Social Psychology Paper
Kelli R. Sumpter
PSY 201
January 19, 2014
Katie Sasser
University of Phoenix

Social Psychology Paper Social psychology is knowledge to have. This knowledge can explain why people behave the way they do in different settings such as social settings, work settings, and home settings. When using this knowledge to look into teenagers actions, it can explain actions in adolescences. Looking at Sarah’s actions, one can see the factors of why she disobeyed her parents for the first time. Social acceptance is important to teenagers as well as adults. Peer pressure can cause a person to do something they would normally not do. When a teenager makes new friends, they want to fit in rather than be made an outsider. Stereotypes and groupings happen a lot as a teenager. In groups, people will try to fit in and have the perception that this group is better than those around them. Sarah made new friends this school year and wants to be accepted by them and to fit in. The factors in attraction are proximity, competence, physical attractiveness, similarity, and reciprocity. These factors can be applied to all relationships a person has including but not limited to friends. Sarah had always done what her parents asked because she was looking for acceptance, love, and had a need to make her parents happy. Now that Sarah is a sophomore and has made new friends, she wants them to like her and keep inviting her to go places with them. As a teenager this is one way they will try to discover who they are. Sarah never minded her curfew until now. She wants to be able to do new things she has never done. Even though she thinks about breaking her curfew many times that night, her need to be accepted by her new friends and to fit in wins out in her moral dilemma. This dilemma is better known as cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance is the feelings of discomfort that come from think about two different ideas at the same time (Carter & Seifert, 2013). Sarah went from conforming to her parent’s beliefs and strict rules to conforming to her new friends beliefs. A person will conform to the beliefs of those around them when they have the factors of attractiveness. Sarah wanted to have fun with her new friends and wanted them to continue to be her friend. This is a major part of why she conformed to their beliefs. Sarah is attracted to Jack because of their similarities in music and hobbies. Jack was attracted to Sarah because of their similarities and her beauty. These factors of attractiveness lead to Jack asking Sarah out on a date the following week. These factors will draw you to people when you least expect it. Sarah did not go to the party with the intentions of meeting someone to date. When the fight broke out between two guys in the front yard, this was a sign of aggression. Aggression has an effect on the witnesses. When someone witnesses aggressive behavior there is a higher tendency for them to act out aggression. For