Social psychology (a branch of psychology) deals with significant social interactions inclusive of their geneses and their impact on an individual. It is, therefore, a branch of science which is concerned with the behavior of an individual in a social setting. Some of the concepts inherent in this discipline including but not limited to conformity, deindividuation, prejudice, groupthink, social facilitation, and social perception. Social psychologists can easily explain the behavior of an individual by closely examining novels, magazines, television shows, cartoon strips, newspapers, songs and TV news. The objective of this essay is to describe and define the social psychology concepts represented in an article published in ‘the inquisitive mind’ magazine.
Reaction
“Selfie-Esteem: The Relationship Between Body Dissatisfaction And Social Media In Adolescent And Young Women | Magazine Issue 1/2018 – Issue 35 | In-Mind”
The article mentioned above has been published in the The Inquisitive Mind magazine and provides an in-depth explanation of how individuals have become part of the social media. The author of the article attempts to elucidate the critical social psychology concepts such as body dissatisfaction, self-esteem, self-concept and body image. The article uses an empirical approach to determine how major social media platforms such as Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram have affected the general life of the users. The article pinpoints that people who use social media platforms on daily bases are the young individuals.
Body dissatisfaction which is a significant concept inherent in this publication refers to how individuals tend to evaluate themselves negatively and most specifically their bodies. Besides, the concept of self-concept, which relates to the perceptions held by an individual based on their characteristics is brought into the limelight. Those characteristics may include hobbies, skills, personality traits, goals, values and social roles. Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest have been linked to the social of body dissatisfaction. Adage social media users are more concerned with their bodily appearance. They tend to idealize their thinness or how their body appears. It is therefore understandable to conclude that social media is a dominant force that affects how individuals behave in a social setting.
The Nexus between Self-Esteem and Other Social Psychology Concepts
Self-esteem and Conformity. The society tends to dictate on how and where an individual is supposed to fit in. The issue of conformity begins at the early age where you are supposed to fit-in in a school setting. The same mode of approach to life issues continues through school life to work life. Individuals spend too much time trying to impress others. A realization that you have met certain conformity unwritten rules tends to boost the self-esteem of an individual. Therefore, the higher the capacity to conform to social norms, the higher the level of self-esteem.
Self-esteem and prejudice. Studied indicate that people with low self-esteem are more prone to prejudice. This is because when the individual feels terrible or despises himself or herself, they tend to direct their biases towards other individuals. Individuals who feel bad about themselves are less likely to appreciate the presence and contributions of others.
Conclusion
The aim social psychology is to explain how social interactions affect the general behavior of an individual. As a science, social psychology tends to provide the reason behind specific behavior exhibited by an individual based on a particular social setting. To achieve this objective, social psychologists use the key concepts such as conformity, deindividuation, prejudice, groupthink, Social facilitation, and social perception. To explain further the concepts inherent in the field of social psychology, this essay took into perspective the arguments presented in a print media published in The Inquisitive Mind magazine. The issue of self-esteem and body dissatisfaction are well discussed in the magazine about the social media platforms such as Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.
Work Cited
“Selfie-Esteem: The Relationship Between Body Dissatisfaction And Social Media In Adolescent And Young Women | Magazine Issue 1/2018 – Issue 35 | In-Mind”. In- Mind.Org, 2018, http://www.in-mind.org/article/selfie-esteem-the-relationship- between-body-dissatisfaction-and-social-media-in-adolescent. Accessed 28 Feb 2018.