Very interesting. This describes my coursework at Stanford almost exactly.

My major was STS (Science, Technology, and Society) with a minor in psychology. Then I studied sociology in grad school.

What I focused on was social influence, persuasion, and behavioral change. I took courses on negotiation, deception, cults, magic, minority influence, organizational development, group dynamics, arbitration, personality/social psychology, persuasive technology, and a ton more. I was a researcher in the Stanford Persuasive Technology Lab for years.

And I mixed it with practical applications of negotiations in the field.

The coursework has helped me dramatically in understanding the motivations, attitudes, and behaviors of others.

I still remember one of my Comm professors talking about how other technical disciplines tend to look down on areas like psych/comm. She said something I'll never forget: "The value isn't in the difficulty of the material, but the usefulness."

I use my social psychology background in my work with people on iwillteachyoutoberich every day.