Social Psychological Principles Research Articles

Constructing Talent and Flexibility in Focus Group Discussions on Inequality and Unemployment in Greece

ABSTRACTThis article examines the ways in which participants construct talent and flexibility in accounts of income inequality and (un)employment in Greece. Eight (8) focus groups with forty‐one (41) Greek citizens, aged 18–65 years were conducted. Analysis used the principles of Critical Discursive Social Psychology (CDSP). Participants were asked to evaluate the compensation that should be given to employees from different professional categories and to discuss changes in the Greek (un)employment policy. Findings indicated that in the first conversational context, talent (as one's inherent characteristic or as a byproduct of personal effort) was constructed as important for professional success. Besides, putting the right (talented) person in the right job was constituted as necessary for achieving maximum productivity. On the other hand, in the second conversational context, when participants discussed the new law on unemployment, they underscored the obligation of the unemployed to conform with the labour market's needs, regardless of their qualifications or talents. The ideal unemployed individual was represented as highly active and adaptable, while productivity was linked to flexibility. The discussion relates these potentially contradictory argumentative lines mobilised by participants to dilemmatic aspects of neoliberal ideology and its reproduction.

Social Understanding of Disability: Determinants and Levers for Action.

The prejudices often associated with the perception of people with disability can limit their access to the opportunities and resources available in society, leading them to live in a climate of great socio-economic uncertainty exacerbated since the COVID-19 pandemic. This research focuses on the perceptions of young people in France, defined as those aged between 18 and 30, towards people with disability. The study draws on the principles of social psychology to understand these perceptions, the factors that influence them and the most effective ways of promoting greater inclusion. A survey of 660 young people confirms that, despite recent progress, people with disabilities are still perceived as socially excluded. The results show that familiarity with disability, open-mindedness, the visibility of disability and the quality of interactions with people with disabilities have a strong influence on perceptions. To improve these perceptions, disability training and awareness raising are considered more effective than communication or positive discrimination measures. This research is the first to explore perceptions of disability among young people in France, with the potential to influence future behavior. It suggests ways to promote effective inclusive practices and support policies that encourage positive interactions with people with disabilities.

Dynamic Opinion Formation in Networks: A Multi-Issue and Evidence-Based Approach

In this study, we present a computational model for simulating opinion dynamics within social networks, incorporating cognitive and social psychological principles such as homophily, confirmation bias, and selective exposure. We enhance our model using Dempster–Shafer theory to address uncertainties in belief updating. Mathematical formalism and simulations were performed to derive empirical results from showcasing how this method might be useful for modeling real-world opinion consensus and fragmentation. By constructing a scale-free network, we assign initial opinions and iteratively update them based on neighbor influences and belief masses. Lastly, we examine how the presence of “truth” nodes with high connectivity, used to simulate the influence of objective truth on the network, alters opinions. Our simulations reveal insights into the formation of opinion clusters, the role of cognitive biases, and the impact of uncertainty on belief evolution, providing a robust framework for understanding complex opinion dynamics in social systems.

Communication Challengers Between Individuals: An Introduction to Social Psychology

This paper deals with the challenges of communication between individuals who are studied with social psychology glasses. The question that arises in this writing is how the challenge arises in communication between individuals and how understanding of social psychology helps overcome communication challenges. The writing uses a kind of qualitative approach using library research or literature study aimed at reviewing the challenges of communication between individuals across social psychology. As for the result of this writing, there are several challenges of communication between individuals, differing perceptions, nonverbal communication, the author of social norms, prejudices and stereotypes, disagreements and conflicts, and technological limitations. In the context of communication, an understanding of the principles of social psychology can help overcome obstacles and increase communication's effectiveness. Psychology social views that in overcoming the challenges of communicating between individuals, communicators need to communicate more effectively, avoid misunderstandings, and build stronger and healthier relationships with people in diverse social environments.

Feasibility of Primary Care Family-Centered Mental Health Treatment Engagement Intervention

Adolescent mental health has become a national crisis. Screening and referral in primary care have become a norm but do not guarantee engagement in services. As an adjunct to current screening practices, our team developed the Parent Engagement and Motivation Method (PEMM), which uses family systems and social psychology principles in an 8-step, structured approach. Parents and adolescents are brought to a shared understanding of the problem and motivated to overcome barriers to treatment engagement. We describe PEMM and demonstrate initial acceptability and feasibility from surveys completed by primary care providers who received training in this approach.

