The Psychology Book

216

A

s psychology became
established as a scientific
discipline, its scope was
at first limited to the examination
of the mind and its workings, before
broadening to include the study of
behavior. For much of the first half
of the 20th century, this meant
the emphasis was very much on
a study of the mind and behavior of
individuals and their responses to
their environment, though it
became increasing clear to
some psychologists that “the
environment” includes other people.
The field of social psychology
emerged in the 1930s, when
psychologists began to explore the
interactions of individuals within
groups and society as a whole.
They examined the effect of social
organizations on the individual, and
the way that social structures are

influenced by the psychology of

their individual members. Social

psychologists, as they were called,

also studied the relationships

between individuals within these

groups and between different

groups. This introduced a new

set of topics to psychology,

including group dynamics,

attitudes, and prejudice, as well

as social conflict, conformity,

obedience, and social change.

Social environment

Among the first to make a

systematic study of the psychology

of social groups was German–

American Kurt Lewin, considered

the “father of social psychology.”

Lewin took a fresh look at the

dominant behaviorist approach,

examining how behavior results

from the interaction between the

individual and his environment,

as well as the nature of that

environment. In his studies of small

groups, he laid the foundations for

later examinations of group

dynamics and how groups and

their members bring about change.

Behaviorism fell out of favor

after World War II, and Lewin’s

ideas about the effect of the

social environment provided an

alternative that was enthusiastically

taken up by the next generation.

The concept of “attribution”—the

way we see and interpret the

behavior of others—became an

area of specific research, and from

that came theories of conformity

and cultural norms such as

those of Solomon Asch. Erving

Goffman’s best-known theory—

that we act out certain behaviors to

suit the impression we want to give

INTRODUCTION

1917 1940 S 1954 1961

Kurt Lewin establishes

his field theory,

claiming that behavior

is determined by the

life space (totality) of a

person’s situation.

Gordon Allport

publishes On the

Nature of Prejudice,

which establishes the

theoretical foundations

for the study of

prejudice.

Serge Moscovici

introduces the

concept of social

representations.

John Dewey

publishes The

Need for Social

Psychology,

describing man as a

“social animal.”

1935

Muzafer Sherif carries

out the “autokinetic

effect” experiments,

demonstrating the

tendency for groups

to conform.

1951

Solomon Asch’s

conformity experiments

suggest that people will

override their own

judgement in order

to conform.

1959

Erving Goffman publishes

The Presentation of Self in

Everyday Life, which

claims that social

interaction is a

performance.

1963

Stanley Milgram’s

Behavioral Study of

Obedience illustrates

that people will ignore

their own moral values

to obey authority.