The Liute magic was at first simply thought to be a psychological phenomena - the turtle people are friendly and likeable, thus there was little violence amongst them or directed their way. It was only after the formalized study of magic came about that theories of Social magic started to appear. Now, Social is one of the nine schools of magic officially recognized.
Social is a soft, broad discipline. It deals with influencing groups, rarely working on individuals or people prepared for it unless used by true masters. It can be used to make an army lose or keep morale, to make a product more enticing for potential customers or to lead a certain profession to be more likely to be picked by younglings.