Principles of environmental and social psychology in UI/UX design for metaverse social games: A case study of Horizon Worlds

Design psychology and environmental and social psychology are two independent yet interconnected fields. This paper aims to integrate these fields and explore their application in user interface/user experience (UI/UX) design for metaverse social games. The principles of design psychology help understand users’ cognitive and emotional needs, enabling the creation of user-friendly interfaces and interaction designs. On the other hand, principles of environmental and social psychology provide insights into how environmental and social factors influence user behavior and psychological states. Building upon the importance and application of design psychology principles in UI/UX design, we delve into the specific environmental and social psychology factors that impact UI/UX design in metaverse social games. As a virtual global social platform, the metaverse necessitates designers to consider users’ social needs, identity expression, and personal interactions, in order to create an immersive and authentic virtual social experience. Through an in-depth analysis of Zuckerberg’s “Horizon Worlds” and its UI/UX design, we explore the comprehensive application of design psychology and environmental and social psychology principles in metaverse social games. We examine aspects such as usability, personalization, social interaction, and emotional connection in UI/UX design and discuss how visual elements, sound effects, and interactive feedback can facilitate the establishment of emotional connections and social networks within the virtual world. This research aims to provide designers with deeper insights and guidance in creating metaverse social game interfaces that align with user needs and societal adaptability. It will further expand the theoretical foundation of UI/UX design for metaverse social games and serve as a case study and reference for empirical research on the application of environmental and social psychology in game interface design.

Practical Tips for using a Human Library approach In medical education.

A Human Library is a structured event that brings people from different groups together. It simulates the format of a customary library, with 'Readers' borrowing 'Books', who are human volunteers sharing their lived experiences and perspectives. Rooted in principles of social psychology, Human Libraries provide opportunities for Books and Readers to interact in meaningful dialogue. The goal of each interaction is to give the Reader new understanding of the Book's life. The Human Library was originally developed as a strategy to challenge prejudice through conversation and personal connection, but the approach is remarkably versatile. We repurposed it for a medical education context in order to provide learners in medical school with information and inspiration, particularly about rural life and rural medicine. We organized and held two Human Library events where pre-medical and undergraduate medical students (Readers) engaged in dialogue with rural physicians (Books). However, the strategy could be used to address a wide variety of challenging subjects where the potential Readers are biased or lack experience. This article draws upon research literature and our own experiences of running Human Library events to give practical advice for other organizations who might want to use this novel approach in medical education.

Symbolic image in public communication of Thu Dau Mot University

Symbolic images stand for more than simply what appears before the eyes. They represent a deeper meaning behind the image – something. The symbolic images in public communications, and techniques of their application as an instrument of forming desired ideological models within social consciousness, as well as consider principles of social psychology that enable successful application of communication technologies to a target audience by appealing to their image thinking. Applied methods of the research are: sociocultural, historical, and content analysis, this article focuses on analyzing the significance of symbol image in public communication strategies and its impacts on brand building, trust establishment, and fostering a positive interactive environment with the public. Based on lessons drawn from practical public communication activities of Thu Dau Mot University, the article proposes additional measures to enhance the effectiveness of the unit's communication and their potential application to specific cases, contributing to the development of the field of public communication.

A Brain Mechanism for Hate.

A Brain Mechanism for Hate.

Exploring subject positions in Greek migrants' discourse on mobility decisions

AbstractThe current study explores the ways in which Greek migrants in their early adulthood position themselves in discourse on mobility decisions. For the purposes of the study, 17 virtual interviews with Greek migrants (aged between 25–40 years old) in European cities were conducted. Analysis, based on the principles of critical discursive social psychology, indicated that, in their accounts of migration decision‐making, participants positioned themselves in various ways: as career/job seekers, as adventurers, as well as (personal or institutional/economic) crisis‐ridden individuals. Multiple subject positions were constituted by an amalgam of rational/practical and affective repertoires which depicted migration as a multifaceted, dynamic and non‐linear project. Analysis also highlighted the multiple spatial (transnational, national and local) and dynamic temporal constructions mobilized by participants, in order to construct their motivations for migrating. Discussion of findings suggests that social psychology (a) can vitally contribute to migration literature, by considering ways in which social actors position themselves by the use of historically and culturally specific resources and by their orientation to local interactional concerns in the context of accounting for their mobility and (b) can be benefited by considering spatial and temporal aspects in the analysis of migration.

Social and Cognitive Psychology Theories in Understanding COVID-19 as the Pandemic of Blame.

