What you'll learn
How others influence us, and theories of personality.
Social psychology
- Fundamental attribution error: overattributing others' behavior to disposition vs situation.
- Conformity (Asch) and obedience (Milgram).
- Groupthink, group polarization, social facilitation/loafing, deindividuation, bystander effect.
- Cognitive dissonance: tension from conflicting attitudes/behavior drives attitude change.
- Prejudice, in-group bias, the just-world phenomenon.
Personality theories
- Psychodynamic (Freud): id/ego/superego, defense mechanisms, the unconscious (criticized as unfalsifiable).
- Humanistic (Maslow's hierarchy, Rogers' unconditional positive regard): growth and self-actualization.
- Trait (Big Five: OCEAN — openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism).
- Social-cognitive (Bandura): reciprocal determinism, self-efficacy.
Assessment
Self-report inventories (e.g. MMPI) vs projective tests (Rorschach — low reliability).
Exam tips
- Apply terms to scenarios; distinguish conformity vs obedience.
- Know the Big Five.
Common mistakes
- Confusing the bystander effect with social loafing.
- Mixing up the personality perspectives.