Introduction to Social Psychology

Introduction to Social Psychology Order Description Primary Task:Write 300 words that respond to the followin" rel="nofollow">ing questions with your thoughts, ideas, and comments. Be substantive and clear, and use examples to rein" rel="nofollow">inforce your ideas. Social psychology is the study of how a person or a group’s feelin" rel="nofollow">ings, thoughts, and behaviors are in" rel="nofollow">influenced by surroundin" rel="nofollow">ing factors (social stimuli). One of the first major theorists to examin" rel="nofollow">ine how external factors in" rel="nofollow">influence people was Kurt Lewin" rel="nofollow">in. Lewin" rel="nofollow">in is best known for his creation of field theory. Field theory is based on the concept that an in" rel="nofollow">individual must be understood within" rel="nofollow">in his or her “field” or external life space, in" rel="nofollow">includin" rel="nofollow">ing all of the person’s needs, goals, or external circumstances that might in" rel="nofollow">influence behavior. Of particular importance are Lewin" rel="nofollow">in’s descriptions of conflict situations. He described three common conflict situations, as follows (Lewin" rel="nofollow">in, 1951): Approach-approach conflict: Occurs when a person needs to choose between two equally attractive and positive goals Avoidance-avoidance conflict: Occurs when a person needs to choose between two negative options that are both equally unsatisfyin" rel="nofollow">ing Approach-avoidance conflict: Occurs when a person is both attracted to and resistant of the same situation It is possible to see the three main" rel="nofollow">in conflict situations frequently within" rel="nofollow">in one's own life and those of others. One can also see how competin" rel="nofollow">ing forces within" rel="nofollow">in a person’s field can lead to in" rel="nofollow">indecision or in" rel="nofollow">internal conflict. 1-Describe a situation from your own life in" rel="nofollow">in which you felt uncertain" rel="nofollow">in about a decision that you needed to make. Please make sure to use an example that you feel comfortable disclosin" rel="nofollow">ing. ---Which type of conflict situation (approach-approach, avoidance-avoidance, or approach-avoidance) best fits your example, and why? ---Describe some of the in" rel="nofollow">influencin" rel="nofollow">ing factors within" rel="nofollow">in your field or life space at that time. 2-How did you resolve the conflict in" rel="nofollow">in your example? ---Did you notice that your feelin" rel="nofollow">ings about the decision became more or less positive or negative as you moved toward your goal? Describe this process. ---Perhaps you found a way to delay makin" rel="nofollow">ing a decision. If so, describe how you managed to fin" rel="nofollow">ind a sense of equilibrium between the competin" rel="nofollow">ing aspects of the conflict. Reference Lewin" rel="nofollow">in, K. (1951). Field theory in" rel="nofollow">in social science. New York, NY: Harper.