Synthesis

Within the competing definitions, the following vital elements emerge:

• individual
• others
• context
• dynamics
• influence
• adaptation
• science

Integrating these elements suggest a definition that is inclusive of most perspectives, as follows:

Social psychology is the scientific study of how individuals and others dynamically and continuously interact and adapt over time.

As with any attempt to define a dynamic process, even this more expansive definition is insufficient. Still, it provides a fuller understanding of social psychology than unilaterally static definitions like in the “others > individual” framework. Then again, dynamic or not, it is just another definition through the eyes of a beholder.