Categories of social psychology perspective

With many competing perspectives exploring perpetual questions about the human as a social being, social psychology lacks a cohesive definition. Though Aronson (2008) would observe that the definitions of social psychology are as varied as the individuals who made up the field, the various perspectives fall within five general categories, including:

• The sociocultural perspective sees that the social environment affects social behavior.
• The evolutionary perspective sees that natural selection explains the social behaviors that have assured the adaptability and survivability of the human species.
• The social learning perspective sees that individual experience with reward and punishment drive social behavior.
• The social-cognitive perspective sees that social behavior is a function of the individual interacting with the environment.
• Neurology is providing fresh insights into the neurobiological factors that influence social emotions, perceptions, and behavior--while showing how the brain adapts to social interactions.

Categorizing the perspectives does not mean they are mutually exclusive; that one is correct while the others are not. Rather, each perspective exposes a different piece of a dynamic process. Just as integrating different definitions can provide a more accurate understanding of the field of social psychology, integrating perspectives on human social interaction can provide a glimpse of different parts of the picture. Understanding a process through which individuals and others dynamically and continuously interact and adapt over time requires observation through multiple perspectives while adjusting perspectives as dynamics unfold.