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28 September 2007
 Wits’s Psychology department offers a course module in Social Psychology that is focused on intergroup relations – the behaviour of groups towards each other.
Social Psychology a discipline which aims at an integration of the psychological functioning of individuals with the social settings, small and large, in which this functioning takes place. It looks at individual behaviour as it interacts with its social context, and as it, more often than not, derives from that context.
Most of human action is social interaction. Much is created by social interaction which shapes and modifies even those of our activities which often appear to us as individually determined.
Most of human action is social interaction. Much is created by social interaction which shapes and modifies even those of our activities which often appear to us as individually determined.
This course is mainly concerned with understanding prejudice, discrimination, conflict and violence. In the course we consider what is meant by prejudice, how it manifests and its effects. Some of the major psychological theories explaining prejudice are presented.
It is in this context sexual prejudice, racism, sexism, xenophobia and other examples of intergroup relations are discussed. Gender DynamiX gave a powerful lecture on Transgender which was aimed at clarifying some of the misconceptions around this phenomenon that may lead to stereotypes and prejudice against Trans people.
This lecture, given by Liesl Theron of Gender DynamiX aimed at going beyond creating awareness of the existence of  LGBTI but also to examine the critical role played by psychologists.
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