As mentioned above, one key difference between the three approaches is the question of the kind of understanding social psychology should provide and how it should be applied. For example the experimental social psychologists, aim to understand the origins and consequences of people's mental processes. Further they suggest, that some social behaviour both internal and external to individuals has causal influences that are governed by laws. Therefore, according to this ap

(ed.) Issues for Social Psychology, Bath Press, Glasgow. (Pp. 7-12)

Further, after having analysed some of the key differences between the three different views. I do find, that all three approaches have some important topics, which should be considered in social psychology. For example, Patrick McGhee (2001) suggests, that social psychology should investigate how people are adapting to information networks as replacement for social networks. This I do find an important issue as the use of the information technology in our society, to some extent has replaced social interaction and which have had an effect on everybody. Further, I also agree with Richard Stevens (2001), who writes that topics to study in social psychology should be developing techniques to help people coping with existential issues and to discover new ways of relating to others. However, the view, which I find most convincing and which is my current conception of the purpose of social psychology is the view of the critical social psychologists. The reason why I favour the critical social approach is, that I find that this approach takes into consideration, how social context shape nearly everything that human being do. Moreover, the critical social psychologist draws our attention to the importance of understanding how our immediate environment, public policy, cultural values affect everyday experience and which help to construct who we are (R. Stevens 2000). Further I find that both the humanistic/experiential and the experimental view tend to underestimate the influence of the particular situation in which we happened to find ourselves. For example, experimental psychologists suggest that, some behaviour is determined and can be isolated and expressed in measurable way and as testable hypothesis. However, it seems to me, that by measuring and excluding all confounding variables, the setting becomes unlike the real world. Hence, the society or situations, as people are experiencing them. As Margaret Wetherell writes "We are not isolated individuals but social beings" (M. Wetherell p. 11). Further the humanistic / experiential view suggests, that human behaviour is not determined by the immediate situation as people are capable of free will and thereb

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