Inoculating society against unethical applications of social psychology

Critics express concern about how social psychology is used. Those with the power to commission social psychology research also have the resources and the means to apply social psychology technologies to solidify power. However, social psychology is becoming a democratized technology in educated societies.

In western society, social psychology is no longer just a tool used to engineer an unwitting population for the interests of government and special interest; people are increasingly becoming aware of the techniques used to manipulate them and to engineer society. Educating the public about the techniques those with power use to gain and exert control can help to inoculate people against undue influence. Further, the public can learn how to use social psychology to disrupt the undue influence of power structures. In the words of B. F. Skinner, "the best step in a defense against tyranny is the fullest possible exposure of control techniques” (Skinner, 1955).

By synthesizing learning from social psychology for real-world applications, social psychologists have catalyzed processes and technologies for influencing every aspect of American society; the same technologies are used to influence humanity on a global scale. Organizational behavior, organizational psychology, leadership, group dynamics, and consumer behavior are examples of social psychology applications businesses use to align customers and employees with organizational goals. Health, law enforcement, and legal professionals apply social psychology to promote healthy habits, reduce crime rates, and influence juries. Some educators apply social psychology theory and technology to enhance learning outcomes in the classroom. Other educators apply the same social psychology practices to indoctrinate children into their special interests.

Specific applications explored in this section included how social psychology in adult collaborative learning environments and the global sustainable development “revolution”. In the adult learning environment, educators integrate social learning theory, Jigsaw Classroom, and group dynamics theory to facilitate adult learners in a collaborative environment. This learning team model accelerates learning, fosters performance, and increases motivation, persistence, and satisfaction. The same psychology techniques that teachers apply to the classroom are also used to drive political and social agendas on a global scale. Considering the role social psychology plays in driving the sustainable development “revolution” provides insight into how governments and special interests interact to transform global society to a “post-materialistic” status, and how social psychology will be instrumental in helping people “adapt to the pain” (Myers, 2008).