Contemporary Issues in Social Psychology

We have explored neoliberalism in relation to the body and how discourses are applied to the fat body •We have discussed resistance and how resistance can look •We discussed how discourse can constrain and shape resistance to it

How does celebrity worship arise and why do we feel so connected to celebrities? This document details how reality tv and social media can lead to a one way relationship between the general public and celebrities and how this can become a mental illness.

So Why Do People Enjoy Watching Reality TV? Do we watch reality TV because we enjoy evaluating ourselves or judging other people’s behaviour? Do we watch reality TV to satisfy a voyeuristic tendency? Do we watch reality TV to feel connected? Does enjoyment come from watching others suffer and being humiliated?

If more people are exposed to ads, do sales increase? The answer is YES! This is the stuff of data science, not pseudoscience. Big data provides us with opportunities to see how different aspects of the environment are related, but they cannot tell us what factors cause particular behaviours. We need to be very cautious using search data to predict behaviour at an individual level. Many horrible searches do not lead to horrible actions. We need to be very cautions about allowing governm...

There are many factors that can influence health, but one that is frequently undervalued is that of social identity. These notes explore how your social identity can be a prominent predictor of mental health issues such as depression and PTSD, but also physical health illnesses such as stroke and diabetes.

What's the difference between stereotype, prejudice and racism? How are they all related? How does this relate to social behaviour? Can we ACTUALLY reduce prejudice outside the lab? Are stereotypes accurate?

We have discussed the roots of Social Representation Theory and how Social Representation Theory paved the way for more critical approaches in Social Psychology • We have discussed what representations are and how they can help us understand our social world • We have outlined Social Representation Theory, and discussed two illustrative examples of sunbed use and linguistic features of COVID-19

Unlike an artists’ self-portrait, the selfie is inherently replaceable and has a disposable quality. • Research suggests that the primary role of photography has shifted from commemorating special events and remembering family life, to a way of communicating to our peers, forming our own identity, and bolstering social bonds. • People take different types of selfie’s to: • expression their mood and self-identity. • cultivate and project our self-image • communicating wit...

We have discussed how neoliberalism can impact on our behaviour, and how selfie-taking can become totemic of who we are, and the social expectations we do or do not adhere to We have also discussed about how we think about our bodies and the bodies of others through social media, that the body can represent neoliberal ideals of self-governance through references to health and fitness Finally, we discussed the body as project-that we are constantly in a process of micromanagement of our bodies...