Social Psychology

Social Psychology:
The study of how our thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and behaviors are influenced by interactions with others.

Social Cognition:
Focuses on how we perceive, store, and retrieve information about social interactions

Common Questions:

• Why did are we friends?
• Why am I attracted to my friends?
• What perceptions do I have of my friends?

THINK PAIR SHARE
What is a time where you made an initial judgement of a friend that was negative, and after getting to know them your opinion changed?

Social Needs:

• praise
• respect
• love
• affection
• achievement
• rewarding experiences

Our social needs can only be achieved through social interactions.

"Misery loves company"

• Desire for human contact intensifies through fear and anxiety.

Uncertainty

• Companionship can reduce uncertainty
• Comparing similar experiences
• Friends act as mediators in tough situations

Friendship & Stress

• Friendship can hinder the ability to deal with small amounts of stress.
• Constantly reviewing smaller problems only increases sensitivity to those problems.

How do we choose friends?

• Proximity
• Reward Values
• Physical Appearance
• Approval
• Similarity
• Complementarity

Proximity

• The distance from one another that people live/work.
• Constant contact allows proximity friends to become close.

Reward Values

• Take into account the Stimulation Value, Utility Value, and Ego-Support Value
• We constantly evaluate our friends on the value they give us.

Physical Appearance

• Physical appearance influences our choice of friends and significant others.
• Humans typically seek those they consider equals on the scale of attractiveness.
• "Hot Crazy Matrix" video

Approval

• Seeking approval can be important.
• We seek those that give us praise and criticism.
• Why?

Similarity

• Opposites don't always attract...
• Communication is easier when there are common interests and beliefs.

Complementarity

• The attraction that often develops between opposite types of people because of the ability of one to supply what the other lacks.
• Psychologists agree that similarities are more important.

Assignment:
Choose 2 of the 6 attributes that you believe are the most important to you personally. Write a brief description describing why you feel they are the most important.