Social Psychology

Watch

• The psychology of narcissism - W. Keith Campbell ↗TED-Ed
• The Secret to Understanding Humans | Larry C. Rosen | TEDxsalinas ↗TEDx Talks
• Who are you, really? The puzzle of personality | Brian Little | TED ↗TED
• Money, happiness and eternal life - Greed (1/2) | DW Documentary ↗DW Documentary
• Mental health and resilience - the secrets of inner strength | DW Documentary ↗DW Documentary
• Your Brain: Who's in Control? | Full Documentary | NOVA | PBS ↗NOVA PBS Official

Read

• The Social Animal ↗An accessible primer, this work distills core social psychology concepts, revealing the subtle forces shaping human interaction and belief.Elliot Aronson
• Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion ↗Essential reading for understanding the six universal principles of persuasion, offering a practical lens on how and why people say 'yes'.Robert Cialdini
• Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts ↗A compelling exploration of cognitive dissonance, this book dissects the human tendency to justify errors and maintain self-esteem, even in the face of contradictory evidence.Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson
• Behavioral Study of ObedienceThis seminal paper documents the chilling Milgram experiment, profoundly illustrating the power of authority and situational factors over individual conscience.Stanley Milgram
• Cognitive Consequences of Forced ComplianceThe foundational study demonstrating cognitive dissonance, revealing how people alter their beliefs to justify actions that contradict their attitudes.Leon Festinger and J. Merrill Carlsmith

Voices to follow

• Carol Dweck ↗Her research on 'mindset' illuminates how beliefs about intelligence and ability shape social interactions and individual resilience.Professor of Psychology, Stanford University
• Robert Cialdini ↗A pre-eminent authority on the mechanics of persuasion, his work dissects the subtle levers of social influence that govern human behaviour.Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Marketing, Arizona State University
• Adam Grant ↗He translates complex social psychological principles into accessible insights on generosity, motivation, and the dynamics of effective collaboration.Organizational Psychologist and Professor, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
• Jonathan Haidt ↗His explorations into moral psychology and political tribalism offer a nuanced lens on the social forces fragmenting modern societies.Professor of Ethical Leadership, NYU Stern School of Business

Glossary

• AttributionAttribution is how we explain why people (including ourselves) do what they do. We try to figure out if someone's behavior is due to their personality (internal) or the situation they're in (external). For example, if your friend is late, you might attribute it to them being disorganized (internal) or to heavy traffic (external).
• Bystander EffectThe bystander effect is when a person is less likely to help someone in trouble if there are other people around. Everyone assumes someone else will help, so no one does. For example, if someone drops their books in a crowded hallway, you might not help because you think someone else will pick them up.
• Cognitive DissonanceCognitive dissonance is the uncomfortable feeling you get when your actions don't match your beliefs, or when you have two conflicting beliefs. To feel better, you often change one of your beliefs or actions. For example, if you believe smoking is bad but you smoke, you might tell yourself it's not that bad to reduce the uncomfortable feeling.
• ConformityConformity is when you change your behavior or beliefs to fit in with a group, even if you don't fully agree with them. You do it to be accepted or to avoid standing out. For example, if everyone in your class starts using a new slang word, you might start using it too, so you don't feel left out.
• DiscriminationDiscrimination is when you treat someone unfairly or differently because of their group membership, like their gender, race, or religion. It's the action that comes from prejudice. For example, a shop owner refusing to serve a customer because of their appearance is discrimination.
• GroupthinkGroupthink happens when a group of people makes bad decisions because everyone wants to agree and avoid conflict, even if some members have doubts. They prioritize harmony over critical thinking. For example, if a school project group agrees on a bad idea just because no one wants to challenge the leader, that's groupthink.
• PrejudicePrejudice is having a negative feeling or attitude towards a group of people, or an individual from that group, often without knowing them personally. It's usually based on stereotypes and not on facts. For example, disliking someone just because of their accent, before you've even spoken to them, is prejudice.
• Social InfluenceSocial influence is how other people, or groups of people, change our thoughts, feelings, and actions. It's like a hidden force that makes us act differently when others are around. For example, you might decide to try a new trend in clothes because all your friends are wearing it.
• Social NormsSocial norms are the unwritten rules or expectations about how people should behave in certain situations or in society. They guide our actions and interactions. For example, waiting in line at a shop or not talking loudly in a library are common social norms.
• StereotypeA stereotype is an oversimplified and often unfair idea or belief about a whole group of people. It assumes everyone in that group is the same, without considering individual differences. For example, believing that all teenagers are lazy is a stereotype.

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Where this connects to other fields, and why it's worth knowing.

• World Literature Literature

  Studies show that reading literary fiction measurably boosts your ability to guess what other people are thinking and feeling. Living inside characters' heads is basically a workout for empathy. World literature stretches that muscle even further by throwing you into minds shaped by totally different cultures.

• Civil Disobedience Law

  In a famous experiment, ordinary people kept pressing a button they thought was shocking a screaming stranger, just because a calm man in a coat told them to. That's how strong obedience runs in us. Which is why standing up to an unjust law is so rare; our default setting is 'do as you're told,' not 'follow your conscience.'

• Inequality & the Distribution of Wealth Economics

  Scientists studied British office workers and found something startling: the lower your rank, the sicker you were, even though everyone had a decent salary and healthcare. It wasn't being poor that hurt, it was being near the bottom of the ladder. Feeling low-status literally wears on the body.

• Religious Conflict Religion

  In one experiment, scientists split strangers into teams by a coin flip and people instantly favored their own random team. That's how little it takes to make us pick 'us' over 'them.' Religion doesn't invent that instinct, it just supplies an extra-sticky team label, one you're born into and pass to your kids.

• Revolutions & Upheaval History

  Revolutions seem to erupt out of nowhere because almost everyone hides their real opinion, quietly hating the regime while publicly playing along. Nobody knows how many others feel the same. Then a threshold tips, people pour into the streets, and the crowd suddenly discovers it was the majority all along, a hidden truth revealed in a single night.

• Tolerance and Pluralism Religion

  Just putting rival groups next to each other doesn't melt away prejudice, and can even make it worse. What actually works is making them team up to reach a shared goal they both want. Cooperation, not mere closeness, is what turns 'them' into 'us.'

• The Holocaust and Genocide History

  In a famous experiment, ordinary people gave what they thought were painful shocks just because a person in charge told them to. A thinker named Arendt saw the same thing in real killers: 'the banality of evil'. Mass murder is often done by regular people following orders, not rare monsters.