Many courses of study in psychology focus on individual function, though it is difficult to fully understand individuals without understanding them in the social context. Social Psychology is a branch of psychology that focuses on the social interactions that affect individual function. Systems Psychology is a more advanced study of social interactions in psychology and is built upon perspectives such as GST. Family therapy uses it as the foundation for therapy as do specific fields such as Sports Psychology. Sociology is a related field that also emphasizes the social interactions of human beings in particular. For this discussion, you will discuss the concepts of systems theories and how these drive a systems perspective in psychology. The discussion has three specific parts, and be sure to reply to at least two other students in a “discussion” format. 1. Give a general overview of GST and its application to the study of psychology. 2. Discuss how systems theories influence thinking in psychology to include the social environment and interactions with other humans that goes beyond the typical individual perspectives of studying human psychology. 3. Give a SPECIFIC example of how a systems perspective in psychology can help us better understand humans than individual perspectives alone. Your example can be “short and simple” and come from any area of psychology.
