Lecture

Conflict and Conflict resolution

Ulrich Wagner & Andreas Homburg Thursday, 9-11 1. Session: Definitions, levels of explanation, reductionism
Gegenstand der ersten Sitzung: 1. 2. Organisatorische Fragen Der Gegenstandsbereich der Sozialpsychologie. In diesem Zusammenhang werden psychologische und soziologische Anstze der Sozialpsychologie angesprochen, im Zusammenhang mit soziologischen Anstzen insbesondere der Symbolische Interaktionismus und der Labeling Approach, die auf die Bedeutung sozialer Interaktionen fr das Verstndnis unserer Welt verweisen. Sozialpsychologische Analysen sollten unterschiedliche Erklrungsebenen bercksichtigen, dies wird am Beispiel der Anstze von Doise (1986) und Pettigrew (1991) demonstriert. Die Bercksichtung unterschiedlicher Erklrungsebenen macht Analysefehler deutlich, insbesondere solche Fehler, die als reduktionistisch bezeichnet werden.

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Wagner & Homburg: Conflict and conflict resolution 1. Session: Definitions, levels of explanation, reductionism
Berntson, G.G. & Cacioppo, J.T. (2000). Psychobiology and social psychology: Past, present and future. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 4, 3-15. Doise, W. (1986). Levels of explanation in social psychology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Hewstone, M. & Stroebe, W. (2001). Introduction to social psychology. Oxford: Blackwell. Lewontin, R.C., Rose, S. & Kamin, L.J. (1984). Not in our genese. Biology, ideology, and human nature. New York: Pantheon Books. (deutsch: Psychologie-Verlags Union, 1988) Mertens, W. (1983). Symbolischer Interaktionismus. In D. Frey & S. Greif (Hrsg.), Sozialpsychologie. Ein Handbuch in Schlsselbegriffen (S. 81-87). Mnchen: Urban & Scharzenberg. Pettigrew, T. F. (1991). Advancing racial justice. Past lessons for future use. In H. J. Knopke, R. J. Norrell & R. W. Rogers (Eds.), Opening doors: Perspectives on race relations in contemporary America. Tuscaloosa Al: The University of Alabama Press. Pettigrew, T.F. (1996). How to think like a social scientist. New York: Harper Collins. Rosenberg, M. & Turner, R.H. (1981). Social psychology. New York: Basic Books: Stryker, S. (1981). Symbolic interactionism: Themes and variations. In M. Rosenberg & R.H Turner, o.a. Tajfel, H. (1981). Human groups and social categories. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Definitions of social psychology I "Social psychology is defined by theories which at the moment are characterized as social psychological theories." Was in der Sozialpsychologie betrieben wird, ist durch Theorien definierbar, die derzeit als sozialpsychologische Theorien bezeichnet werden.
Irle, M. (1975) Lehrbuch der Sozialpsychologie. Gttingen: Hogrefe, S. 16

Social Psychology Psychological tradition Pioneers Lewin, Asch, Festinger, Schachter Topics Social cognition Attribution Attitudes Emotions Interpersonal communication Affiliation, prosocial behavior Aggression Group processes Social influence Intergroup relations Sociological tradition

Mead, Goffman, Homans, Bales

Emotions Symbolic interactionism/labeling Attraction

Intergroup relations Socialization Identity Social structure

cf. Rosenberg & Turner (1981)

cf. Hewstone & Stroebe (2001)

Symbolic interactionism: Intervening between situations and adjustive responses are definitions of the situations. ... Objects become stimuli as they function in the contexts of acts and become to be defined as relevant to completing the act; they acquire meaning in the course of activity. Communication involves conversions of gestures .. (Stryker, 1981) Meaning is a matter of communication, meaning is ascribed by gestures (cf. also Mertens, 1983).

Definitions of social psychology II

... social psychology is the scientific field that studies the manner in which the behavior, feelings, or thoughts of one individual are influenced or determined by the behavior and/or characteristics of others.
Baron, R.A. & Byrne, D. (1981), Social psychology. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon, p. 7

"... social psychology can and must include in its theoretical and research preoccupations a direct concern with the relationship between human psychological functioning and the large-scale social processes and events which shape this function and are shaped by it."
Tajfel, H. (1981). Human groups and social categories. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, p. 7

Levels of analysis in social psychology

(cf. Doise, 1986)

Examples ideological belief-in-a-just-world, e.g. Milgrams obedience studies explanations which bring in differences in social position which exist prior to the interaction, e.g. interactions between ethnic group members e.g. Kelleys attribution theory consistence theory, ELM

positional / inter-group

inter-personal

intra-personal biology, physiology

Levels of Analysis in Social Psychology

(cf. Pettigrew, 1996)

Examples Macro Socio-structural level: Institutions, organisations, etc. laws of immigration residential status

Meso Situational level: Face-to-face interactions (social psychology domain)

everyday interactions between ethnic group members

Micro Individual level: Personality, biology

racist attitudes

Levels of Analysis in Social Psychology

(cf. Pettigrew, 1996)

Examples Macro Socio-structural level: Institutions, organisations, etc. sex roles

Meso Situational level: Face-to-face interactions (ocial psychology domain)

top down explanations

sex role socialization

Micro Individual level: Personality, biology

individual sex role behavior

Levels of Analysis in Social Psychology

(cf. Pettigrew, 1996)

Examples Macro Socio-structural level: Institutions, organisations, etc.

school laws

Meso Situational level: Face-to-face interactions (social psychology domain)

bottom up explanations

violence in schools group processes

Micro Individual level: Personality, biology

authoritarianism

Levels of Analysis in Social Psychology

(cf. Pettigrew, 1996)

Examples Macro Socio-structural level: Institutions, organisations, etc.

genocide

Meso Situational level: Face-to-face interactions (social psychology domain)

bottom up explanations

Reductionism Micro Individual level: Personality, biology

perpetrators authoritarianism

Reductionism: Explanation of complex entities by elements which constitute the whole. Biological reductionism: Explanation of complex social processes through biological and physiological human processes. Biological determinism: Explanation of complex social processes alone by biological and physiological human processes.