Class 2: Sociological Social Psychology
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Class Notes
"The examination of public social life is to recognize the social significance in mundane behaviors" (Fine 1995:6).
Sociological Social Psychology is the systematic study of the nature and causes of human behavior (Michener, DeLamater, and Myers 2004).
This definition has three parts:
- The study is systematic, which means it follows a rigorous scientific approach.
- It is interested in the nature and causes, which means it isn't just interested in reporting how things occur, but explaining why they happen.
- It is interested in human behavior, not animals.
Social Psychologists are interested in the affect, behavior, and cognition behind action (Fine, 1995).
- Affect - what you feel; for example, engaging in an exchange with someone who gives you less than what you think you deserve will make you feel upset, cheated, angry.
- Behavior - what you do; for example, after the unfair exchange, you may refuse to exchange with that partner again, ending the exchange behavior with that partner.
- Cognition - what you think; using the example of the unfair exchange, you may think that the other party is guilty of fraud or is immoral.
To illustrate this, let's listen to the song "Where is the Love", by the Black Eyed Peas [lyrics]
This song might make you feel inspired or frustrated, while it might make you get tears in your eyes (behavior), while it may make you think that you should act differently or get involved in advocating for the war, and so on.
Quadrant of Action
All action (even mundane acts) is based on four aspects of action-- the body, mind, social, and cultural (Fine, 1995). Think of any activity that you do-- it is motivated or constrained by the body, the mind, social interaction, and the culture. Today to go to work I put on a pair of nice pants and a sweater. (Body) It is chilly outside today, so my body would have been cold if I had worn shorts or a skirt. I also wore clothes that were my size to fit the body that I have. (Mind) I knew that I had to teach a class today, and wanted to put on clothes that looked professional. (Social) My mother taught me that wearing slacks and a sweater is a way to look presentable but still be warm. (Cultural) It is culturally acceptable for women to wear pants and a sweater in America at this time.
Activity
- Body: When I woke up this morning, my body alerted me through a growling stomach that I was hungry.
- Mind: I knew that I was running late, and wanted something that was fast to eat.
- Social: My mother taught me to eat toast by giving it to me for breakfast when I was a child.
- Cultural: Whereas some foods are considered weird within our culture to eat for breakfast (soup, nachos, ice cream), toast is a culturally acceptable breakfast choice.
Works Cited
Fine, Gary Alan. 1995. "The Person and Social Interaction." Pp. 1-7 in Sociological Perspectives on Social Psychology, edited by K. S. Cook, G. A. Fine, and J. S. House. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
Michener, H. Andrew, John D. DeLamater, and Daniel J. Myers. 2004. Social Psychology. 5th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thompson Learning.
