Social Psychology Concepts

Social Psychology Concepts Introduction In social psychology, scholars aim at analysing social situations as per the prevailing socio-cultural environments and influences. Everything which is said and done by people is deemed to have a meaning which may have either a literal or a qualitative interpretation.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Social Psychology Concepts specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This means that a single discourse like masculinity or femininity may be surrounded by several socio-cultural explanations or interpretations which may vary from one culture to the other. In social psychology, the concepts of interpretative repertoire, subject position and ideological dilemma are used concurrently in sense making of a particular discourse. The concepts are more or less interrelated in that they may be applicable in a single discourse or account of a person about an event, or a reaction or a person(s) to a certain internal or external stimulus. Discussion The concept of interpretative repertoire is used by social psychologists to refer to the coherent ways of explaining or talking about people, events and or practices in the real world. According to Margret, Stephanie and Simon, in the article titled â€Å"discourse analysis†, they describe interpretative repertoire as the â€Å"the building blocks of conversation’ (Wetherell, Taylor, Yates, 2001.p.198). Accordingly, interpretative repertoires may therefore be viewed as linguistic materials or resources which people refer to or utilize in their day to day social exchange and or interactions (Wetherell, et al, 2001.p.198). They also represent communities’ understanding and presentation of common sense which characterize the communities’ social understanding about a particular discourse (Wetherell, et al, 2001.p.198). For example, people of a certain community may use distinctive words, phrases or metaphors while describing a certain discourse like masculinity. The words and phrases may be different, but once analysed; they may give a common understanding, perception or reaction to the discourse of masculinity in that particular social setting (Wetherell, et al, 2001.p.198). The concept of ideological dilemma, also known as lived ideologies is used to refer to values, beliefs and practices of a particular culture in a society of people. According to Wetherell, Taylor, Yates, the concept may simply be used to refer to the culturally entrenched conceptualizations of common sense and wisdom.Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Many of the ideological dilemmas are in form of the contradicting views about a particular discourse as may be contextualized in patterns of speech. For example in some cultures, people may say that â€Å"out of sight is out of mind† as well as â€Å"absence makes the heart beco me fonder†. These sayings may be found in a single community and may present an ideological dilemma to the members of that community as to which saying should guide them in their social interaction (Wetherell, et al, 2001.p.203). In a discourse like masculinity, men in a certain cultural setting may express their wish to be masculine, but also wish to be caring, polite and nurturing as parents. The dilemma arises from the fact that the attribute of being nurturing may be associated with women and if men are to be masculine, there is no way they should possess such a feminine attribute. Lastly, the concept of subject position refers to the locations or identities used in a conversation. In every conversation, people use different interpretative repertoires to bring forth different identities or portray a cetin identity of themselves and not another. In a discourse of masculinity for example, men may use different interpretative repertoire to portray themselves as either support ive of masculinity characters or not (Wetherell, et al, 2001.p.210). Those who like being associated with masculinity may describe themselves as being tough and aggressive while those who do not like being associated with masculinity may despise their counterparts as lacking some important elements of parenthood or fatherhood for that matter. These are two different subject positions about the single discourse of masculinity. The importance of identifying these concepts in a discourse is to enable us get as many interpretations of a discourse as possible so that we may be able to accurately attribute human actions to the correct explanations, otherwise we may be biased in making attributions in our day to day social interactions. Reference Wetherell, M., Taylor, S., Yates, S.J. (2001).Discourse as Data: A Guide of Analysis. London: Sage Publications.pp.193-210.