The Psychology Book (68 page)

Everyday Life
, which

Obedience
illustrates

demonstrating the

override their own

claims that
social

that people will ignore

tendency for groups

judgement in order

interaction
is a

their own moral values

to conform.

to conform.

performance
.

to
obey authority
.

A
s psychology became influenced by the psychology of individual and his environment, established as a scientific

their individual members. Social

as well as the nature of that

discipline, its scope was

psychologists, as they were called,

environment. In his studies of small

at first limited to the examination

also studied the relationships

groups, he laid the foundations for

of the mind and its workings, before

between individuals within these

later examinations of group

broadening to include the study of

groups and between different

dynamics and how groups and

behavior. For much of the first half

groups. This introduced a new

their members bring about change.

of the 20th century, this meant

set of topics to psychology,

Behaviorism fell out of favor

the emphasis was very much on

including group dynamics,

after World War II, and Lewin’s

a study of the mind and behavior of

attitudes, and prejudice, as well

ideas about the effect of the

individuals and their responses to

as social conflict, conformity,

social environment provided an

their environment, though it

obedience, and social change.

alternative that was enthusiastically

became increasing clear to

taken up by the next generation.

some psychologists that “the

Social environment

The concept of “attribution”—the

environment” includes other people.

Among the first to make a

way we see and interpret the

The field of social psychology

systematic study of the psychology

behavior of others—became an

emerged in the 1930s, when

of social groups was German–

area of specific research, and from

psychologists began to explore the

American Kurt Lewin, considered

that came theories of conformity

interactions of individuals within

the “father of social psychology.”

and cultural norms such as

groups and society as a whole.

Lewin took a fresh look at the

those of Solomon Asch. Erving

They examined the effect of social

dominant behaviorist approach,

Goffman’s best-known theory—

organizations on the individual, and

examining how behavior results

that we act out certain behaviors to

the way that social structures are

from the interaction between the

suit the impression we want to give

SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 217

Elliot Aronson develops

the
“jigsaw classroom”

Melvin Lerner
suggests

William Glasser

technique to reduce

Janet Taylor Spence and

his
just world theory
,

publishes
Reality

ethnic rivalry and

Robert Helmreich

which claims that many

Therapy
, which forms

encourage cooperation in

devise the
Attitudes

of us tend to believe

the basis of his later

newly desegregated

toward Women

that people get what

Choice Theory
.

classrooms.

Scale
(AWS).

they deserve.

1965

1971

1972

1978

1968

1971

1977

1994

Robert Zajonc conducts

Philip Zimbardo
runs the

Roger Brown and James

Ignacio Martín-Baró

experiments on the

Stanford Prison

Kulik publish
Flashbulb

calls for
“Liberation

mere exposure effect
.

Experiment
.

Memories
, about our

Psychology
,
”
for poor

special
biological

and war-torn countries.

memory mechanism
.

to others—also came out of this

processes such as memory and

The 1960s saw the rise of the civil

new emphasis on the importance

emotion were highlighted by Roger

rights movement and feminism,

of social interaction.

Brown and Robert Zajonc, and

both of which challenged the status

Research in the 1960s shed light

these findings were exploited

quo. Issues surrounding prejudice,

on the darker aspects of behavior;

widely by the mass media and

cultural norms, and beliefs came

Melvin Lerner showed how victims