1.4 The Social Approach

Main Content

What Is the Social Approach?

The Social Approach in psychology is all about how other people affect the way we think, feel, and behave. Social psychologists believe that we are not just influenced by our own personality — the situations we find ourselves in, the groups we belong to, and the people around us all shape what we do.

The American psychologist Elliott Aronson described humans as "social animals" — meaning that relationships and interactions with others are central to who we are and why we act the way we do.

The Two Main Assumptions

Every approach in psychology has assumptions — basic ideas that the approach is built on. The Social Approach has two:

1. Our behaviour, thoughts, and feelings are influenced by social contexts, social environments, and groups.

   • What this means: The situation you are in — for example, being at school versus being at a football match — changes how you behave. A classroom environment encourages quiet and attentiveness; a football stadium encourages shouting and cheering. The same person behaves differently in each place.

2. Our behaviour, thoughts, and feelings are influenced by the actual, implied, or imagined presence of others.

   • What this means: You do not even need someone to be physically there to be influenced. Just thinking about what others might think of you can change your behaviour. For example, you might tidy your room before a friend visits — even if they have not arrived yet.

Key Concepts

Social Environment vs Social Context

• The social environment is the physical place where a social interaction happens — for example, a subway train, a classroom, or a park.
• The social context is your personal interpretation of that environment — what it means to you, based on who you are with and what role you play. Two people in the same environment can experience it very differently. For example, a student in a classroom might feel comfortable, while a new student on their first day might feel anxious — same environment, different context.

Social Norms

Social norms are the unwritten rules about how people are expected to behave in a given situation. We learn these rules gradually through experience and by watching others.

• Some social norms are universal (everyone follows them), while others change depending on culture.
• For example, in some cultures, standing very close to someone when talking is perfectly normal. In others, it is considered rude or uncomfortable.
• These norms are unwritten — nobody hands you a rulebook, but you learn them naturally as you grow up.

How do we learn social norms?

• Through observational learning — watching others and copying their behaviour.
• Through social conditioning — we learn that following norms leads to approval and acceptance, while breaking them leads to disapproval and exclusion.

Conformity

Conformity is when a person changes their behaviour, opinions, or attitudes to match those of other people or a group. For example, wearing similar clothes to your friendship group or changing your opinion to agree with the majority are both forms of conformity.

Why do we conform? Thousands of years ago, humans needed to live and work in groups to survive — hunting together, protecting each other, sharing food. Those who cooperated were more likely to survive and pass on their genes. As a result, humans today have a deep, built-in desire to belong. Conformity helps us fit in with groups, which satisfies this need.

Even the hormone oxytocin (a chemical in the brain) plays a role — it encourages bonding, trust, and social closeness.

Actual, Implied, and Imagined Presence

The influence of others does not require them to be physically present:

• Actual presence: Someone is physically there watching you.
• Implied presence: A symbol of someone (like a picture of eyes) makes you aware of being watched.
• Imagined presence: You imagine what others might think of your behaviour.

Research has shown that just placing a picture of a pair of eyes near a payment box (where people pay voluntarily for a drink) increases the amount of money left — people feel as if they are being watched, even though no real person is present.