The branch of psychology that studies how people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual or imagined presence of others.
From Latin 'socialis' (allied) + Greek 'psychologia' (study of the mind). How the social world shapes the mind.
Social psychology reveals how other people shape everything you think, feel, and do — even when nobody else is in the room, their influence is there!
Social psychology research (1960s-1980s) often used male participants or treated gender as a control variable rather than substantive variable; findings on conformity, aggression, and leadership were presented as universal but reflected male behavior patterns. Women's social behavior was often pathologized.
Use 'social psychology' but prioritize research that disaggregates by gender and tests whether findings hold across genders. Recognize social dynamics differ by gender and power.
["gender-informed social psychology"]
Feminist social psychologists (e.g., Michelle Fine, Jean Baker Miller) exposed how power and gender shape social behavior; their work reframed 'female' social patterns as adaptive responses, not deficits.
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