Social Psychology
27 evidence-labeled concepts on Social Psychology, drawn from the Shrink Atlas. Each concept is a short lesson: what it is, why it matters, how to work with it. Explore the list, or start with the one that fits your question today.
Altruism
Altruism is helping others at a cost to yourself out of genuine concern.
Attribution
Explanations shape future behavior.
Behavioral Contagion
We adopt the actions of the people around us, often without noticing.
Belonging
Belonging is the felt sense of being accepted and mattering to others.
Bystander Effect
The more witnesses there are, the less likely any one steps in.
Conformity
Going along with the group, sometimes against our own judgment.
Diffusion of Responsibility
The more people share a duty, the less any one person owns it.
Groupthink
The pull toward consensus that silences doubt and dissent.
In-Group Bias
In-group bias is favoring members of our own group over outsiders.
Obedience to Authority
The powerful pull to obey a legitimate authority, even when it feels wrong.
Ostracism
Ostracism is the pain of being ignored or excluded by others.
Out-Group Bias
Out-group bias is judging or treating those outside our group less favorably.
Prosocial Behavior
Prosocial behavior is acting in ways intended to help others.
Psychological Reactance
Threatened autonomy can produce resistance.
Psychological Safety
Safety encourages honesty.
Reciprocity
Reciprocity is responding to care and effort in kind over time.
Rejection Sensitivity
Rejection sensitivity is anxiously expecting and overreading rejection in others.
Role Conflict
Role conflict arises when legitimate expectations compete.
Role Strain
Role strain occurs when the demands of a single role become difficult to meet.
Social Comparison
Comparison is inevitable. Its interpretation is optional.
Social Identity
Identity is both personal and social.
Social Isolation
Social isolation is a lack of meaningful social contact and connection.
Social Learning
Observation is a powerful teacher.
Social Loafing
Effort drops when individual contribution is hidden in a group.
Social Norms
Groups quietly shape behavior.
Social Support
Social support is the care and help our relationships provide when we need it.
Stigma
Stigma is a social process, not a personal flaw.
How this library is organized
Every concept in Social Psychology lives in one of six realms of the Shrink Atlas and carries an honest evidence label. This page is a navigation aid; the concept pages are where the lessons are. Follow one, or come back tomorrow for the daily concept.
See the whole Atlas · See the frameworks that use these concepts · See guided pathways