Social Psychology Matters

by Wendy Hollway, Ann Phoenix, Helen Lucey

Social Psychology Matters explores the significance of social psychology in the twenty-first century and the important contribution it can and does make to understanding ourselves and others in today’s world. This book is designed to help the reader navigate the complex and ever-changing nature of the discipline and gain an overview of the key concepts, methods and theories. The authors adopt a broad approach to trace the roots and legacies of social psychology with a keen eye to the future. Each chapter provides an in-depth look at a social psychological topic of significance, ranging from self and conflict to families and embodiment. Four theoretical perspectives – cognitive social, discursive psychological, phenomenological and social psychoanalytic – enable students to critically analyse social psychological research. These perspectives are interpreted through the interrogative themes

Genres: Psychology

272 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2006

Reviews

[Robin Cunninghame Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a brilliant introduction to the field of Social Psychology. It does not as other introductory texts do, merely run through the history of social psychological research by showing quantative research, but challenges the reader to think about power relations and how they affect the the questions asked and the role of qualative research in getting beyond the artificiality of using student populations. Very thought provoking - I wish I'd had it when I was doing my degree 30+ years ago.