Home > D317 Social Psychology: Personal Lives, Social Worlds
Question: “We have little control over the ways we conduct our relationships.” Discuss in the light of your study of Book 2.
Answer: Forming and maintaining relationships is a basic need for humans. We are predisposed to be social (Wolf 1969, in Dallos, R. 1998), developing relationships to ensure our physical and psychological survival. Miell & Dallos (1998 Miell, D. & Dallos, R. (eds.) 1998) suggest there is evidence showing that not forming relationships can cause pathological mental states. Most people believe that they have full agency, being active in choosing and developing friendships, romantic liaisons and work relationships. However, this essay will argue that in reality our relationships are controlled by internal psychological processes and external social factors which influence formation and maintenance of relationships. The possibility of gaining some personal agency through therapy or awareness of social structuring factors is explored. Psychodynamic theories of relating will be used to illustrate the ...(short extract)
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- Subject: Social Psychology
- Course: D317
- Level: Degree
- Year: 2nd/3rd
- Mark: 80%
- Words: 2154
- Date submitted: January 23, 2009
- Date written: August, 2006
- References: Yes
- Document type: Essay*
- Essay ID: 255
