Connection of social psychology with other sciences.

· Social psychology and sociology. What they have in common is that human behavior is considered in social conditions, in a social context, in a group. But sociologists are more interested in statistically large and theoretically defined groups, and social psychologists are more interested in small ones, with direct contact interaction. Sociology examines behavior and interaction in macrosocial settings, and social Psychology- in conditions of direct communication. The subjects of social action and interaction in sociology are large groups and community, and if we are talking about a person, then he is understood as a representative of a formal group. In social psychology, a person interacts within socio-psychological groups or informal communities. Social psychologists, unlike sociologists, take into account individual psychological characteristics personality.

· Social psychology and personality psychology. Psychologists focus their attention on individual internal mechanisms and on differences between individuals, asking, for example, why some individuals are more aggressive than others. Social psychologists focus on total mass people, on how people generally evaluate and influence each other. They wonder how social situations can cause most people to act humanely or cruelly, to be conformist or independent, to experience sympathy or prejudice.

· Social psychology and general humanities disciplines: philosophy, history, cultural studies, political science. Explaining the behavior and interaction of people is impossible without taking into account their views, their worldview, their values ​​(including ideological ones). History provides a description of the cultural and ideological (including political) context of situations. Philosophy analyzes and interprets the essential content and sign-symbolic forms of various pictures of the world. Under the influence of semiotics, such directions in psychology as psychosemantics and cognitive psychology were formed. Psychosemantics studies the processes of sign (including speech, verbal) construction of the meaning of a situation. Cognitive psychology deals with the acquisition, organization and transmission of knowledge. She is interested in how, with the help of which categories and concepts the production, assimilation, classification, and memorization of knowledge can be explained; how can we explain the connection between the psyche and culture; how diagrams are created joint action and behavior scenarios.

Political science is aimed at identifying current, topical social and group interests of people and describing technologies for their implementation. General humanities disciplines help to understand the semantic context of interaction. Social psychology as special theory is aimed at describing and analyzing the mechanisms for realizing motives and meanings social action. The latter brings it closer to sociology. They differ in the levels of analysis of motives and meanings: more social or more individual.

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Social psychology as a branch of psychology arose in the twenties of the twentieth century, although socially psychological knowledge accumulated and formed into coherent theories over many centuries, long before that.

Social psychology, although it is a branch of the science of psychology, includes not only psychological knowledge. It is at the intersection of psychology with sociology, philosophy, pedagogy, political science and other sciences.

From sociology to social psychology is different in that it studies not society, but a person in society, but from general psychology in that it studies not individual mental phenomena and personality as such, but a person in a system of social relations.

Subject of study Social psychology is the patterns of behavior and activity of people, determined by their inclusion in social groups and the psychological characteristics of these same groups.

Communication and joint activities- these are the two forms of human involvement in social system, which are studied and researched various methods within the framework of social psychology.

To simplify, we can say that social Psychology is a branch of psychology that explains how a person’s thoughts, feelings and behavior are influenced by the real or perceived presence of other people nearby.

Hence the two main problematic issues social psychology:

• How do the consciousness of an individual and the consciousness of a group relate?
• What are driving forces social behavior person?

However, social psychology studies not only the individual in a group, but also the psychology of social groups themselves.

Social group is a community of people with common goals, values, norms of behavior and interests. But in order for a group to be formed, one unifying factor is enough, for example, a common goal.

Leadership, management, team cohesion, aggressiveness, conformity, adaptation, socialization, prejudices, stereotypes and many other group processes and phenomena are studied by social psychology.

Methods and branches of social psychology

Methods of socio-psychological research usually divided into two classes:

• research methods,
• methods of influence.

TO research methods include:

In its relatively short period of existence, social psychology has managed to turn into the most extensive and popular branch of psychology. There were a lot of big ones in it sub-sectors, which are applied:

• conflictology,
• ethnic psychology,
• political psychology,
• psychology of religion,
• psychology of management,
• psychology of communication,
• psychology of interpersonal relationships,
• family psychology,
• mass psychology,
• social psychology of personality and a number of other sections.

Region practical application social psychology and its sub-branches is absolutely the entire system of social relations.

