Adult & Higher Education

We like to think we make our own decisions, but the truth is we're constantly influenced by the people around us – often without even realising it. This course explores the fascinating psychology behind why we follow the crowd, when we obey authority and what these patterns reveal about being human.

This course is for anyone interested in social psychology and curious about what influences behaviour in everyday life. It's particularly appealing if you want to further understand group dynamics, work in team environments, or simply enjoy exploring why people behave the way they do in social situations.

We'll look at psychological research that has helped us to understand social influence. Through class discussions and real-world examples, we'll look at:

• The key psychological theories that explain conformity and obedience
• Landmark research like Asch's conformity experiments and Milgram's obedience studies
• The different types of conformity and why we respond to social pressure in various ways
• How seemingly rational people can make questionable decisions when they're part of a group
• The psychology of groupthink and how it plays out in real situations
• Why authority figures have such a powerful influence on our behaviour
• What makes some people more resistant to social pressure than others
• How culture, context, and specific situations shape our responses
• Real-world applications across workplace dynamics, social movements and historical events

None! This is a leisure course, so it's all about exploration and discussion rather than exams and essays. You don't need any background in psychology – just bring your curiosity and be ready to think about some genuinely intriguing questions about why people do what they do. 

Just a pen and paper for note-taking. 

You could enrol onto onto one of our other Psychology or Criminology leisure courses.