The development of western social psychology can be roughly divided into several stages:

1, the germination and birth of western social psychology (19 to the beginning of the 20th century).

The special study of social psychology began in the second half of19th century. 1860, Raqqa Ruth and Heymann Steinthal published a series of papers on ethnic psychology. Since then, Tarde's Imitation Law, Siegel's Crime Masses and Lebon's Popular Psychology have come out one after another, which laid the foundation for the formation of social psychology.

1908, American sociologist Ross and British psychologist McDougall William published a monograph called Social Psychology. This year is considered to be the era when western social psychology was born. In the 1920s, every social psychologist in the Soviet Union introduced scientific experimental methods into this discipline, which turned social psychology from describing objects to exploring and revealing laws. Social psychology has become an independent science. Its founder is recognized as Auguste Comte, a French positivist philosopher. There are three main reasons why social psychology has become a science: 1) began to use experiments; 2) Use quantitative analysis to supplement the qualitative analysis of the phenomenon; 3) From describing phenomena to revealing and utilizing laws.

2. Establishment of scientific system of western social psychology (1920s-40s)

As early as 1898, triplett made an experimental study on social promotion, but for many years, this valuable proposal has not attracted widespread attention. It was not until after the First World War that American psychologist allport and German psychologist Maud began the direction of experimental social psychology. After them, experimental social psychology began to become the mainstream of social psychology research in the west, especially in the United States.

Since the publication of allport's book Social Psychology, social psychology has entered a period of rapid development. In 2008+0928, thurston put forward the method of attitude measurement, which improved the attitude research started by Thomas and Zenanetsky and became the research center of social psychology at that time. In 2008+0934, Moreno proposed a social measurement method to measure interpersonal attraction and exclusion in groups. 49860 . 68686886686

These research methods are embodied in establishing a rigorous scientific system based on mathematical and physical principles for "social psychology", thus establishing its quantitative and accurate research direction.

3. The expansion of the research field of western social psychology.

The main topics of social psychology research are different with the evolution of the times.

During the 1940s and 1950s, influenced by World War II and Lei Wen, social psychology mainly studied group influences and attitudes.

In 1950s, Ashe and others studied obedience. Yale College, led by hovland, published a series of studies on persuasion. Festinger put forward the theory of cognitive dissonance, which became the research center in 1960s. In 1970s, the attribution theory based on Hyde's Psychology of Interpersonal Relations became a research hotspot. Since 1980s, cognitive social psychology and applied social psychology have been paid more and more attention.