What Would a Sociocultural Psychologist Study?

The sociocultural psychology approach to studying the human mind asserts that all of our cultural relationships -- from family and friends to the environment people live in, and the religious beliefs they hold -- shape their world views and mindsets. The concept of sociocultural psychology, or social psychology, states that humans are completely intertwined with their surroundings and their world. It also claims that everything from human behavior to their personality and attitudes have been shaped by both the environment they live in and their interactions with each other.

Behavior and Attitudes

Sociocultural psychologists are interested in how our societies and environment have shaped our behavior and attitudes. For instance, our values, world view and opinions are all different from each other, and formed by the different experiences in our lives. According to Dr. Susan Carol Losh of Florida State University, two people can have radically different opinions about a controversial subject, like the death penalty, with one person taking a more nuanced approach while the other believes in an "eye for an eye" punishment philosophy. Both people's opinions have been influenced by external factors like news stories and the opinions of other people they know.

Group Thinking

Group thinking is a common area of study for sociocultural psychologists, who are interested in examining why and how people's opinions are formed by the like-minded group they interact with. Group thinking often occurs when there is a strong leader surrounded by a group of people who either blindly agree with the leader, or who censor themselves and are afraid to say "no." Several historical examples of group thinking going terribly wrong include the rise of Nazi Germany in the early 1930s, and the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in 1961. These are examples of people who felt pressure to conform and go along with orders they may have disagreed with personally.


The concept of personality largely consists of a set of traits and attributes that are learned or picked up through family life and education. While many people think of personalities as being an inherent part of who they are, sociocultural psychologists instead believe that they are behaviors learned and absorbed by individuals from their surrounding environment. It relies on speech, feedback and reflected behavior from others, as well as private role-playing and comparison with others, in order to learn the right social norms and behaviors.

Learning and Education

One of the key beliefs in the field of sociocultural psychology is the importance the role of education and learning play in the development of human beings. The social theory of learning posits that all changes to behavior and thinking are made through feedback, both negative and positive, which requires a social environment to properly learn and process information. The theory says that people need an external stimulus, or motivating factor, to make them learn -- such as parents or a school system.