Applied Social Psychology - Research Paper Example

? Social Psychology Assignment Applied Social Psychology Social psychology entails the study of human manners and contemplation concerning a social scenario. Social psychologists discuss numerous topics such as violent behavior, approaches, discrimination, and individual recognition. Social psychologists have upheld the concerns they encompass with involvement in environment, health, and lawful psychology. Attitudes are described as comprehensive assessment of an individual or a concern that manipulates activities and thoughts. Social psychologists have learned about the formation of attitude, transformation of attitude, the purpose of attitudes, and the connection between behavior and attitude (Schneider, Grumman, & Coutts, 2011). Situations influencing some individuals are not necessarily judged by the general attitude, which happens to be an imperfect indicator of the exact behavior. The application of attributes, an element of social psychology, is used to examine the significance of the performance of individuals in relation to matters of management. Performance of management is concerned with the techniques that enable activities of employees and outputs to go well together with the objectives an organization has set for itself. Most organizations have an official system of performance appraisal in which employee work performance is determined on a frequent basis. An outstanding system of performance appraisal can vastly enhance an organization (Saari & Judge, 2012). The attribute approach in the performance of management is an effective criterion for assessing performance of employees. The attribute approach centers on the degree to which human beings boast of certain attributes supposed to be sought after for the success of an organization. These techniques have the tendency to utilize the attribute approach in describing a set of characteristics including competitiveness, inventiveness, and leadership in the evaluation of effects on individuals. The application of social psychology with regard to the assessment of performance by individuals can be realized from its application in the manipulation of the extent of change in groupings or individuals (Smith & Haslam, 2012). The performance by humans is usually observable and determinable, as it refers to precise activities contributing to the attainment of the anticipated outcome. Assignment # 2 Applied Social Psychology and the Work Environment Employees with high satisfaction from their jobs are productive. The employees with high satisfaction levels at their work places experience a working scenario enhanced by the HR activities. The actions by the HR assist in the manipulation of the programs of the organization and the management practices. The organizational leaders bear the responsibility of formulating a high level environment of job satisfaction (Gunelius, 2012). The fundamental aspiration of leadership should be towards enhancing the performance of the labor workforce and the machinery to enhance quality, increase productivity, and, concurrently, bring pleasure of workmanship to the employees. An encouraging environment enables employees to have a feeling of pleasure in the work they do. The satisfaction is gained by such factors as the provision of an affirmative environment of work, provision of incentives and credit, involvement with employee engagement, and the assessment of job satisfaction. On the other hand, the consequences of low job satisfaction can be far reaching. The lack of employees’ satisfaction could result in numerous areas of work getting affected, with their mannerism also having an effect on their colleagues (McFarlin, 2012). The employees registering low work satisfaction experience numerous other concerns at the workplaces as a consequence. Failure of employees to be happy with their jobs is likely to result into experiences of stress levels at the work place. The fundamental human nature principle explains that if an individual is not doing something enjoyable, chances are that a feeling of dissatisfaction and little things will create a feeling of unhappiness, thereby inflicting stress on employees. Low job satisfaction attached to the low morale of employees will result in the employees showing low productivity levels in their works. The more satisfaction the employees derive from their jobs, the less likely they will vacate their jobs. The places of job satisfaction are advantageous not only to the employees, but to the organization as a whole, as they create a possibility of integration of job satisfaction in the organization’s values. The entrenchment of values in an organization’s structure results in the improvement of services that are provided to customers. They are founded on the satisfaction of the job sustained by the employees. In addition, the formal connection to the job satisfaction leads to the increase of resources and services that are provided to customers and organizations (Smith, 2012). Also, the move is likely to draw talented employees to the organization in the long term. When hiring employees, organizations should not fail to accentuate the need to have an environment that fosters and upholds satisfaction. Otherwise, it will succumb to employees’ dissatisfaction. A consultant concerned with the motivational work relating to employee satisfaction can apply the social psychology aspect of leadership in his or her consultation work. Leadership, more so in organizations, is viewed as a vital determinant of whether job satisfaction thrives or falls into hysteria. Whenever the requirements of employees are dealt with, job satisfaction and productivity will be enhanced as a consequence. Disciplines in social psychology have seized leading positions in the quest to find out what promotes the satisfaction of jobs among employees in an organization. Class #2 Research Design Assignment #3Becoming a Scholar-Practitioner The practices of practitioners and scholars are mutually dependent, as an individual’s development is subject to one’s capability to be both. Emerging as a distinguished scholar can simply be accomplished if freshly ground information and research are implemented without delay. That will result in an extremely qualified practitioner or scholar. Scholars carry out research activities and have to write much (Rose, 2012). On the other hand, practitioners practice in psychology and sociology fields as counselors, professors, or care takers. The scholar-practitioner representation is exceptional, as it challenges a fluency in performances and standards, all at a go. Consequently, the scholar practitioner can attain the highest levels of studying, synthesizing, and assessment. In spite of an individuals’ field of employment, the need for flexibility is must. An individual must be disposed to spend time in researching dependable sources. In addition, an individual should be ready to read to become more scholarly and effective practitioner. For the quality of work to be superior, the information provided should be believable, particularly if an individual is receiving a certificate or degree. Assignment #4 Reflection Reflection happens in a social theory when the hypothesis in the subject is concerned with the equal employment. Furthermore, reflection is considered to happen when the activities of observers concerning the social organization have an effect on the exact scenarios under observation. It could also be about a hypothesis which is being constructed for distribution and bears an effect on the behavior of human beings. The hypothesis system is supposed to be an objective model. Reflection is proposed as a methodological standard, implying that a total hypothetical account of the social structure ought to have an explanation of similar standards and techniques utilized in accounting for the other knowledge (Weinstein, 2012). That permits exceptional research areas which explain the other areas as a part of a general procedure of self reflection. The topics covered were very insightful especially in the understanding of individual functioning. The daily operations of individuals are covered in the psychological study, mostly in the sub-division of applied social psychology. The most important area covered in this topic is about the understanding of becoming a scholar-practitioner. The lessons learnt will be a life changer not only to me, but to the world as a whole. The understanding of the functioning of the individuality is a lesson that should be made known to everyone. Consequently, proper mechanisms should be made available in the awareness campaign. References Gunelius, S. (2011). Employee Job Satisfaction Is Low, Motivation to Leave Is Lower. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2011/03/04/employee-job- satisfaction-is-low-motivation-to-leave-is-lower/ McFarlin (n.d.). The Effects of Low Job Satisfaction. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/effects-low-job-satisfaction-10721.html Rose, S. (n.d.). To be or not to Be, Practitioner or Scholar, That is the Question. Retrieved from http://socyberty.com/education/to-be-or-not-to-be-practitioner-or-scholar-that-is-the- question/ Saari, L. M., & Judge, T. A. (2004). Employee attitudes and job satisfaction. New York, NY: Wiley. Schneider, F. W., Grumman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2011). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. New York, NY: Sage Publications. Smith, G. P. (n.d.). How to improve job satisfaction, employee engagement, employee job satisfaction, improve job satisfaction. Retrieved from http://www.chartcourse.com/articlepride.htm Smith, J. & Haslam, S. A. (2012). Social psychology: Revisiting the classic studies. New York, NY: Sage Publications. Weinstein, J. (n.d.). The Place of Theory in Applied Sociology: A Reflection. Retrieved from http://theoryandscience.icaap.org/content/vol001.001/01weinstein_revised.html Read More