Constitution of Social Psychology as a scientific discipline

A) The first 3 decades of the twentieth century. The roots of social psychology are in Europe, but in USA where it was and reached its maximum development. In 1908 social psychology is considered a discipline independiente.Edgard Allsworth Ross highlights the role of imitation and suggestion as explanatory mechanisms sociales.W uniformities. McDougall proposed the theory of instinct and introduced in the social psychology perspective that characterize individual for a long time. This perspective was replaced by instinctivistic psychological orientations between behaviorism, given the positivist climate had much to ver.Los time anthropologists Malinowski, M. and Linton Mead noted the role that culture played in the development of personality and importance of this had to explain the behavior social.El instinct concept was replaced during the first decades of the twentieth century attitude. The concept "attitude" was accepted in all psychological currents during the first quarter century. The success of acceptance lay in the linear relationship established between attitude and behavior. Throughout the first half of this century and part of the second, this concept will be central to the psychology social.es USA figures like William James, JM

Baldwin and Mead developed significant contributions to social psychology. William James introduced the concept of "social self". The social self, along with the material self and spiritual self constitute the "whole self" of individuo.Para Baldwin, the whole self is the social self. The individual social group emerges gradually and is gradually taking consciousness of self in dialectical relation with each other. In this evolutionary development plays an important role social transmission or inheritance.

The contributions of William James and Baldwin were developed further by Mead. Mead developed his social psychology from his conception of "gesture". In the adaptation of man to his environment gesture communication plays a key role. Wundt gesture stood in their social context and it was this aspect of the work of Wundt that Mead took and developed. Mead's study of the ongoing social process and notes that will emerge the mind, self, and the level of symbolic communication sociedad.El in man through language is what allows the formation and development of the mind to Wundt language was the product of the mind, for Mead, the mind was the product of the process lenguaje.En and through social interaction or communication comes the self, consciousness of self. In the "conversation of gestures" individuals interacting infer the thoughts, feelings and intentions of others. Through this dynamic is the basis of language, each assumes the other's perspective and adopts the attitudes of others toward himself. This assumption of roles, the person takes the role of "generalized other" and is the incorporation of these attitudes that constitute the "Me", so that it develops from a social process are acquired characteristics of the social context in which any social process vive.En individuals are explained in terms of society and not society from individuals. "Social psychology studies the activity or conduct of the individual as such conduct is anchored in the social process of an individual's behavior can only be understood in terms of total social group behavior which is a member since their individual actions are included in broader social events beyond their own individuality and involve other members the group. "Social psychology in the United States did not follow the lines drawn by Mead.

The man who became the main focus was Allport. He was a maverick and an experimentalist behaviorist, both converged on him and they fit the atmosphere he was introduced época.Con laboratory experiment in social psychology and discipline it entered the experimental area. Reacted against theories that defined social psychology as the study group and against the existence of a supra-individual entity. Allport was against everything that McDougall had introduced: the instincts and the mind of anthropology grupo.La made contributions to this discipline throughout the twentieth century. They emphasized the importance of knowledge of different cultures to understand the behavior social.Las contributions can be grouped into 3 lines of thought: - An individualistic approach and it is situated McDougall instinctivistic approach and behavioral approach of Allport .- The study groups and group psychological processes, here is part of the work of Ross, - The third puts its emphasis on society and on it are Mead and anthropological research.

The approach seems to be the dominant individuocéntrico during these first decades of the twentieth century.