The Effects that Social Psychology Has on Ourselves

The term ‘nature versus nurture’ is a widely discussed phenomenon in modern day psychology. It refers to the debate of whether human behavior is attributed more to inherited traits or to environmental influences. When psychologists discuss environment, they can include a physical place, cultural practices, or just the people one surrounds themselves with in social settings. Social psychology discusses how people influence others’ behaviors, actions and beliefs (Lilienfeld, S; Lynn, S; Namy, L; Woolf, N, 2014, pg 496). Our environment, or more specifically the people around us, can influence us to act in atypical ways without our realizing it. Because humans are a social species, we are affected by our society and have a natural tendency to conform to the behaviors of people around us (Lilienfeld et al, 2014, page 503). Research has showed that we tend to believe that others are susceptible to social influence, but that we are immune to this same pressure (Lilienfe ld et al, 2014, pg 496). This idea has been proven false time and time again, and we see the contrary results when we look at social attribution error. Social attribution theory is when we tend to overlook the impact of environmental influences on a person and instead blame their behavior on their personality, beliefs and intelligence (Lilienfeld et al, 2014, pg 501). For example, consider a person waiting in a long Starbucks line at seven in the morning. When the cashier takes your order, she avoids eye contactShow MoreRelated The Interrelationship among Self, Others, and Environment1177 Words   |  5 Pagesor environment? Questions such as this form the foundation of social psychology, a field with the primary focus being the systematic study of human cognition, emotion, and actions. 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