Social and Personality Psychology
MSU Social/Personality psychology in the News
Narcissistic Youth? Think again.
Dr. Brent Donnellan on the the myth of narcissism run amuck on campus
As psychologists, our enterprise is guided by the assumption that human cognition and behavior could and should be studied scientifically like any other natural science. Social psychology is the scientific study of the nature and causes of human social behavior and cognition and typically emphasizes social context. As the mind is the axis around which humans process information about the social world, social psychologists are also interested in the mental traits of individuals that remain stable with time (personality) that interact with the social environment to produce the staggering complexity of human social life.
Graduate Program
The social and personality program is designed to prepare students for academic careers. The program provides students with courses and research training across a broad range of areas within social psychology. It augments these opportunities with a weekly research meeting and speaker series. Students work closely with faculty and an attempt is made to match students' research interests with those of the faculty members with whom they work. Research involvement is the key element of the training program. Upon entering the program students become involved in a variety of research projects, typically with more than one faculty member. By the end of their program, students are expected to function as independent investigators.
For more information on our graduate program, click here