena occurring to a person.

Social psychology as a science can be defined as the science of the basic patterns of human behavior, which is determined by their presence in society. It studies individuals' perceptions of the actions and feelings of other people, as well as the influence of groups of people on the consciousness, as well as the behavior of individuals.

Disputes still continue about what place it occupies social Psychology in the system of other sciences. Some consider it to be entirely a social science, others consider it to be entirely psychological. On the other hand, researchers disagree on whether social psychology occupies a separate niche in the system of knowledge or has common overlapping areas with sociology and psychology. Most researchers share the general opinion that social psychology is an independent branch of psychological science.

Social psychology as a science uses methods empirical research(surveys, document analysis, observation), specialized methods of socio-psychological research (experiments, tests), simulated methods (laboratory reconstruction of realities) and management and educational methods (trainings).

There is no single generally accepted idea about the subject of the discipline. This can be explained by the complexity of socio-psychological phenomena, actual facts and patterns that she studies. There are two approaches to this issue. The first understands the subject as mass phenomena of the psyche, the second - individual ones. Recently, a third approach has emerged, combining mass and personal mental processes. Thus, the subject can be understood as facts, patterns of behavior and activity, as well as communication between people and their mechanisms, which are determined by the inclusion of individuals in society.

Separate branches of social psychology are scientific fields related to the study of individual areas of human activity. For example, the discipline of sociology and labor psychology studies socio-psychological relationships and social processes in the sphere of labor. She uses methods of influencing the psychological and social climate of the team, collects and processes primary information on sociology in order to resolve and prevent labor conflicts in the team.

The discipline studies, diagnoses and predicts a person’s professional suitability, explores the role labor discipline and its meaning, labor behavior, motivation and people’s attitude towards work.

A science that studies the patterns of behavior and activity of people determined by the fact of their inclusion in social groups, as well as the psychological characteristics of these groups themselves. Over a long period of time, social psychological ideas... ... Great psychological encyclopedia

A science that studies patterns of behavior and activity of people determined by their inclusion in social groups, as well as psychological science. characteristics of these groups. S. p. arose in the middle. 19th century at the intersection of psychology and sociology. To 2nd... ... Philosophical Encyclopedia

SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY- SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY. A branch of psychology that lies at the intersection of psychology and sociology. Studies mental phenomena that exist only in a group of people or in an individual in a group (for example, communication skills, collectivism, psychological... ... New dictionary methodological terms and concepts (theory and practice of language teaching)

Modern encyclopedia

The branch of psychology studies patterns of behavior and activity of people determined by the fact of their membership in social groups, as well as the psychological characteristics of these groups. As an independent discipline arose in the beginning. 20th century... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

A branch of psychology that studies the patterns of human activity in conditions of interaction in social groups. The main problems of social psychology are the following: patterns of communication and interaction of people, the activities of large (nations,... ... Psychological Dictionary

Social Psychology- SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, studies patterns of behavior and activity of people determined by the fact of their belonging to social groups, as well as psychological characteristics these groups. It emerged as an independent discipline at the beginning of the 20th century... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY- a branch of psychology that studies the patterns of behavior and activity of people determined by their inclusion in social groups, as well as the psychological characteristics of these groups themselves. Initially, social and psychological views were developed within the framework of various... ... Russian Pedagogical Encyclopedia

A science that studies the mechanisms of consciousness and behavior of social communities, groups and individuals, as well as the role of these mechanisms in societies. life. In contrast to the study of ideology, social psychology studies less clearly formulated, systematized and... ... Soviet historical encyclopedia

SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY- (social psychology) a subsection of psychology and sociology, which, according to allport, deals with the ways in which the thinking, feelings and behavior of an individual are influenced by social interactions, groups, etc. Social Psychology… … Large explanatory sociological dictionary

Books

• Social Psychology
• Social psychology, V. G. Krysko. The textbook reveals the main content and features of socio-psychological phenomena and processes, shows the specifics of their manifestation in the life and activities of people, characterizes the main...

