Social Psychology as a science. What implications does the imperfect nature of t
ID: 3451772 • Letter: S
Question
Social Psychology as a science. What implications does the imperfect nature of this type of research have for social psychological science? How can these two competing views (by the same person) be reconciled? Can an area of study be both a leap of fair and a science? Is social psychology the only scientific area in which this contradiction occurs?Social Psychology as a science. What implications does the imperfect nature of this type of research have for social psychological science? How can these two competing views (by the same person) be reconciled? Can an area of study be both a leap of fair and a science? Is social psychology the only scientific area in which this contradiction occurs?
Explanation / Answer
Social psychology, despite its attempts towards employing scientific research methods cannot be equated to the natural sciences. This is because human behaviour is very complex and the impact of individual predispositions along with all the environmental variables that act on it are nearly impossible to assess. However, the presence of two opposing views can be reconciled by introducing a model that integrates both of them. The nature-nuture debate, for instance, has given rise to the biopsychosocial model. Different views do not necessarily imply contradiction but are rather an evidence to several factors that influence human behaviour. Other disciplines falling under humanities and social sciences also share this characteristic such as sociology, political science, philosophy and the like.