They sometimes engage in program development and staff consultation to prevent problems. Social Psychology - Social psychologists study how people interact with each other and how they are affected by their social environments. They study individuals as well as groups, observable behaviors, and private thoughts. Topics of interest to social psychologists include personality theories, the formation of attitudes and attitude change, attractions between people such as friendship and love, prejudice, group dynamics, and violence and aggression. Social psychologists might, for example, study how attitudes toward the elderly influence the elderly person's self-concept, or they might investigate how unwritten rules of behavior develop in groups and how those rules regulate the conduct of group members.
Forensic psychology is the term given to the applied and clinical facets of psychology and law.
Forensic psychologists might help a judge decide which parent should have custody of the children or evaluate the victim of an accident to determine if he or she sustained psychological damage. In criminal cases, forensic psychologists might evaluate a defendant's mental competence to stand trial. These areas just described are by no means an overview of the broad field of psychology. They should, however, introduce one to a few of the career opportunities available to the psychologist. These, in turn, can direct one to other literature or sources relating to career issues.