Social psychology is a branch of psychology that focuses on analysis of the individual's behavior towards their social relations.
Social psychology is an area that is on the border between psychology and sociology, according to some theorists. In fact, the point that differentiates both is that the object of study in psychology focuses on the individual, while sociology focuses on the social group.
However, as an object of study, social psychology can have two strands: psychological or sociological. THE psychological social psychology it is limited to explaining the individual's actions based on the stimuli he receives from outside (their feelings, behaviors and thoughts, for example). already the sociological social psychology studies the phenomena that arise in different groups from the interaction of people with them.
Learn more about meaning of sociology.
The purpose of social psychology is to identify the traits that link individuals to groups. According to this branch of study, all people would have a different behavior when they are inserted in a social sphere, different from that presented when they are alone.
Social psychology still studies the interdependence between individuals, as well as the human conditioning, that is, how external stimuli experienced in society can interfere with one's thinking and, consequently, in the person's behavior.
The development of theoretical researches carried out in the scope of social psychology, mainly in the question of conditioning, is the authorship of the German-American psychologist Kurt Lewin (1890 - 1947), considered by many to be the founder of social psychology.
Learn more about meaning of psychology.
