Similarities and differences between social psychology and sociology

Social psychology and sociology, could you say what differentiates them? Although they are often confused, they do not refer to the same thing.. Although it is no less true that they share some elements in their definition and that the birth of one depended, in part, on the other.

For this reason, and despite their differences, both can work in an articulated manner. Their integration has allowed us to have a greater understanding not only of the individual and groups, but also of society itself and its groups.

Social psychology and sociology

At first there were only sociology and psychology; but a part of psychology became interested in social and group processes, thus emerging social psychology. Therefore, the names are related. Social psychology is born from the integration of psychology with sociology.

Sociology, for its part, was also interested in the individual processes that psychology studied. The interaction between subjects and their environment became an object of reflection by sociologists, thus moving away from other macrosociological approaches.

Therefore, there has been great influence of one on the other in its evolution, so they have many aspects in common. Currently, these fields of knowledge have tended towards specialization through different approaches and each one has invested its efforts in increasingly particular aspects. The result has been that both have ended up isolating themselves.

Thus, sociologists have focused on macro variables, such as social structure or migration, while social psychology has focused on micro variables, such as group identity or influence.

A love-hate relationship

It is noteworthy that Both sciences share a common object of study: human behavior. However, social psychology would be a branch of psychology that studies how the environment directly or indirectly influences the conduct and behavior of human beings, as suggested by Allport in The historical background of social psychology.

For its part, sociology is a social science that is dedicated to the systematic study of society, social action and the groups that make it up (Furfey, 1953). You could say that both study relationships between people, but from different perspectives.

The fact that each one has its watchtower in different places means that one can benefit from the other, while the differences between the two become accentuated. One of the main differences between the two is that psychology studies the effect of the social on the individual, while sociology focuses on the collective phenomena themselves. In other words, Social psychology studies human behavior at the individual level and sociology at the group level..

Although social psychology and sociology have many things in common, they have been gradually separating.

social psychology

Based on the book The making of modern social psychology of Moscovici and Markova, it can be said that social psychology Its ultimate goal is the analysis of the interaction between the individual and society. These interaction processes take place at different levels, which are usually divided into intrapersonal, interpersonal, intragroup and intergroup processes. In short, processes between people and between groups.

In the field of interpersonal processes The processing of information and the way in which this information is used within groups are studied. As for the intergroup processesbetween groups, the emphasis is placed on the study of the role of groups in the construction of people’s identity.

Social psychology takes social phenomena into account, but does not focus its study on them. Instead of that, analyzes how these social phenomena have an effect on the individual. Social psychology seeks to understand how most individuals are affected by social factors, regardless of their individual personality differences.

The sociology

Sociology, for its part, studies the creation and organizational and institutional modifications that configure the structure of a society. It also investigates the effect that different social structures have on the behavior of groups and individuals; and the changes that occur in these structures as a result of social interactions.

In the words of Richard Osborne: “Sociology is about explaining something that seems obvious (how our society works) to people who think it’s simple and don’t understand how complicated it really is.” The actions we perform on a daily basis sometimes have explanations that we would never think of.

The group influences the construction of an individual’s identity.

Great representatives of both fields

Although in both social psychology and sociology the representatives of these fields number in the millions, some have stood out more notably.

Since we cannot honor all the great researchers who have left their mark, the following are some of the theories and methods left by two of the best-known representatives of both fields and that will help understand the differences between these sciences:

Pierre Bourdieu

He is known, among other things, for introducing the concept of habitus, which refers to a set of schemes through which we perceive the world and act in it.

Habitus have a great influence on our thoughts, perceptions and actions., becoming the fundamental dimension that explains social class. The social class is integrated based on its characteristic habits. In this sense, the performance of actions is what places us in a certain social class.

Henri Tajfel and John Turner

They developed the theory of social identity. According to this theory, through categorization processes, we end up identifying with groups whose norms will modulate our behaviors. The greater the identification with a group, the more willing we will be to follow the norms of that group and even make sacrifices so that they continue to be maintained.

Furthermore, as pointed out in an article published in Psychothema, Tajfel proposed that part of our self-concept is shaped by social identity. That is, we define ourselves and think of ourselves in relation to the groups and society to which we belong.

While Bourdieu proposes that the schemes from which we perceive the world will determine our behaviors, Tajfel interprets that group membership will be what determines their behavior based on the group’s norms. As had been mentioned, They study the same thing but from different perspectives.

Final considerations

Summarizing a little what was said in this article, we can say that social psychology is that discipline that studies social phenomena, emphasizing the individual and their internal processes; while sociology addresses the same thing, but focusing on group dynamics, the links and communications that are generated between subjects when they are grouped together with a common objective.

Although they share a common interest in social matters, the approach they give to it and the purpose it has are very different. Despite this, their joint work has expanded our understanding of human relationships and the influences that society has on individuals.

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