Critical Social Psychology Flashcards
what is critical social psychology?
believes the scientific method is only one way to understand social phenomena
what does critical social psychology use?
qualitative methods to explore the utility and function of language
critical social psychology consists of a theoretically informed way of…
conceptualising the person and their experiences of the social world, to explore a range of social issues
what is social constructionism?
the social world is built through blocks of understanding, acting as knowledge systems in everyday language
how is the person conceptualised in experimental social psychology?
people are a product of innate instinct, moulded by social and cultural forces, and lack free will
how is the person conceptualised in critical social psychology?
sees the person as an intentional actor within their social world, with the capacity for free will
what is the social construction of reality?
argues that social realities are built through interactions, which build a sense of the world that can be mediated through language
stages of social construction
- externalisation
- objectification
- internalisation
externalisaton
how cultures make sense of their social world, informed by institutions and constructs
objectification
how these constructs are presented as real, through ‘thingification’
internalisation
the objectified world becomes known and adopted by individuals, through socialisation and enculturation
what does social constructionist psychology involve?
an interpretative approach of how and why people make sense of their social worlds, and the consequences of their reality
how does social constructionist psychology involve an active approach?
by questioning tacit knowledge and motives
what does postcolonial psychology focus on?
how social knowledge and power is influenced by the aftermath of colonisation
what does postcolonial psychology aim to question and disrupt?
frames of power within the discipline, which originated from the prejudicial assumptions of researchers
deconstructive tool
emboldens researchers to question and problematise taken-for-granted knowledge
critical social psychologists argue social behaviour is the product of…
the social context and interaction in which they are made meaningful
what is personality?
the dynamic organisation within the individual that determine unique adjustment to the environment
individual differences and personality
- measures observable psychological differences that represent one self
- personality measures are objective
- assessments have relative stability
critical social psychology and personality
- personality is an unreliable construct to categorise people
- informed by discriminatory lenses
- problematic in work contexts
issues with MBTI
developed by non-psychologists in the 1950s, where nobody with an IQ under 100 or women were measured on the same scale
what was MBTI constructed on?
the personalities of white, middle-class men used in educational contexts
what is the big five involved in?
hiring decisions to identify good employees
big five personality predictors of mental health
high neuroticism- depression and anxiety
high neuroticism and low extroversion- social anxiety
low patterns of response- autism
alternative approaches to personality
- the relational being
- goffman’s dramaturgical approach
the relational being (gergen, 2002)
self-identity is shaped by reproducing socially constructed understandings, through interactions and language
goffman’s dramaturgical approach, 1959
there is not one true self, as people perform who they are with the audience in mind
- achieved by the use of masks and prompts
what is aggression?
a behaviour intended to harm another individual
hostile aggression
performed with the primary goal of intentional injury
proactive (instrumental) aggression
harm is inflicted as a means to a desired end
reactive (emotional/affective) aggression
harm is inflicted for its own sake
why are men considered to be more aggressive than women?
because conceptualisations of aggression follow male-orientated behaviour
what forms of aggression are preferred by women?
non-physical forms, which cause social harm and lead to low-self esteem
what is the construction of aggression informed by?
assumptions of traditional explanations of gender differences, as methodology adheres to masculine forms of aggression
what has the construction of aggression reinforced?
a new understanding of aggression, with female aggression being pathologised