Development of social psychology

Social psychology began very actively develop in the post-war, 50s of the twentieth century due to the fact that the Second World War left a lot of pressing social questions unanswered. These were questions about the social nature of man, about why people behave in one way or another, finding themselves under the yoke of unbearable circumstances to which one would not like to adapt, but is necessary in order to survive.

Since the second half of the 20th century, abroad and in the Soviet Union, experiments, aimed at studying various socio-psychological phenomena.

One can recall a series of experiments about submission to authority American psychologist S. Milgram (1933-1984), who showed that adults and man of sense is ready to go to great lengths (in the experiment, to cause severe pain to another person), blindly following the instructions of an authority figure. The submission and compliance of most people knows no bounds.

Interestingly, S. Milgram also experimentally substantiated The theory of "six handshakes". It was this psychologist who proved that any two people on Earth are separated by no more than five levels of mutual acquaintances, that is, each person indirectly knows any other inhabitant of the Earth (whether he is a TV star or a beggar on the other side of the world) on average through five mutual acquaintances.

People live and figuratively are not so far from each other as it seems, but, nevertheless, they are ready to harm their neighbor, at the first “instruction from above.” All people are connected and close to each other. Every time we forget about this, humanity jeopardizes the very fact of its existence.

V.S. Mukhina demonstrated that readiness of a person to agree with the opinion of the crowd or an authoritative statement, which sometimes reaches the point of ridiculousness. Her experiments were repeated in 2010, but the results are still the same: people are more likely to believe what others say than their own eyes.

In the twentieth and at the beginning of our century, many other various experiments were carried out, during which they studied:

• influence of funds mass media for personal settings - K. Hovland;
• how group pressure shapes its members to behave the same way - S. Ash;
• learning without awareness - J. Grinspoon;
• diffusion of responsibility - B. Latan and J. Darley;
• communication as a unity of three processes ( social perception, communication, interaction) – G.M. Andreeva, A.A. Bodalev, A.A. Leontyev;
• intergroup relations – V.S. Ageev, T.G. Stefanenko;
• interpersonal and intergroup conflict– A.I. Dontsov, N.V. Grishin, Yu.M. Borodkin and others;
• and so on, the list could go on for a long time.

All these numerous and interesting socio-psychological experiments formed a scientific and practical basis for understanding the social nature of man and contributed to development of society.

Unfortunately, there is also negative aspect popularity of social psychology. Valuable knowledge, obtained as a result of social research, are used in politics, economics and advertising, often with the aim of manipulating the consciousness of the masses with further programming of their behavior.

Today, those in power cannot do without image makers, PR managers and other specialists with psychological knowledge, and they also sponsor socio-psychological research, because they know that the data obtained helps to manipulate the consciousness of citizens even more skillfully.

Have you ever taken part in a socio-psychological study before?

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Social Psychology - a branch of psychology that studies human behavior in society (society), mental phenomena that occur during the interaction of different groups of people. That is, it examines the patterns of behavior of people who are part of various groups, their thoughts about each other, how they influence each other, and how they relate to each other. This direction appeared in mid-19th century. Before this, it was presented only as a social philosophy.

Uniqueness this direction is that it lies between sociology and psychology. It cannot be attributed to any of these areas. It is rather unifying. The fact is that psychology considers more intrapersonal aspects and social situations, while sociology considers extrapersonal and social processes that determine human behavior. The object of study of social psychology is both intrapersonal and extrapersonal aspects.

A person spends most of his life in society among other people, uniting with them in various groups: family, work team, friends, sports clubs, etc. At the same time, these groups interact with other groups of people, both small and large. Understanding how this interaction occurs is important for resolving family and national conflicts, in the system of people management, etc.

Wherein A group is defined as several people united by one action. For example, if people witnessed an accident and gathered to watch, then such a gathering of people is not considered a group. If they began to help the participants in the accident, then they formed a temporary group united by one action.

Groups provide satisfaction of certain needs of society as a whole and each of its members individually.

Due to this Social psychology divides groups into the following categories:

1. Primary groups (family), to which a person comes first and secondary groups(work collective), where a person comes after primary groups.
2. Large groups (nations, peoples) and small groups (family, friends).
3. Formal and informal. A formal structure is created to carry out official tasks. Informal connections arise spontaneously as individuals interact.

