Career and Training of Social Psychologists

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsJob RoleWork EnvironmentSalaryEducation and TrainingSocial vs. Personality PsychologyJob Outlook

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Table of Contents

Job Role

Work Environment

Salary

Education and Training

Social vs. Personality Psychology

Job Outlook

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Social psychologyis the study of how social influences, perceptions, and interactions affect our behavior as individuals and groups.If this sounds like an interesting career path for you, read on to learn more about the social psychologist role and job outlook.

What a Social Psychologist Does

Others in this field focus on finding solutions to real-world problems. When working as a social psychologist, you might:

Work Environments for a Social Psychologist

Because social psychologists are trained to combine their knowledge of human behavior withscientific research methods, job options can be very diverse. So too are their work settings.

Many social psychologists choose to work in educational environments such as colleges and universities, where they conduct research, teach classes, and run social psychology laboratories. Others work for government offices, non-profit organizations, hospitals, social service offices, and private corporations.

Social Psychologist Salary

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) provides median annual wages for school, clinical, and industrial-organizational psychologists, but it doesn’t give this data for school psychologists specifically. Instead, it lumps all others into one category, with a median annual wage of $106,420 per year.

Other websites share wage information specific to the social psychologist role. According to Salary.com, the salary range is $59,025 to $91,578 per year.ZipRecruiter provides an average annual salary of $68,542 per year,which is also within this range.

Salaries for psychologistscan vary based on their level of education, experience, specialty area, and work setting.

Social Psychologist Education and Training

For most students, it will take at least four to five years of graduate study to earn a Ph.D. in Social Psychology.​

Social Psychologist vs. Personality Psychologist

Social psychology shares some similarities withpersonality psychology, so they are sometimes confused as being the same. But there are important differences that distinguish the two areas.

A social psychologist is more interested in how situational variables influence the behaviors of groups and individuals. Conversely, a personality psychologist generally focuses on individual differences between people.

Social Psychology vs. SociologySocial psychology is also sometimes confused with sociology, but the two (while somewhat related) are not the same. Social psychologists focus on the behavior of individuals or small groups while sociologists look at large populations, such as entire social groups or cultures as a whole.

Social Psychology vs. Sociology

Social psychology is also sometimes confused with sociology, but the two (while somewhat related) are not the same. Social psychologists focus on the behavior of individuals or small groups while sociologists look at large populations, such as entire social groups or cultures as a whole.

Job Outlook for Social Psychologists

While ads seeking social psychologists may make up a smaller percentage ofpsychology job listings, it is important to remember that social psychologists work in a wide variety of job areas. So, individuals with a Ph.D. in social psychology are frequently able to find work in related areas.

Not sure whether a social psychologist career path is the right fit for you? Take ourpsychology career quizto learn which role may best align with your personality.

6 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Psychological Association.Social psychology studies human interactions.Bureau of Labor Statistics.Occupational Outlook Handbook: Psychologists: Pay.Salary.com.Social psychologist salary in the United States.ZipRecruiter.Social psychologist salary.Social Psychology Network.Frequently asked career questions.Bureau of Labor Statistics.Occupational Outlook Handbook: Psychologists: Job outlook.

6 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Psychological Association.Social psychology studies human interactions.Bureau of Labor Statistics.Occupational Outlook Handbook: Psychologists: Pay.Salary.com.Social psychologist salary in the United States.ZipRecruiter.Social psychologist salary.Social Psychology Network.Frequently asked career questions.Bureau of Labor Statistics.Occupational Outlook Handbook: Psychologists: Job outlook.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

American Psychological Association.Social psychology studies human interactions.Bureau of Labor Statistics.Occupational Outlook Handbook: Psychologists: Pay.Salary.com.Social psychologist salary in the United States.ZipRecruiter.Social psychologist salary.Social Psychology Network.Frequently asked career questions.Bureau of Labor Statistics.Occupational Outlook Handbook: Psychologists: Job outlook.

American Psychological Association.Social psychology studies human interactions.

Bureau of Labor Statistics.Occupational Outlook Handbook: Psychologists: Pay.

Salary.com.Social psychologist salary in the United States.

ZipRecruiter.Social psychologist salary.

Social Psychology Network.Frequently asked career questions.

Bureau of Labor Statistics.Occupational Outlook Handbook: Psychologists: Job outlook.

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