The Four Major Theoretical Perspectives Of Social Psychology

There are four Major Theoretical Perspectives of Social Psychology. The first is Sociocultural where an individual’s behavior is influenced by their surroundings. Second, is Evolutionary, this is how an individual’s psychological traits contribute to survival. Another theoretical perspective is known as Social Learning, which explains how an individual’s past experiences will drive them to either perform a task or not, depending on whether they experienced positive or negative reinforcement. Finally, comes Social Cognitive perspective which describes how an individual will choose where to focus their attention in a given situation.

Sociocultural perspective can be found in a variety of places such as: restaurants, churches, funerals, and classes. …show more content…
I witness this perspective at family parties and in class. Commonly at family parties, I find myself walking around trying to find the most appealing conversation to listen to. If I can’t find my place I tend to stay near my sister as if it is a safe zone. In class, it is sometimes hard not to drift off from a lecture to playing a game on my phone, daydreaming or listening to the surrounding classmates plans for the weekend. I would say that in class I lose focus when the pace is too slow, or the teacher is very monotone in their lectures. On the other hand, at a family party if I lose interest in a topic of discussion, I can walk away to either get some food or find a different group of people to join.

In conclusion, these perspectives of social psychology are apparent in everyday life. Just our experiences growing up or even our day-to-day activities, we encounter each of these in different manners. We tend to be so focused on ourselves that they are not as easily noticeable, but in all reality, we react based on our experiences and circumstances that happen around us. These circumstances are what make these perspectives apart of our everyday