Question

Which psychologists emerged in the late 20th century and believed human behavior to be something that could change by situational forces, as opposed to dispositional?

1) Behavioral psychologists
2) Cognitive psychologists
3) Humanistic psychologists
4) Social psychologists

Answer 1

Late 20th-century social psychologists, notably Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers, brought attention to how situational forces shape human behavior, contrasting with the dispositional perspectives of behaviorism and psychoanalysis.

Step-by-step explanation:

Social psychologists of the late 20th century, such as Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers, emphasized the power of situational forces on human behavior, challenging the previously dominant views of dispositional forces such as personality traits and temperament. This branch of psychology examines the impact of interpersonal and group relationships on behavior, suggesting that our actions are heavily influenced by our immediate environment, social roles, and the presence or behavior of others.

Social psychology takes into account how humans adopt behaviors based on their social environment. For example, one may change their behavior to align with the situation, especially in unfamiliar settings. Moreover, the fundamental attribution error describes the tendency to overemphasize internal factors in others' behaviors without considering situational influences, further underlining the significance of external factors.

Human behavior is thus understood to be a product of both the situation and individual dispositions, and the interdisciplinary field of social-personality psychology has emerged to study these complex interactions.