Social Psychology Paper

PSY201

April 7, 2014

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Social Psychology Paper

In the psychology field, it is essential that professionals learn why people act a certain way to determine their motives. Social psychology is the study of people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. In addition, social psychology studies how influences such as social cognition, social influence, and social norms affect people's behavior. What are the causes and influences that affect each person's behavior and make them different? Is it their character, their environment, or their motivations? There are several factors that determine why people behave the way they do. Some of the factors that affect everyone's behavior are attitude, conformity, social interactions, and group influence.

Sarah is a young teenager and she has an opportunity to go to a party with her friends. Sarah has a curfew set by her parents and she must decide what her attitude is about breaking the curfew rule.

Journal of Social Psychology

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A person's attitude is their thoughts, feelings, and actions toward a specific person, group of people, objects, or situation. A few factors contributed towards Sarah's attitude regarding her curfew. Such as her parent's expectations of her, the social factor of making new friends, and the act of trying something new. Knowing her parents expected a particular behavior from her, the response to this knowing created internal conflict. Since Sarah was making new friends and trying something new, it gave her a sense of belonging. Belonging to a group and social influence can contribute towards a person's attitude.

Cognitive dissonance is the internal conflict of deciding what the correct or incorrect response. The cognitive dissonance for Sarah was whether she should ignore the imposed curfew rule and go to a party with her friends. Sarah...