Social psychology is a young science, barely a century old (Myers, 2010). Yet his scientific explorations have already shed light on love and hate, conformity and independence – social behaviors we encounter every day (Myers, 2010). Social psychology is the scientific study of how people think, influence, and interact with each other. (Myers, 2010). As we mature in life, our social world shapes us as we interact in social thought, social influences, and social relationships. Social psychology had the potential to illuminate our lives, making visible the subtle influences that guide our thinking and action. (Myers, 2010). Social psychology has opened many avenues for today's psychologists to understand how our daily lives are affected by self-perception, social factor, culture and gender influence. Social psychology dates back to the 1800s. It was not until after World War II that research into social psychology began in earnest (Cherry, 2005). The horrors of the Holocaust led researchers to study the effects of social influence, conformity, and obedience (Cherry, 2005). In 1895, Gustave Le Bon presented a systematic theory that crowd behavior was based on emotion rather than intellect (Ferguson, 2004). Le Bon recognized that his work revealed great dangers to society and warned that if the masses took control, human society would return to barbarism (Ferguson, 2004). In this sense, Le Bon's work constitutes an incomplete analysis of crowd dynamics, while opening new avenues for understanding human behavior (Ferguson, 2004). Gustav Le Bon's incomplete theory of crowd dynamics helped social psychologist Muzafer Sherif with his mos...... middle of paper ......, and decision framing. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol 50 (3), 533-549. Retrieved from http://psycnet.apa.org. Cherry, Kendra. (2005). Introduction to social psychology: basic concepts in social psychology. Retrieved from http://psychology.about.com/od/socialpsychology/a/socpsycbasics.htm.Cherry, Kendra. (2005). Research areas in social psychology. Retrieved from http://psychology.about.com/od/socialpsychology/p/socialresearch.htm Ferguson, Tamare. (2004). Social pressure: how our concern for the judgments of others affects our actions. Retrieved from http://www.usu.edu/psycho101/lectures/chp14socinflu/socinflu.html. Myers, David G. (2010). Social psychology (10th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill. Papalia, DE; Old, Wendkos, S. Feldman, Duskin, R. (2005). A child's world: from childhood to adolescence (11th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill