Why do humans behave in a certain way? How do individuals form relationships with others? What components of an individual's physiological structure and surrounding atmosphere influence the formation of judgments about oneself, others and everyday events? Does belonging to a particular group influence your thoughts, emotions and actions towards others? Is aggression the product of biology or the environment? Questions like this form the foundation of social psychology, a field whose primary goal is the systematic study of human cognition, emotions, and actions. Social psychologists seek to understand how humans develop thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, as well as the effect that our environment, primarily our interactions with others, has on the formation of these same things. We can divide social psychology into three main categories: self, others and environment. Each category is made up of several additional topics, all related to the broad category that the topic falls into. The first category is the self, and the primary focus is on exploring how individuals form impressions of themselves. Self-concept topics include self-schemas, self-esteem, self-efficacy, self-awareness, and the agentic self. The second category builds on the foundations of the self and examines the methods individuals use to form impressions of others. Topics related to how humans think, perceive, and relate to others include attributions, attitudes, behaviors, judgments, as well as prejudices, stereotypes, and discrimination. The third category concerns the environment, specifically the relationship and influence of others on an individual's thoughts, feelings and things, taking into account the role of culture. Culture typically reflects the social norms and customs of the geographic location in which an individual resides; consequently, one's culture has a profound influence on our self-concept. Humans' self-concept evolves throughout our lives, and culture provides a high degree of influence on how we perceive others and ourselves. Independent cultures see the individual as a unique entity whose qualities develop independently of the social environment, while interdependent cultures see individuals as the collective product of his or her social connections and environment. Works Cited Feenstra, J. (2011). Introduction to social psychology. San Diego, California, United States: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.. Retrieved April 19, 2012, from https://content.ashford.edu/books/AUPSY301.11.1/sections/fm