Social Psychology and How It Impacts People

Unit 5 Discussion Psychology
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An intriguing field of study, social psychology investigates how people's thoughts, feelings, and actions are influenced by their social surroundings and the people with whom they interact. This concept serves as a filter through which we can analyze how our own and other people's perspectives shape our interactions. Hwang (2023) indicated that social psychology draws on cognition and symbolic interaction theories to examine how thoughts and conversations shape individual lives and the world.
Considering the symbolic interaction theory, people behave based on social interactions and change their choices accordingly (Spielman, Jenkins & Lovett, 2020). To illustrate the theory, my friend's choice to adopt a vegetarian lifestyle is an intriguing illustration of social psychology. Being the only vegetarian in her family of meat eaters, she initially struggled with conflicting ideas and societal pressure. Her social group, which was predominately vegetarian, persuaded her to adopt this new way of life, demonstrating...