Social Psychology is the study of how individuals think, feel, and behave in regard to other people and the thoughts of individuals, feelings and behaviors affected by other people, and the focus of an individual in the environment. .
Most behavior is social in nature, because we interact with people in different ways. For our whole lives we are surrounded by family, friends, and strangers, and many times they affect the way we will turn out to be in the future. At birth we are taken care of by our parents, we go to school, and join social clubs such as team sports, and other extra-curricular activities. People have always attempted to understand the human behavior for many years, but still not all psychologists can explain the behavior of a person in the same way. For example a Sociologist provides general laws and theories about societies, not intervals. A Personal Psychologist studies the characteristics that make and individual unique and different from others. A Social Psychologists studies the psychological processes people have in common that makes them vulnerable to social influence. The three primary goals of a person in life are (1) to be liked, (2) to be right, (3) and to be free.
Stereotypes are not necessarily negative, sometimes they may have a positive connotation. They reflect the beliefs that one might have on a group of people or a culture, or even gender. For example a male with a PhD., in Oncology may get paid more money than a female with the same qualifications.
Animal behaviors are either instinctive or learned. Much is random and therefore isn't really "behavior": a flagellating protozoa isn't "looking for" food. When social scientists speak of human behavior they mean significant activities. It is implied that humans are aware of their own activities and those of others. Human behaviors are learned rather than instinctive, but adaptive success comes at a cost, instincts make organisms "puppets" of their environment.