Section No. I Introductory

1. Subject of social psychology.

2. The structure of social psychology as a science.

3. Specifics of socio-psychological analysis.

4. Two social psychologists And.

Each of us lives in a world inhabited by many other people. Among them are relatives and friends, friends and acquaintances. Quite a few are just acquaintances. We constantly communicate with someone, work together, study or spend free time, we see others occasionally. However, both of them, and the third, influence us in one way or another, causing certain changes in our consciousness and behavior.

Since time immemorial, people have been thinking about how to better understand other people, influence them, and establish certain relationships with them. This was caused by the needs of practice - the search for the best forms of organization and interaction of people in various fields - economic, political, military, educational, medical, etc.

Why do people often agree with the majority opinion? Why does it happen the other way around, and one person convinces everyone else? How can you coordinate the actions of several people and even large masses of people?

Today, such a branch of scientific knowledge as social psychology is trying to answer all such questions arising from the diverse forms of contacts between people. This is a science that studies the patterns of people’s knowledge of each other, their relationships and mutual influences. So, the focus of the social psychologist’s research is on the consequences of various types of contacts between people, manifested in the form of thoughts, feelings and actions of individuals. These contacts can be direct, as they say, face to face. They can also be indirect, for example, through the use of mass media - press, radio, television, cinema, the Internet, etc. This is how people are influenced not only by certain individuals, but also by individual social groups and society as a whole. .

Contacts between people can be random and relatively short-lived, for example, a conversation between two fellow travelers in the same compartment of a railway carriage. Conversely, interpersonal contacts can become systematic and long-lasting. For example, in the family, at work, in the company of friends. At the same time, the object of research interest of a social psychologist can be not only small groups of people, but also communities that include a significant number of people distributed over large territory of people. For example, nations, classes, parties, trade unions, large contingents of various enterprises, firms, etc.

It should be noted that certain relationships arise not only between individuals, but also between entire groups, both small and large. Intergroup relations can be of a different nature - from mutual understanding and cooperation up to acute confrontation. The universally observed phenomena of globalization, characteristic of the beginning of our century, make exclusively current problems intercultural communication. Today, an increasing number of representatives of different ethnic groups and cultures directly encounter each other in the process of implementing various joint actions. Teaching these people to successfully interact to achieve common goals is also a socio-psychological problem.

Considering the structure of social psychology as a science, we can distinguish the following sections:

· social psychology of personality;

· social psychology of communication and interpersonal interaction;

· social psychology of groups.

Social psychology of personality covers issues determined by the social nature of the individual, his involvement in various groups and society as a whole. These are, for example, issues of socialization of the individual, his socio-psychological qualities, the motivation of the individual’s behavior, the influence of social norms on this behavior.

Social psychology of communication and interpersonal interaction is considering different kinds and means of communication between people (including mass communications), the mechanisms of these communications, types of interaction between people - from cooperation to conflict. Closely related to this issue are issues of social cognition, such as people’s perception, understanding and assessment of each other.

Social psychology of groups covers a variety of group phenomena and processes, the structure and dynamics of small and large groups, various stages of their life, as well as intergroup relations.

As we see, the scope of social psychology phenomena is very wide. Ultimately, however, this science attempts to reveal how people influence each other and how they behave in different situations, i.e. various features of social behavior. It is known that a number of other areas of scientific knowledge are also engaged in the study of certain aspects of human social behavior.

What is the specificity of socio-psychological analysis?

Sociologists, economists, political scientists and representatives of others social sciences use social level of analysis(i.e. one that relates to the characteristics of society as a whole). In doing so, researchers are trying to understand common types of social behavior. For example, the murder rate, voting behavior or consumer spending. According to this approach, social behavior is explained by factors such as economic decline, class conflict, clashes between competing ethnic groups, regional crop failures, government policies, or technological changes. The goal of societal analysis is to identify connections between broad social influences and general types of social behavior. When studying violence in cities, sociologists look for relationships between violent crime rates and factors such as poverty, immigration, or the industrialization of a society.

Individual level analysis is commonly used in personality psychology and clinical psychology. Here, people's behavior is explained based on the unique life history of a given person and his psychological characteristics. According to this approach, personality traits and motives can explain why an individual behaves in a certain way and why two people can react very differently in the same situation. At the individual level of analysis, there is a tendency to explain violent crimes in terms of the offender's unique life history and personality traits.

