Theories Social Psychology 5 Important Social Psychology Concepts By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book." Learn about our editorial process Updated on November 03, 2023 Fact checked Verywell Mind content is rigorously reviewed by a team of qualified and experienced fact checkers. Fact checkers review articles for factual accuracy, relevance, and timeliness. We rely on the most current and reputable sources, which are cited in the text and listed at the bottom of each article. Content is fact checked after it has been edited and before publication. Learn more. by Sean Blackburn Fact checked by Sean Blackburn Sean is a fact-checker and researcher with experience in sociology, field research, and data analytics. Learn about our editorial process Print Caiaimage/Paul Bradbury / Getty Images Table of Contents View All Table of Contents Social Behavior Is Goal-Oriented Situations Help Determine Outcome Social Situations Form Self-Concept We Analyze the Behavior of Others We Believe Behavior Reflects Personality Trending Videos Close this video player Key social psychology concepts focus on different aspects of social behavior, including topics such as social cognition, social influence, prejudice, groupthink, and attitude formation. Social psychology is a branch of psychology concerned with how social influences affect how people think, feel, and act. The way we perceive ourselves in relation to the rest of the world plays an important role in our choices, behaviors, and beliefs. Conversely, the opinions of others also impact our behavior and the way we view ourselves. At a Glance Understanding social psychology can be helpful for many reasons, including giving us a better understanding of how groups impact our choices and actions. This article explores some fundamental aspects of social behavior that play a significant role in our actions and how we see ourselves. Social Behavior Is Goal-Oriented One essential social psychology concept is that our interactions serve goals or fulfill needs. Some common goals or needs include: The need for social tiesThe desire to understand ourselves and othersThe wish to gain or maintain status or protectionThe need to attract companions The way people behave is often driven by the desire to fulfill these needs. People seek friends and romantic partners, strive to gain social status, and attempt to understand the motivations that guide other people's behaviors. Situations Help Determine Outcome Another key social psychological concept is that people often behave very differently depending on the situation. To fully understand why people do what they do, it is essential to look at individual characteristics, the situation and its context, and the interactions among all these variables. For example, someone who is usually quiet and reserved might become much more outgoing when placed in a leadership role. Another example is how people sometimes behave differently in groups than they would if they were alone. Environmental and situational variables play an essential role in how people behave. Both can have a strong influence on our behavior. Social psychology allows us to gain a greater appreciation for how our social perceptions affect our interactions with other people. Social Situations Form Self-Concept Another important social psychological concept is that social interactions help form our self-concept and our perceptions. Reflected appraisal: One method of forming self-concept is through the reflected appraisal process, in which we imagine how other people see us. Social comparison: Another method is through the social comparison process, whereby we consider how we compare to other people in our peer group. Sometimes we engage in upward social comparison where we rate ourselves against people who are better off than us in some way. In other instances, we might engage in downward social comparison where we contrast our abilities to those of others who are less capable. We Analyze the Behavior of Others Social psychology is also concerned with understanding how people think about what others are thinking, feeling, and doing. This area of social psychology is known as social cognition, and it involves the processes that allow us to interpret and respond to the social signals around us. Expectation confirmation is one common social psychological concept that can influence how we interpret other people's behavior. It happens when we tend to ignore unexpected attributes and look for evidence that confirms our preexisting beliefs about others. This helps simplify our worldview. However, it also skews our perception and can contribute to stereotyping. If you expect people to behave in a certain way, you might look for examples that confirm your belief while at the same time ignoring evidence that conflicts with your existing opinions. We Believe Behavior Reflects Personality Another influence on our perceptions of other people can be explained by the theory of correspondent inferences. This occurs when we infer that the actions and behaviors of others correspond to their intentions and personalities. For example, if we see a woman helping an elderly person cross the street, we might assume she is kind-hearted. While behavior can be informative, it can also be misleading. If we have limited interaction with someone, the behavior we see may be atypical or caused by the specific situation rather than by the person's overriding dispositional characteristics. In the previous example, the woman might only be helping the elderly person because she has been employed to do so instead of out of the kindness of her heart. What This Means For You Learning more about social psychology can enrich your understanding of yourself and your world. By learning more about how people view others, how they behave in groups, and how attitudes are formed, you can gain a greater appreciation for how social relationships influence individual functioning. Overview of Social Psychology 6 Sources Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Böckler A. Why we share our cookies: Prosocial behavior from a psychological perspective. Anthropol Anz. 2019;76(3):181-194. doi:10.1127/anthranz/2019/0880 Xu X, Chen Y, Zhao Y, Yang J. The neural evidence of the reflected appraisal process as a main path for learning about one's self-knowledge of personality. Biol Psychol. 2015;110:85-90. doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2015.06.017 Meier A, Schäfer S. Positive side of social comparison on social network sites: How envy can drive inspiration on Instagram. Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw. 2018;21(7):411-417. doi:10.1089/cyber.2017.0708 Arioli M, Crespi C, Canessa N. Social cognition through the lens of cognitive and clinical neuroscience. Biomed Res Int. 2018;2018:4283427. doi:10.1155/2018/4283427 Ounjai K, Kobayashi S, Takahashi M, Matsuda T, Lauwereyns J. Active confirmation bias in the evaluative processing of food images. Sci Rep. 2018;8(1):16864. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-35179-9 Böhm G, Pfister HR. How people explain their own and others' behavior: a theory of lay causal explanations. Front Psychol. 2015;6:139. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00139 Additional Reading Hu Y, Parde CJ, Hill MQ, Mahmood N, O'Toole AJ. First impressions of personality traits from body shapes. Psychol Sci. 2018;:956797618799300. doi:10.1177/0956797618799300 Li J, Liu X, Ma L, Zhang W. Users’ intention to continue using social fitness-tracking apps: expectation confirmation theory and social comparison theory perspective. Inform Health Soc Care. 2019;44(3):298-312. doi:10.1080/17538157.2018.1434179 By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book." See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Review Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? Helpful Report an Error Other Submit