Social Psychology Definition

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Introduction
The study of human influence on human behavior, thought and feeling is vital. It fundamentally helps humans to understand how thought, behavior and feelings of individuals are influenced by the existence of other human beings. This scientific study is called social psychology. It encompasses social perceptions and interactions to promote the understanding of human behavior. It also focuses on the study of human relationship with each other (Myers, 2010).
Social psychology differs from other disciplines such as clinical psychology, sociology and general psychology in many ways. Despite of the existence of the differences, there also exist some relationships between the disciplines. For instance, social psychology entirely depends on sociology to understand human nature and behaviors. The information about human culture, organization and societal structure are all retrieved from sociology.
On the other hand, differences exist between the two disciplines. First, the processes that sociology mainly focuses on are the social processes. On the other hand, social psychology mainly deals with the mental processes. The social processes facilitate the interaction between individuals and groups. The interactions foster development of system of relationships between the individuals. The mental process dealt with in social psychology involves the thinking process of the mind which is a cognitive activity. The sociologists are mainly concerned with the cultures and institutions that dictate people’s behaviors. The social psychologists are in turn concerned with the variables that influence the social behaviors of individuals (Myers, 2010).
Secondly, the study of sociology is mainly centered in the social structures and forms of individuals. Social psychology differs from sociology in this context in that it is mainly concerned with the study a particular individual and his/her behavior. In addition, sociology takes into account the study of a society as a whole whereas in social psychology the study has been specified. It has been centered on the study of a particular individual behavior of man.
Thirdly, clinical psychology mainly deals with the internal functioning of the mind of an individual. Social psychology entangles itself to deal with the external influences that are dictated by social psychology. For instance, clinical psychology encompasses practices that help in evaluation and analysis of ...