Author Question: During the era in which social psychology was emerging as a discipline, it was caught between two ... (Read 52 times)

KimWrice · **on:** Jun 22, 2018

During the era in which social psychology was emerging as a discipline, it was caught between two opposing camps: behaviorism and Freudian psychoanalysis. Explain how social psychology did not fit neatly into either of those camps, and how it ultimately integrated features from both as it emerged as an independent field.

What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

Briefly discuss the research on cognitive coping. When people experience traumas, what sorts of cognitive responses are likely to be most helpful in promoting recovery?

What will be an ideal response?

Liddy · **Reply #1 on:** Jun 22, 2018

Answer to Question 1

a . Behaviorism sought to explain all human behavior in terms of learning principles and reinforcement contingencies (i.e., rewards and punishments). Behaviorists were opposed to talking about inner processes such as thoughts and feelings as they felt such processes were unobservable and thus unscientific.. They preferred to study human behavior using observation and the scientific method. Social psychology, however, was interested in how thoughts and feelings influenced, and were influenced by, social context.
b. Freudian psychoanalysis sought to generate elaborate interpretations of individuals' subjective experiences. In contrast to behaviorists, psychoanalysts were very interested in examining inner processes. However, scholars from this camp rarely engaged in scientific study of these processes; rather, they relied on case analyses from clinical patients. Social psychology appreciated the emphasis on inner processes, but was not aligned to the more subjective methodologies the Freudian psychoanalysts tended towards.
c. As social psychology came into its own in the 1970s, it was able to integrate the Freudian interest in inner processes with the behaviorist commitment to the scientific method. Social psychologists found ways to study thoughts, feelings and behaviors using the scientific method rather than case studies.

Answer to Question 2

a . Beliefs that violate assumptive worlds are especially detrimental.
b. Coming up with an explanationany explanationis important. To the extent that people feel that there is no explanation for the trauma, or that it was completely random or arbitrary, they are likely to feel helpless and vulnerable.
i. Blaming oneselfcounter to intuitioncan actually help people reclaim a sense of self-control and power, and move on from the trauma .
c. In addition to working to restore self-esteem and a sense of self-control, effective coping also involves
i. making downward comparisons rather than upward comparison
ii. finding meaning or purpose to the trauma
d. While optimism does not appear to be especially beneficial, there is evidence that pessimism is detrimental to recovery; thus, avoiding a pessimistic outlook is critical.