Social psychology as a science studies the characteristics of human behavior among other people in various life situations and in individual historical contexts.
Social psychology as a science includes the social psychology of personality; social psychology of communication, cognition and mutual influence of people; social psychology of individual groups.
To understand the specifics of social psychology as a science, it is necessary to consider the complex of levels at which the social behavior of people as a whole develops.
Sciences consider the social behavior of people at the following levels: social, personal and interpersonal. The social level implies the influence of individual social groups on the person included in them (for example, in the process of migration, in an environment of unemployment, etc.) Sociology studies this level of relationship. The personal level is the influence of individual and psychological characteristics of a person on his own behavior. It studies personality psychology and differential psychology. The interpersonal level belongs to the research and study of social psychology. At each level there is an explanation of the phenomena occurring with the person.
Social psychology as a science can be defined as the science of the basic laws of human behavior, which is determined by their presence in society (society). She studies the perception by individuals of the actions and feelings of other people, as well as the influence of groups of people on consciousness, as well as the behavior of individuals.
The debate about the place that social psychology occupies in the system of other sciences still does not stop. Some believe that it is a completely social science, others consider it a completely psychological one. On the other hand, researchers disagree on whether social psychology occupies a separate niche in the knowledge system or has common intersecting areas with sociology and psychology. Most researchers share a common opinion that social psychology is an independent branch of psychological science.
Social psychology as a science uses empirical research methods (surveys, document analysis, observation), specialized methods of socio-psychological research (experiments, tests), simulated methods (laboratory reconstruction of realities) and managerial and educational methods (trainings).
On the subject of discipline there is no single universally accepted idea. This can be explained by the complexity of socio-psychological phenomena, actual facts and patterns that she studies. There are two approaches to this issue. The first under the subject refers to the mass phenomena of the psyche, the second - individual. Recently, a third approach has appeared, combining mass and personal mental processes into a single subject. Thus, the subject can be understood as facts, patterns of behavior and activity, as well as the communication of people and their mechanisms, which are caused by the inclusion of individuals in society.
Separate branches of social psychology are scientific fields related to the study of individual areas of human activity. For example, the discipline of sociology and psychology of labor studies the socio-psychological relations and social processes in the world of work. She uses methods of influencing the psychological and social climate of the team, collects and processes primary information on sociology in order to resolve and prevent labor conflicts in the team.
Discipline studies, diagnoses and predicts the professional suitability of a person, explores the role of labor discipline and its significance, labor behavior, motivation and people's attitude to work.