Social Psychology: The Psychological Explanations of Social Phenomena

Sunday, March 22, 2009

The various aspects of social psychology could be examined within the wide concepts of intelligence, gender, advertising, consumer culture, stress and psychological issues that define society. Considering consumer behaviour, social psychology uses convincing theories to explain addictive consumption, the influence of advertising and the phenomenon of purchasing. Advertising is seen as a subtle psychological manipulation as it creates desires and anxiety in the potential consumers (Papers4you.com, 2006). Advertising can have both psychological and commercial aspects including misattribution, bias, suggestibility, and could be studied from global or local perspectives. Organisational consumption is seen as different from individual consumption although generic psychological theories of human motivation such as that of Maslow and Freud can explain consumer behaviour. However consumer behaviour can also be studied in terms of the notion of quality and its relation to customer satisfaction (Silva et al, 2005). The objective measures of customer needs, pricing and expectations of the customers may have to be analysed within Service Quality or Expectations models. Hogg and Garrow (2003) highlighted on the psychological aspects of gender and the influence on consumption of advertising. Advertising has been found to be processed and interpreted differently according to gender schemas and perceptions. This would in turn relate to psychological theories of gender such as the theory of biological determinism, Freudian theory of personality development, cognitive-developmental theory, and feminist theories. Bridging the gap between gender studies and gender differences in consumption could provide us with new insights on social and psychological aspects of consumer behavior. Orth (2005) indicated that consumer behaviour largely depends on consumer personality and susceptibility to interpersonal influence, consumer situational disposition such as risk taking and curiosity, purchasing behaviour and purchasing frequency and demographic variables such as age and gender. Contemporary consumer culture could be studied in relation to an excessive emphasis on beauty and appearance and an obsession with youth, a phenomenon that has seen an increased dependence on cosmetic surgery. The increased importance of the body in the consumer culture could be studied along with the significance of appearance in modern society, the role of marketing and advertising images, and the psychological need for self-expression (Papers4you.com, 2006).

Social psychology is however focused not just on consumption and public attitudes on advertising, but also on group behaviour, general individual and collective attitudes towards various social issues including war, work, violence and quality of life. This would in turn explain how individuals deal with stress, and focus on the psychological consequences of stress. Although psychological disorders may in some cases be a direct result of social stress, deviant behaviour in society could be explained with the help of several theories such as the theory of subcultures by Parker, the structural strain theory by Merton, or the theory of conformity. Social psychology is thus focused on explaining a wide range of issues from advertising and consumer behavior to public attitudes on social issues and antisocial behaviour.

Bibliography

Hogg M.K.; Garrow J. (2003) Gender, identity and the consumption of advertising Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, Volume 6, Number 3, June, pp. 160-174(15)

Orth, Ulrich R.(2005) Consumer personality and other factors in situational brand choice variation The Journal of Brand Management, Volume 13, Number 2, November, pp. 115-133(19)

Papers For You (2006) "P/M/510. Advertising: means of psychological manipulation", Available from http://www.coursework4you.co.uk/sprtpsy3.htm [22/06/2006]

Papers For You (2006) "P/M/646. Causes of addictive consumption in modern society", Available from Papers4you.com [21/06/2006]

Silva Jr, Nelson da; LĂ­rio, Daniel Rodrigues (2005) The postmodern re-codification of perversion: On the production of consumer behavior and its libidinal grammar International Forum of Psychoanalysis, Volume 14, Numbers 3-4, Number 3-4/December, pp. 217-223(7)

10 Comment:

Anonymous said...

I've loaded your blog in Several completely different internet browsers and I must say this blog loads a lot quicker then most. Would you mind emailing me the company name of your web hosting company? My personal email is: danuta_hitchcock@ownmail.net. I will even sign up through your own affiliate link if you'd like.
Thanks alot :)

Visit my webpage :: great post to read

Anonymous said...

Hey there, I'm new to running a blog and internet sites in general and was wondering how you got the "www" included in your web address name? I see your domain, "http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=8265899251380043874&postID=1753111972059451099" has the www and my web address looks like, "http://mydomain.com". Do you know the correct way I can change this? I'm using
Wordpress platform. With thanks

Have a look at my web page ... visit the following page

Anonymous said...

Amazing! I'm genuinely enjoying the style and design of your website. Are you using a custom made theme or is this freely available to all users? If you do not want to say the name of it out in the public, please e-mail me at: santosfleck@zoho.com. I'd love to get my hands on this template!
Thanks.

my page - Suggested Webpage

Anonymous said...

I don't know if it's just me or if everybody
else encountering issues with your blog. It looks like some of the text
within your content are running off the screen.

Can someone else please comment and let me know if this is happening
to them as well? This might be a problem with my web browser because I've had this happen before. Appreciate it

my site - Full Record

Anonymous said...

Would you mind if I quote a few of your blogposts
as long as I provide credit and sources back to your blog: http://www.
blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=8265899251380043874&postID=1753111972059451099.
I'm going to aslo ensure to give you the proper anchor text link using your webpage title: Blogger: Blog about Psychology. Please make sure to let me know if this is ok with you. With thanks

Here is my web site: Full Post

Anonymous said...

Hiya! Quick question that's completely off topic. Do you know how to make your site mobile friendly? My website looks weird when viewing from my iphone 4. I'm trying to find a
template or plugin that might be able to correct this
issue. If you have any recommendations, please share.
Appreciate it!

Look into my web-site - relevant web site ()

Anonymous said...

First of all I would like to say great blog! I had a quick question
in which I'd like to ask if you do not mind. I was curious to find out how you center yourself and clear your head prior to writing. I have had a tough time clearing my mind in getting my thoughts out. I do enjoy writing but it just seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes are generally wasted simply just trying to figure out how to begin. Any ideas or hints? Thanks!

Feel free to visit my weblog; just click the next document

Anonymous said...

Hello! It appears as though we both have a interest for the same thing.
Your blog, "Blogger: Blog about Psychology" and mine are very similar.
Have you ever thought of writing a guest article for a similar website?
It will certainly help gain exposure to your blog (my website recieves a lot of visitors).

If you're interested, email me at: klaraodom@bigstring.com. Thank you so much

Here is my site; Get backlinks Free - Http://Katrinast.lovelyish.com -

Anonymous said...

I'm starting a new internet website directory and was wanting to know if I can submit your blog? I'm
hoping to mature my directory slowly by hand so that it maintains top
quality. I will make sure and put your website in the proper category and I'll also use, "Blogger: Blog about Psychology" as your anchor text. Please make sure to let me know if this is ok with you by emailing me at: thanhcullen@yahoo.com. Many thanks

Here is my web blog; social media link building :: http://haitianinternationalnetwork.ning.com/profiles/blogs/ways-for-search-engine-optimisation ::

Anonymous said...

Hey there! I've been reading your site for some time now and finally got the courage to go ahead and give you a shout out from Porter Tx! Just wanted to say keep up the excellent work!

My blog; professional link building service (demetrial.revelife.com)

Post a Comment