When faced with adverse circumstances, there may be a tendency for individuals, agencies, and governments to search for a target to assign blame. Our focus will be on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, where racial groups, political parties, countries, and minorities have been blamed for spreading, producing or creating the virus. Blame—here defined as attributing causality, responsibility, intent, or foresight to someone/something for a fault or wrong—has already begun to damage modern society and medical practice in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak. Evidence from past and current pandemics suggest that this tendency to seek blame affects international relations, promotes unwarranted devaluation of health professionals, and prompts a spike of racism and discrimination. By drawing on social and cognitive psychology theories, we provide a framework that helps to understand (1) the effect of blame in pandemics, (2) when people blame, whom they blame, and (3) how blame detrimentally affects the COVID-19 response. Ultimately, we provide a path to inform health messaging to reduce blaming tendencies, based on social psychological principles for health communication.

Jornada Universitária em Defesa da Reforma Agrária: contribuições da Psicologia Social Comunitária

OBJETIVO: Este trabalho é um relato de experiência que tem como objetivo apresentar o processo de organização da 2ª Jornada Universitária em Defesa da Reforma Agrária (JURA), ocorrida na Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso (UFMT), a qual foi construída seguindo os princípios da Educação Popular e da Psicologia Social Comunitária, e que visou constituir-se como espaço de discussão de temas afetos à questão agrária e à transformação social, possibilitar a inserção das populações tradicionais e dos movimentos sociais na universidade e propiciar a aproximação entre o saber tradicional e o conhecimento científico. CASUÍSTICA: A abordagem teórico-metodológica adotada para a condução organizativa e a realização da JURA permitiu a construção de um espaço que fomentou a participação em condições igualitárias e dialógicas entre os membros da comunidade acadêmica e os participantes de movimentos sociais, os quais compuseram a comissão de organização do evento. CONSIDERAÇÕES FINAIS: Conclui-se pela validade de se aplicar os princípios e metodologias da Educação Popular e da Psicologia Social Comunitária aos processos de construção de atividades na academia, haja vista que estes possibilitaram potencializar o diálogo e o fortalecimento coletivo em torno dos objetivos do evento, em um processo que se configurou como educativo e emancipatório.

Ageism in Higher Education: Historical Reasons and Contemporary Age-Friendly Solutions

The need for greater attention to aging in higher education is indisputable. Changing age demographics are reshaping societies and challenging colleges and universities to consider how they can respond to aging populations through new approaches to teaching, research, and community engagement. However, ageism permeates academia in systematic as well as implicit ways, holding higher education back from expanding attention to aging. This presentation will describe how ageism manifests itself and how the pioneering Age-Friendly University (AFU) initiative with its ten guiding principles offers a framework to address the neglect of age in academia by advocating for greater age-diversity and inclusion. Special attention will be given to an AFU focus on breaking down age-segregation by bringing younger and older learners together around educational goals of mutual interest, engaging in collaborative teaching and learning experiences, and building intergenerational solidarity in line with social-psychological principles known to reduce prejudice and discrimination. Part of a symposium sponsored by Age-Friendly University (AFU) Interest Group.

Space as a Resource and Implication of (Inter)group Relations and Rights: Analyzing Discourse on the Refugee Issue in Greece

This study aims at exploring the way in which constructions of space and identity are mobilized in interviews on refugees’ reception and entitlements in Greece. Our analytic material was derived from individual semi-structured interviews conducted with 19 people of Greek nationality in Thessaloniki, while the analysis has been based on the principles of critical discursive social psychology. Analysis indicated the multiple ways that participants have available to construct the intersection of place identity and intergroup relations. On the one hand, proximity and contact with refugees were represented as a potentially justified basis for reactions against their settlement and integration. Intergroup distance and separation (ghettoization), on the other hand, were treated as a sufficient condition of anomy on the part of the refugees, and, by implication, as a source of problematic intergroup relations. Furthermore, analysis showed that constructions of “insider” and “outsider” coincided with symbolic boundaries, while biopoliticalstrategies, introduced through recourse to space limitation and scarcity of material resources, were employed to articulate arguments which supported the restriction of refugees’ entitlements.

