Final answer:
Interpersonal influences are the social forces and interactions that affect individuals' behaviors, thoughts, and feelings within a society, including social roles, norms, and scripts. Social psychology investigates these influences, which are exemplified in behaviors such as conformity and in relationships influenced by proximity.
Step-by-step explanation:
Interpersonal influences are the effects that individuals have on each other in a social context. These influences encompass social roles, norms, and scripts, which dictate appropriate behaviors and interactions among individuals within a society. For instance, norms may govern how individuals should behave in specific settings, such as a cultural expectation to be polite and engage in small talk when attending a social gathering.
This concept is a major focus within social psychology, which studies how people affect one another’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Interpersonal influences include various forms of social interactions, like helping behavior, aggression, attraction, and group processes. Experiments such as Stanley Milgram's shed light on the extent to which individuals may conform due to perceived authority, underlining the significance of interpersonal influences on human behavior.
Proximity is also recognized as a significant factor that governs interpersonal interactions, where individuals are more inclined to form friendships or romantic relationships with those whom they encounter regularly. Furthermore, salient situations such as divorce or family abuse have notable social and interpersonal impacts that can affect the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of those involved.