For example, V.L. Vasiliev emphasizes the need to study the so-called marginal individuals, whose main characteristic is internal social instability. “Marginal people” are distinguished by their inability to sufficiently fully master cultural traditions and develop appropriate social skills of behavior in the environment in which they find themselves. So, this is a resident of the rural “outback”, forced to live and work in a big city, an adult who moved to a region where they speak a language unfamiliar to him, and does not know local customs and traditions. Experiencing a high level of emotional stress, a “marginal” personality easily comes into conflict with the surrounding social environment (Vasiliev, 2000).

Social psychologists turn to a different level of analysis - interpersonal (interpersonal). Their attention is focused on the current social situation in which the individual finds himself. A social situation includes other people in a given environment, their attitudes and behavior, and their attitude towards a given person. To understand the causes of violent crime, social psychologists can pose the question: What types of interpersonal situations shape aggressive reactions that can lead to an increase in violent behavior? One important social psychological explanation is that states of frustration make people angry and thus contribute to the tendency to act aggressively. This is called the frustration-aggression hypothesis. In accordance with it, it is assumed that a person, having encountered an obstacle to achieving a desired goal, experiences frustration and anger and, as a result, is likely to lose his temper. This frustration effect is one explanation for violent crime at the interpersonal level.

Using the frustration-aggression hypothesis, American psychologists believe, it is also possible to explain how large-scale economic and societal factors create situations that lead to violence and crime. For example, the poor people who inhabit the crowded areas of urban slums are undoubtedly frustrated; they can't get Good work, afford a decent home, provide a safe environment for your children, etc. Frustration over all these issues can lead to anger, which is sometimes the direct cause of violent crime. The frustration-aggression hypothesis focuses on the immediate social situation, feelings and thoughts that this situation causes in people with different social characteristics, and the influence of these subjective reactions on behavior.

Of course, each of these three approaches (societal, individual, interpersonal) has its own value and is essential if we want to understand complex social behavior as fully as possible. Therefore, there is significant overlap in the nature of research conducted among these scientific disciplines.

However, we must note that it is impossible to draw clear demarcation lines separating social psychology from other sciences. The famous French social psychologist S. Moscovici characterized social psychology as a “bridge” between other branches of knowledge (Moscovici, 1989). He meant that social psychology draws on the findings of sociology, anthropology, political science, economics, and biology to better understand how the individual is included in the larger social system.

Since the beginning of the last century, two main branches of social psychology began to take shape, primarily in the United States - psychological and sociological. The differences between the problems of these two directions and their theoretical foundations sometimes look quite significant. Evidence of this state of affairs is provided by the American sociologist A.S. Tomars. In one of the colleges he knew, social psychology was taught in a psychology course. For a number of years it was taught both semesters, but by two different teachers. One of them gravitated toward sociology, the other toward individual psychology. The courses of these teachers had almost nothing in common with each other, and as a result, students came away with “completely different ideas about the subject they read, depending on whether they took it in the fall or in the spring semester” (Tomars, 1961).

First of all, it is noted that although both directions of socio-psychological knowledge consider social behavior, they do so from different theoretical positions.

The focus of social psychology is the individual. At the same time, researchers are trying to understand and predict social behavior by turning to the analysis of immediate stimuli, psychological states and personality traits. It is assumed that variations in behavior are due to the way people interpret social stimuli or their personality differences. Even when studying group dynamics, there is a tendency to explain these processes at the individual level. The main research method here is experiment.

Proponents of sociological social psychology On the contrary, they downplay the role of individual differences and the influence of immediate social stimuli on behavior. The focus of this movement is on the group or society. At the same time, researchers, in order to understand social behavior, turn to the analysis of societal variables, such as socioeconomic status, social roles and cultural norms. The predominant focus here is on the characteristics of larger social groups than in social psychology. Therefore, social psychologists of the sociological direction are primarily engaged in explaining such societal problems as poverty, crime, and deviant behavior.

The main research methods here are surveys and participant observation.

It is generally accepted that both directions of modern social psychology influence each other, mutually enriching.

Related information.