Ο χρόνος και ο χώρος ως ρητορικά εφόδια για την κατασκευή της ελληνικής εθνικής ταυτότητας: Η μουσουλμανική μειονότητα της Θράκης στο λόγο φοιτητών παιδαγωγικών τμημάτων

Although time and space constitute inherent elements of identities, mainly of national and ethnic identities, those notions seldom become the focal point of socio-psychological research. Researchers following Social Identity Theory have argued that comparisons of the same national identity in different timelines can be used instead of comparisons to other national identities, which in turn can be interpreted as an absence of ingroup bias. Nonetheless, researchers who follow the turn to language have traced argumentative resources within which temporal comparisons and spatial representations of the nation are used by speakers in order to avoid comparisons between nations, that could potentially leave them open to charges of chauvinism. The present paper, drawing on the theoretical and methodological principles of Critical Discursive Social Psychology, examines the way inwhich students of the educational departments in Thrace mobilize time and space as argumentative lines in order to construct the identity of the Muslim minority of Thrace. It is argued that often time and space are used in rhetorical strategies disclaiming racism, presenting the difference of the minority as a matter of time, or as a matter of residence in “rural” communities that have not adopted the urban way of life. These findings are discussed in relation to how discourse analysis can offer a way to incorporate time and space in the theoreticaldiscussions of social psychology regarding national identity.

Using Social Psychology Principles to Develop Emotionally Intelligent Healthcare Leaders.

Healthcare providers must acquire extensive knowledge and skills to help promote physical health, behavioral health, and wellness; prevent and treat illnesses and injuries; encourage and guide rehabilitation; counsel and assist with decisions relevant to health, life, and death. In addition, 21st Century healthcare providers must develop leadership knowledge and skills to optimize their interactions and effectiveness with healthcare teams, patients, and patients’ significant others. Emotional intelligence is recognized as an essential component of leader education and development. It is important to optimally educate and develop healthcare providers with regard to components of emotional intelligence: self-awareness, self-regulation, social-awareness, and social regulation. Self-awareness focuses on understanding one’s own behaviors, cognitions, motivations, and emotions. Self-regulation emphasizes self-control and adaptability to various situations and settings. Social awareness includes understanding others’ behaviors, cognitions, motivations, and emotions. Social regulation draws upon the other components of emotional intelligence in order to optimize collaboration and cooperation and attainment of mutual goals with other people. The present paper presents four principles of Social Psychology that are relevant to developing emotionally intelligent healthcare leaders: Field Theory, Informal Social Communication, Social Comparison, and Cognitive Dissonance. Although these principles are well-established and have received extensive attention, analysis, and discussion in the academic social psychology literature, they are rarely mentioned in the emotional intelligence or leadership literatures. Therefore, each of these principles is briefly described in the present paper followed by an explanation of how each principle relates to the development of emotional intelligence in general and to emotionally intelligent healthcare leaders in particular.

Physical Laws and Human Behavior: A Three-Tier Framework

Social sciences start by looking at the social-psychological attributes of humans to model and explain their observed behavior. However, we suggest starting the study of observed human behavior with the universal laws of physics, e.g., the principle of minimum action. In our proposed three-tier framework, behavior is a manifestation of action driven by physical, biological, and social-psychological principles at the core, intermediate, and top tier, respectively. More broadly, this reordering is an initial step towards building a platform for reorganizing the research methods used for theorizing and modeling behavior. This perspective outlines and illustrates how a physical law can account for observed human behavior and sketches the elements of a broader agenda.

Issues of Inclusion and Special Education in the Creative Heritage of Sofia Rusova

