Criminology &

Behavioural
Psychology
(Professional
Graduate Diploma in
Counter Terrorism
and Security)
Joanna Yeo
joanna.yeo@green.oxon.org
M.Sc. (Oxford University), M.Soc.Sc. & B.A. (National University of Singapore)
What is Psychology?

Affective
Behavioural
Cognitive
Warm up game
- understand how our mind works!

We make social judgment based on our intuitions.

Just how accurate are our intuitions?

Heuristics – thinking strategies that

enables quick judgment

Schema - a framework that organizes and

interprets information
How do we
judge others?

Log onto the following website:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/
mind/surveys/smiles/index.shtml

How accurate were your judgments?

What factors can influence your judgment?
E.g. Gender? Mood? Culture?
 What is Social Psychology?
It is a branch of psychology that studies individuals
in the social context- social behavior.

It deals with human interaction – the way people

relate to one another and the way people influence one
another- social influence.

It studies how and why people think, feel, and do

the things they do depending upon the situation they are
in- the power of situation on people.

Social Psychology
 INTRO TO SOC PSYCH

“Study of the influences that people have upon

the beliefs or behaviour of others”
E. Aronson
 Social Psychology.. Is the study of :
Feelings Biases

Behaviour Anger

Thoughts Power

Attitudes Rebellion
 Social Psychologists study:

• Behaviour
• Subtle actions (e.g. facial expressions)
• Feelings
• Thoughts
• Beliefs, attitudes & values

Unobservable processes are related to observable actions

(psychological dimension of social behaviour)
Definition of Social Psychology
Scientific investigation of how the thoughts,
feelings and behaviour of individuals are
INFLUENCED by the actual, imagined or
implied presence of others.

Allport (1935)
How do we explain behavior?
• Social behavior represents a continual
interaction between the person and the
situation
• Explanations for behavior are known as
attributions.
– Internal explanations are referred to as dispositional
– External explanations are referred to
as situational.
 Self-conception
• Definition: Regularized manner in which a
person acts with reference to himself.

• Social genesis of self-conception

• Formed and affirmed by daily social

interactions

• self-conception is DEVELOPED by social

interactions - socialisation
 TESTS
‘SELF’
• Collectivistic or Individualistic
• Locus of control
• Self-esteem
 The “I-am” Assessment
Step 1:
- On a sheet of paper, complete 10 statements
beginning with "I am ..."
(with whatever aspect of yourself comes to mind).
 The “I-am” Assessment
Step 2:

- Collective qualities are any descriptions that refer

to the self in relationship to others. It includes roles
("I am a student,"), family relations ("I am a sister"),
ethnicity, race, gender, and origins (e.g., "I am a
Singaporean" or "I am Malay"), and religion.
 The “I-am” Assessment
Step 2:

- Individualistic qualities are qualities that

apply to you personally. Such as traits,
attitudes, habits, and mood
(e.g., I am intelligent," or "I like to play
soccer").
 The “I-am” Assessment

Self ---------- Culture

Summarize your self-concept by computing the

percentage of your self that is individualistic
versus collectivistic.
 Self: Locus of Control
• The extent to which individuals believe that
they can control events that affect them

Internal vs External Locus of Control

 Self: Locus of Control
High internal locus of control :

- believe that events result primarily from one’s own

behaviours and actions

- more likely to attempt to influence others

 Self: Locus of Control

High external locus of control :

- believe that powerful others, fate, or chance

primarily determine events
 Self-esteem
• Labelling (looking-glass concept, Cooley)
• Seeing ourselves & social comparison
 Levels of self-esteem
• Moderate level
– moderately anxious / psychic tension
– help us perform or adjust to life situation
– pre-condition for good performance
 Effects of
Low self-esteem:
 Effects of
High self-esteem:
 ‘I’ vs. ‘Me’
The ‘I’ is the response of the organism to the
attitude of the others; the ‘Me’ is the
organised set of attitudes of others which one
assumes (through socialization).

The attitudes of the others constitute the

organised ‘Me’; and then one reacts towards
that as ‘I’.
 Erving Goffman
1959
<<Presentation of self in everyday life>>
• Impression management: a form of acting in
such a way to produce desirable image of
one’s own behaviour

• Front stage vs. backstage

– backstage : to fine-tune, practise, hide and have
privacy before performing frontstage
 Successful performance
• Produce desirable effects or reactions of
which one elicits.
• Known environment-control environment,
avoid embarrassment
• Goffman:
Social life as drama;
Humans as managers of impressions.