All Rights Reserved.
This work has been summarised from the prescribed readings for PSY2013F Social
Psychology.
It includes notes taken based on lecture slides from relevant topic lecturers, all of
whom are named in the appropriate section. These notes are elaborations based on
the author's own understanding.
This document, including all content and materials contained within, is the
intellectual property of Arièlle Denis, with thanks to Kayla Paul for her
contributions on the reading notes and further summaries.
No part of these notes may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form
or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or
mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in
the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other
non-commercial uses permitted by the copyright law.
For permission requests, please contact the author at
© 2026 Arièlle Denis,
University of Cape Town. All rights reserved.
, SOCIAL (& DEVELOPMENTAL) PSYCHOLOGY
PSY2013F | Semester 1
Introduction to Social Psychology and Intergroup Relations | Historical
perspective: Psychology and group relations in South Africa (Louw and Foster,
1991:57-90) – Reading not examinable
by Mandisa Malinga
3 Orientations in Social Psychology over time: Individual, social, political
→ Changes in definition reveal contested and changing nature!
Defining the field
● Baron and Byrne (1981)
○ Study focuses on manner in which behaviour, etc. is influence and determined by
others
● Sherif and Sherif (1969)
○ Seeks to understand the nature and cause of individual and social behaviour
● McGrath (1970)
○ Human behaviour and how it is influenced by the presence and behaviour of
others
● Allport (1968)
○ Attempt to understand and explain influenced by the actual/imagined/implied
presence of others
○ Not neutral - often contested, reflects debate within each discipline; transformed
across national and contextual boundaries
Social psychology is a psychology of society:
● It is concerned with specific contexts, inhabited by real living people, inhabiting their
bodies, living in specific communities with particular history – therefore these are all
RELEVANT.
● Focuses on intergroup relations within the South African context
● Critically engages with existing theories and South African relevance
→ Intergroup relations: The way in which people who belong to social groups perceive, think
about, feel about and act and interact with people in other groups.
HISTORICAL SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY APPROACH TO INTERGROUP
RELATIONS
, ● Social identity interacts with the world through factors of age, race, ethnicity, gender,
nationality, etc.
● Social psychology is informed by historical scholarship, particularly European and North
American
○ Within South Africa, the approach has extracted what is "relevant" and
"important", allowing it to shift towards contextually relevant social psychology
● The original quantitative focus is now qualitative – turning inwards to local social
challenges
● Race was a dominating, key organising factor shaping intergroup relationships, as a result
of South Africa's apartheid history
○ Research focused on racial "differences", trying to legitimise, legalise and justify
oppression
○ This was very essentialised, basing assumptions on "inherent" traits
○ This neglects sociopolitics and the environment and context!
→ Miscegenation: Breeding between different racial groups
MENTAL TESTING
● Tests have been adapted for use in South Africa
○ e.g. Testing the intellectual ability of population groups in South Africa, but
focusing on black populations - this implicitly pathologises
○ "Showed" black children as inferior, diregarding environmental conditions
● Van Rensburg (1938) - legitimised discriminatory labour laws, deeming black people
only suitable to carry out manual, repetitive labour
● Biesheuvel (1943) contested Van Rensburg, arguing that differences were not
scientifically determinable
POOR "WHITEISM"
● A "poor white" population emerged; this became political to many
● The Carnegie Corporation of New York garnered a large study grant to investigate why
the white population degraded at the same economic level as people of colour
○ This had many legal, social, economic and political implications, such as the
Natives Land Act, provision of Special Education, etc.
● Recent reports of this phenomenon have incorrect statistics and are sensationalised.
WAR YEARS & THE AFTERMATH
● Psychological research was used to inform soldiers' motivation during the war
● Psychometric tests were very flawed and biased, and was used to select pilots for SAAF,
mine workers. These acted to exclude individuals from certain professions and positions!
, AUTHORITARIAN PERSONALITY
● Adorno posited that people with this personality and the cluster of traits within are more
prone to prejudice, having experienced no love and harsh treatment in childhood
● This neglects socio-cultural and political factors and disregards social learning
● It is not just the individual who needs help or fixing
● MacCrone had an offshoot – the puritanical-calvinist personality
SOME CONTROVERSIES
● Findings were suppressed – research on African civil servants disparaged Afrikaners, and
was embargoed on the basis of the HSRC's confidentiality policies
● Studies on intelligence were often misinterpreted and ignored the context the individual
lived in
● There was continued policing of knowledge, research and publication, e.g. through
journal review processes or funding allocation
○ There has been pushback nowadays!
REPRESENTATION IN THE FIELD
● In later history of social psychology, there were no longer just white individuals, BUT
they were still the vast majority
● In 1970s, Professor Manganyi became one of the first recognised Black psychologists
Some questions to think about:
● Was knowledge about different social groups strategic? e.g. differentiating between
Afrikaans and white children VS white and black children
● Is intergroup conflict due to human nature?
● Should there be hard boundaries between disciplines when social psychology is so fluid?