Groups perform 4 functions:

1. Socialization is the process of including an individual in a certain social environment and assimilating its norms and values. Thus, the family serves to acquire certain life skills in a social environment.
2. Instrumental - the implementation of one or another joint activities of people. Participation in such groups, as a rule, provides a person with material means of living and provides him with opportunities for self-realization.
3. Expressive - meeting people's needs for approval, respect and trust. This role is usually performed by primary informal groups.
4. Supportive - Bringing people together during difficult situations. As experiments have shown, in the face of danger, people strive to get psychologically closer to each other.

The properties of groups are influenced by size and number. Some sociologists believe that a group begins with the union of 2 people, but a number of scientists argue that the minimum composition of a group is 3 people. This is due to the fragility of the dyad. In the triad, interaction already occurs in two directions, which makes the structure more durable. The maximum small group size is 10 people. Typically, in social psychology the term small group and the primary group are equivalent.

The structure of the group depends on its goals, and is also influenced by socio-demographic, social and psychological factors. They can cause the group to break up into several smaller groups.

Very great attention social psychology focuses psychological compatibility in groups, since its members have to come into contact with each other. And here, clashes and misunderstandings are possible. It is also possible to create an entire group.

Scientists have discovered 4 types of communicative behavior:

1. People who strive for leadership, trying to subordinate other people to accomplish a given task.
2. People who strive to complete a task alone.
3. People who adapt to the group and easily obey the orders of others.
4. Collectivists who strive to complete a given task through joint efforts.

Therefore one of important tasks is to build relationships between these groups of people in a team.

Social psychologists study the effectiveness of individual and group decision making. At development of group decisions sociologists also noticed dividing people into 5 categories:

1. Individuals tend to talk more than others.
2. Individuals with high status have more influence on decisions than individuals with low status.
3. Groups often spend a significant proportion of their time resolving interpersonal differences.
4. Groups can lose sight of their purpose and end up with incongruous conclusions.
5. Group members often experience exceptionally strong pressure to conform.

IN Lately sociologists began to pay great attention to issues of management and leadership, noting their differences. They highlighted 3 types of leadership:

1. Autocratic. The leader makes decisions alone, determining all the activities of his subordinates and not giving them the opportunity to take the initiative.
2. Democratic. The leader involves subordinates in the decision-making process based on group discussion, stimulating their activity and sharing with them all decision-making powers.
3. Free. The leader avoids any personal participation in decision making, giving subordinates complete freedom to make decisions on their own.

So you can see the importance scientific research in the field of social psychology, the importance practical use this knowledge in Everyday life of people.

Social psychology draws information from various areas social, psychological, general humanitarian knowledge, enriching it at the same time with his discoveries. Its connections with psychology and sociology are close.

The significance of connections with psychology is due to the fact that in late XIX- beginning of the 20th century. she significantly changed the content of her subject, considering the psyche as a product of the socio-historical development of man and society. No less important is the fact that in order to explain ontogenesis (development) mental processes psychology began to use such social categories as “interaction”, “communication”, “cooperation”. All this determined the peculiarities of the analysis of the relationship between the individual and the social, internal and external. Without weakening its interest in man’s reflection of objective reality, psychology simultaneously viewed the psyche as a regulator of social relations. She stopped counting the social external factor, under the pressure of which the transformation of a person’s internal (mental) life occurs, and provided him with the significance of the primary factor. And internal mental processes were considered in interaction with social factors. their psychology began to be interpreted as external operations, which in the process of interaction moved into the internal sphere of the individual.

Rice. 2. in

yes, they became his emotional, volitional or intellectual act.

Started in the 20s of the XX century. American psychologist Floyd Allport and Russian physiologist Vladimir Bekhterev experimental studies the influence of the socio-psychological factor has shown that in the presence of other people, especially during interaction with them, the performance of an individual changes - it increases or decreases. The direct influence of one individual on another is the simplest socio-psychological phenomenon. This gives grounds to assert that psychology has begun to focus on the use social factors in explaining the essence of the psyche, and social psychology as independent science began to take shape from the first attempts to explain why an individual’s activity changes in the presence of others. Modern psychology studies general patterns human psyche and is the source of development of all industries psychological science, defines the foundations of scientific and psychological research in the field of social psychology.

The relationship between social psychology and sociology arose at the beginning of the 20th century, using psychological data during analysis social structures and relationships. This is clearly manifested in microsociology, which pays most attention in explaining social phenomena pays attention to the motives and meanings of behavior, interpersonal relationships. In this context, psychology and sociology, each solving its own problems, form a new discipline - social psychology. However, not everyone who was called a social psychologist had the same understanding of the essence of this science. Often professional sociologists considered themselves social psychologists, and vice versa.

In general, sociology as the science of society, social institutions and social communities studies the laws of development and functioning of society, the nature and character of social, group and individual values and normal. Social psychology studies the specific mechanisms of their formation. If sociology explains sources social activity person, then social psychology - the ways and patterns of its manifestation. Unlike sociology, it studies non-objectively existing social relations between people, not the social communities that arise on the basis of these relationships, but how people reflect in their consciousness, concretize in their assessments and real behavior. By studying specific patterns and mechanisms of the relationship between the individual and society, social psychology finds out how and why the social (society, organization, group) influences the individual; as a person, her activities affect the functioning social group; how the socio-psychological reality that arises in the process of such a relationship is manifested.

A lot of common features have social psychology and personality psychology, which studies the patterns of formation of a person as a subject of life, mechanisms for integrating all mental processes and properties of the individual into a systemic quality that mediates his interaction with social environment through the process of socialization. Both sciences study the individual. The subject of personality psychology covers the structure, functional characteristics, driving forces of formation and deviations in personality development, and the like. It focuses on individual internal mechanisms and differences between individuals. Social psychology, focusing on an individual or a group of people, is concerned with how society influences a person, a community, how social situations change the behavior of an individual, what determines the formation of conformal or independent, aggressive or altruistic individuals, which determines mass behavior and group dynamics phenomena.

The connection between social psychology and speleology (Greek act - highest degree, top, highest point, best time in human development) - a branch of psychological science that studies the patterns and mechanisms of human development at the stage of maturity, its achievement high level. Since unprofessionalism gives rise to psychological discomfort, uncertainty, confusion, apathy, a state of frustration (deception, futile expectation) and the like, great importance impart to the development of the secrets of mastery, the formation psychological readiness carry out activities effectively and efficiently, seeing the paths that lead to professionalism. An important issue acmeology is the formation general principles improvements professional activity and communication between specialists. It is in the aspect of professionalism of communication and interaction that the direct connection of social psychology to acmeology is seen, because the problem of socio-psychological reflection is directly related to the problem of the psychology of communication, and professional interaction is inseparable from communication.

Traditionally, acmeology examines the patterns and mechanisms of human development at the stage of maturity. However, the development of skills and abilities of socio-psychological reflection, including communication, the acquisition of social and moral experience, which are integral attributes of mastery and professionalism, are laid down in childhood. So, mature man is not born, the state of maturity is influenced by all previous stages of its development. Therefore, acmeology examines personality development in the preschool and school periods. To a large extent, this predetermines the connection between social psychology and developmental psychology, which studies the specific properties of the individual and his psyche in the process of changing age stages of development. Special scientific interest poses a problem early formation professional fundamentals life of the individual, which ensures its stability in extreme conditions.

The intensification of international economic and cultural relations actualizes the interaction of social psychology with ethnopsychology. Professionalism of modern communication activities presupposes that specialists have knowledge and business skills international negotiations, informal communication with representatives different nationalities. For social psychology and ethnopsychology, which studies the ethnic characteristics of the human psyche, national character, patterns of formation and functioning national identity, ethnic stereotypes, it is especially valuable to find ways to regulate business communication both within an ethnic group and at the international level.

Effective is the interaction of social psychology with management psychology, which produces psychological knowledge about management activities. It's about on the study of socio-psychological factors of managerial activity and career, socio-psychological consulting on problems of managerial development, socio-psychological mechanisms of managerial adaptation, socio-psychological mechanisms of professional managerial deformation and regressive personal development. An important issue is the communicative training of a leader as one of the most important factors the effectiveness of its work.

Social psychology is also connected with other branches of psychological science ( educational psychology, cultural psychology, political psychology, legal psychology), as well as with pedagogy, philosophy, history, economics.