Final answer:
Psychology is considered a social science due to its focus on how individuals' behaviors, thoughts, and feelings are shaped by social interactions and societal influences, employing the scientific method to explore behavior in a social context.
Step-by-step explanation:
Psychology is considered a social science because it is concerned with the study of how people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others. As a discipline, psychology dives into aspects that are intrinsically linked to social interactions and the social environment, making it a pivotal area within the social sciences. It addresses questions like what is creativity, prejudice and discrimination, and consciousness, by using the scientific method to understand and explain behavior.
At its core, psychology aims to describe, explain, predict, and sometimes change behavior. This encompasses understanding individual behavior in social contexts, such as the influence of group dynamics as studied in social psychology. The significant role psychology plays in social sciences is also evidenced by its interplay with related fields like sociology and political science, where psychological principles help to analyze societal patterns and political behavior.
The connection of psychology to biological processes does lend it some attributes of the natural sciences. However, the focus on behavior within a social milieu, especially in subfields such as social psychology, underlines its categorization as a social science. This is due to the emphasis on the environment and context of behavior, not merely the biological underpinnings.