This work has been summarised from the prescribed readings for PSY2013F Social
Psychology.
It includes notes taken based on lecture slides from relevant topic lecturers, all of
whom are named in the appropriate section. These notes are elaborations based on
the author's own understanding.
This document, including all content and materials contained within, is the
intellectual property of Arièlle Denis, with thanks to Kayla Paul for her
contributions on the reading notes and further summaries.
No part of these notes may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form
or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or
mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in
the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other
non-commercial uses permitted by the copyright law.
For permission requests, please contact the author at
© 2026 Arièlle Denis,
University of Cape Town. All rights reserved.
, SOCIAL (& DEVELOPMENTAL) PSYCHOLOGY
PSY2013F | Semester 1
Introduction to Social Psychology and Intergroup Relations | Historical
perspective: Psychology and group relations in South Africa (Louw and Foster,
1991:57-90) – Reading not examinable
by Mandisa Malinga
3 Orientations in Social Psychology over time: Individual, social, political
→ Changes in definition reveal contested and changing nature!
Defining the field
● Baron and Byrne (1981)
○ Study focuses on manner in which behaviour, etc. is influence and determined by
others
● Sherif and Sherif (1969)
○ Seeks to understand the nature and cause of individual and social behaviour
● McGrath (1970)
○ Human behaviour and how it is influenced by the presence and behaviour of
others
● Allport (1968)
○ Attempt to understand and explain influenced by the actual/imagined/implied
presence of others
○ Not neutral - often contested, reflects debate within each discipline; transformed
across national and contextual boundaries
Social psychology is a psychology of society:
● It is concerned with specific contexts, inhabited by real living people, inhabiting their
bodies, living in specific communities with particular history – therefore these are all
RELEVANT.
● Focuses on intergroup relations within the South African context
● Critically engages with existing theories and South African relevance
→ Intergroup relations: The way in which people who belong to social groups perceive, think
about, feel about and act and interact with people in other groups.
HISTORICAL SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY APPROACH TO INTERGROUP
RELATIONS
, ● Social identity interacts with the world through factors of age, race, ethnicity, gender,
nationality, etc.
● Social psychology is informed by historical scholarship, particularly European and North
American
○ Within South Africa, the approach has extracted what is "relevant" and
"important", allowing it to shift towards contextually relevant social psychology
● The original quantitative focus is now qualitative – turning inwards to local social
challenges
● Race was a dominating, key organising factor shaping intergroup relationships, as a result
of South Africa's apartheid history
○ Research focused on racial "differences", trying to legitimise, legalise and justify
oppression
○ This was very essentialised, basing assumptions on "inherent" traits
○ This neglects sociopolitics and the environment and context!
→ Miscegenation: Breeding between different racial groups
MENTAL TESTING
● Tests have been adapted for use in South Africa
○ e.g. Testing the intellectual ability of population groups in South Africa, but
focusing on black populations - this implicitly pathologises
○ "Showed" black children as inferior, diregarding environmental conditions
● Van Rensburg (1938) - legitimised discriminatory labour laws, deeming black people
only suitable to carry out manual, repetitive labour
● Biesheuvel (1943) contested Van Rensburg, arguing that differences were not
scientifically determinable
POOR "WHITEISM"
● A "poor white" population emerged; this became political to many
● The Carnegie Corporation of New York garnered a large study grant to investigate why
the white population degraded at the same economic level as people of colour
○ This had many legal, social, economic and political implications, such as the
Natives Land Act, provision of Special Education, etc.
● Recent reports of this phenomenon have incorrect statistics and are sensationalised.
WAR YEARS & THE AFTERMATH
● Psychological research was used to inform soldiers' motivation during the war
● Psychometric tests were very flawed and biased, and was used to select pilots for SAAF,
mine workers. These acted to exclude individuals from certain professions and positions!
, AUTHORITARIAN PERSONALITY
● Adorno posited that people with this personality and the cluster of traits within are more
prone to prejudice, having experienced no love and harsh treatment in childhood
● This neglects socio-cultural and political factors and disregards social learning
● It is not just the individual who needs help or fixing
● MacCrone had an offshoot – the puritanical-calvinist personality
SOME CONTROVERSIES
● Findings were suppressed – research on African civil servants disparaged Afrikaners, and
was embargoed on the basis of the HSRC's confidentiality policies
● Studies on intelligence were often misinterpreted and ignored the context the individual
lived in
● There was continued policing of knowledge, research and publication, e.g. through
journal review processes or funding allocation
○ There has been pushback nowadays!
REPRESENTATION IN THE FIELD
● In later history of social psychology, there were no longer just white individuals, BUT
they were still the vast majority
● In 1970s, Professor Manganyi became one of the first recognised Black psychologists
Some questions to think about:
● Was knowledge about different social groups strategic? e.g. differentiating between
Afrikaans and white children VS white and black children
● Is intergroup conflict due to human nature?
● Should there be hard boundaries between disciplines when social psychology is so fluid?
