User:Jenny O/Final thoughts

What have we explored and learnt?
Social psychology is far more interesting and much broader than I ever imagined. In my experience it has drawn together a range of topics and has put them into perspective. I often found myself returning to textbooks and notes from other subjects to re-consider what I had taken away at the time. For that reason alone I think it is very well paced as a final third year unit. An interesting observation I have made in this degree is that studying psychology enables you to articulate what we have already learned or intuitively know about yourself and others. This has certainly been the case in social psychology. Having said that, my intuition and experiences are not always correct. The degree has certainly heightened my self-awareness, and my awareness of others. It would be interesting to hear how others feel about it.

We have covered a wide range of very interesting topics in this unit. As I have said however, I thought the way in which the social self was presented in the textbook was poorly managed and very confusing. That was unfortunate as I believe this is the most fundamental concept in social psychology (Fiske, 2004 did a much better job). The work we did on prejudice, aggression, and prosocial behaviour and applying these to the Rwandan Genocide and the work of Jane Elliott was very interesting and enabled us to gain a much deeper understanding of the concepts involved. A highlight for me was the application of social psychology to our immediate social and cultural world (the Australian Zeitgeist). I am now a fan of the Australian social researcher, Hugh McKay, who really struck a chord with me. Now that I have some time I intend to explore his work. Another surprising highlight was Environmental Psychology (Maybe because it is so fresh in my mind). Almost overnight, I have developed an unprecedented level of environmental concern, mainly due to the credible way in which the information was covered. (As we now know this concern is an important precursor to behavioural change). I think I have subconsciously ignored many environmental issues because of the alarmist way they are presented to us in the media – after a while you become habituated to their tactics. The application of psychology to the built environment also fascinated me. The notion that psychology could play such an important role just didn’t occur to me - I always assumed that was the job of a good architect (and they are few and far between in suburban Australia). We could have covered more on culture and maybe moved away from the pervasive, egocentric, American approach to psychology.

Is it worth knowing?
Yes, absolutely, all of this is worth knowing but we all have to do something with it. Applying it is a crucial part of the process. Understanding social psychology plays an important role in developing a greater awareness of yourself and others. If more people developed this understanding and applied it appropriately there might be less turmoil in the world.

How have we been limited by theory and method?
Unfortunately, much of this content is underpinned by a very ethnocentric, American zeitgeist, which, as I have said, fails to consider a large portion of humanity [According to Rozin (2001, 2007) somewhere between 90 and 99%]. This was something addressed in my essay. This narrow view is a major flaw in social psychology. I was astounded by the patronising and paternalistic tone of the textbook, which added to my distrust of the 'all-American-way'. I think there are more balanced and more interesting textbooks (e.g., Fiske, 2004 or Vaughan & Hogg, 2005). However, I have also thought to myself, maybe that is exactly what it is - social psychology (and much of psychology in general) is about white, middle-class, Westerners and should not be construed as anything else. If that’s the case, it should be made clear at the outset.

How worthwhile has it been?
This has been an incredibly worthwhile experience, and a great way to finish the degree. Thanks James.

Alternative textbooks
Fiske, S.T. (2004). Social beings: A core motives approach to social psychology. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley.

Vaughan, G. M. & Hogg, M. A. (2005). Introduction to social psychology. Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Education.