The article analyzes the issues of inclusion and special education in the creative heritage of Sofia Rusova – teacher, citizen, politician, state maker, who considered them in the context of world scientific achievements of the interwar period of the XX century. Inclusion, as a process of increasing the participation of all citizens in society, including those with physical or mental disabilities, involves the development and implementation of specific solutions that will allow each person to participate equally in academic and public life. The evolution of the idea of inclusion and the birth of special education S. Rusova closely linked with the understanding and interpretation of the leading principles of pedagogy, general and social psychology, sociology, philosophy of education, historical and pedagogical searches of the late XIX - early XX century. Perhaps the most important source of new pedagogical ideas of S. Rusova, embodied in the writings of the interwar period (“New School of Social Education”, “Education and Sociology of Durkheim”, “Social Education: Its Importance in Public Life”, “Public Issues of Education” became acquainted with the latest trends in Western European pedagogy, which allowed her to keep up with the times, psychologize pedagogy. Extensive education, fluency in the leading European languages (first and foremost, French) made it possible for S. Rusova to access the original literature - works by J. Dewey, E. Claapared, G. Kerschensteiner, V. Lai, E. Meiman, and G. Spencer with the most prominent pedagogical figures of the 1920s and 1930s, including O. Decroly and M. Montessori, and studying the experience of their practical work. Guided by the statement that “ development of the child is influenced by three main factors: education, heritage, and environment”, based on the experiments of foreign (German, Belgian, Czech) researches, the scientist revealed the specifics of social and educational impact of the environment, preparing the groundwork inclusion as a set of conditions, methods and means of their implementation for joint learning, education and development of the educational recipients, taking into account their needsand opportunities. At the same time, I emphasize the shaft that no child “is passively influenced by the environment: it takes from it what its individuality seeks.” The issue of special education, in particular, the psychological and pedagogical principles of working with children with intellectual disabilities, is most fully revealed in S. Rusova's work, “Something about defective children in school”. It clearly traces the idea that children of all walks of life are necessarily subject to process education and training. According to S. Rusova, children with deviant behavior (in particular, “child offenders”), for whom the conditions for education as a factor of their re-education should be created, and for the needs of such schools, should not be left out of the educational influence in order to organize teacher training “with a deep psychological understanding of their sick students, with a heart warmed with love for them, and with a certain understanding of their social and pedagogical task: to return these children to citizenship ...”. Summarizing the above, it can be argued that the issues of inclusion, studying, education of children and young people with special educational needs, as represented by the property of Sofia Rusova are a significant contribution to Ukrainian and world pedagogical thought, an important factor in the revival of national educational systems in the teaching experiences of the past.

ФІЛОСОФІЯ У ПРОЦЕСІ ФАХОВОЇ ПІДГОТОВКИ СУЧАСНОГО ВЧИТЕЛЯ: ПОСТАНОВКА ПРОБЛЕМИ

The purpose of the article is to identify and substantiate the role and importance of philosophy as a discipline in the process of professional training of modern teachers. Methodology. To achieve this goal, we used socio-philosophical methods of specificity, systematicity and historicism, as well as ideas and principles of philosophical anthropology and social psychology. Scientific novelty. It is emphasized that in the modern education system there is a contradiction between the necessity and the need to assert a competent, personality oriented paradigm and the dominance of the “knowledge” based on the reproductive approach of the paradigm. It has been proved that such a situation has displaced philosophy as an educational discipline on the periphery of the educational process of the professional preparation of modern teachers limiting them and potential students to fully acquire the skills of philosophy and critical thinking as well as the ability to create. Conclusions. In the context of the reform of the education system in Ukraine (2016–2029), the approval of the requirements of the New Ukrainian School should create conditions for education, cultivation of personality and development of the individual through philosophizing, which will provide students with the necessary competencies, in particular for taking philosophy at university. Historical-chronological or problematic study of philosophy in the process of professional training of bachelors and masters will contribute to the formation of the skills of theoretical and methodological analysis, professional competences, in particular critical thinking, European cultural identity, empathy.

Mana Tangata: The Five Optimal Cultural Conditions for Māori Student Success

A growing number of Māori students are attaining educational success, even thriving in the schooling context. Indigenous education has much to learn from these students, and it behooves researchers to empirically analyze the drivers of student success. While research demonstrates that self-concept, self-esteem, and self-efficacy affect the academic engagement of Māori students, few studies have examined the social-psychological drivers of success for Māori students. This study focuses on how self-perceptions about the value of their ethnic identity and family support affect the motivation and academic engagement of successful Māori students in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Little will be done to improve Māori students' academic engagement and social-emotional well-being until educators focus on the development of students' connectedness to their ethnic identity and their sense of mana tangata (cultural status and pride). This study offers solutions for change using a Mana Model developed as part of the 2014 Ka Awatea study. The Ka Awatea project was codesigned with the Te Arawa community in 2014 and examined the connection between Māori identity and characteristics of educational success among a selection of successful Māori high school students from Rotorua, New Zealand. Five key components concerning the optimal personal, familial, school, and community conditions for Māori student success compose the resultant Mana Model: Mana Whānau (familial pride), Mana Motuhake (personal pride and a sense of embedded achievement), Mana Tū (tenacity and self-esteem), Mana Ūkaipo (belonging and connectedness), and Mana Tangatarua (broad knowledge and skills). The Mana Model is an unapologetically Māori-centric model of student thriving; a strengths-based model utilizing the principles of social psychology and Māori worldview to explain how Māori students can thrive when afforded a broad range of academic, cultural, and social opportunities. This model broadens the research theorizing of those researchers, educators, and other stakeholders who desire to see Māori students attain their full potential.