ABSTRACT
What determines how we think and feel about our social environment? How do we form impressions about other people? What determines our social behaviour? For the most part, the social environment of individuals is very complex and dynamic, with no two situations ever entirely the same. But individuals need to `` understand'' each and every situation in order to interact successfully with others. And while making sense of social situations often seems easy and simple on the surface, in actuality it poses an enormous challenge. As a consequence, individuals need a highly differentiated system of `` tools'' to accomplish this essential task.
