Evolution and Social Psychology

Frontiers of Social Psychology

by Mark Schaller, Jeffry A. Simpson, Douglas T. Kenrick

Why do we think about and interact with other people in the particular ways that we do? Might these thoughts and actions be contemporary products of our long-ago evolutionary past? If so, how might this be, and what are the implications? Research generated by an evolutionary approach to social psychology issues profound insights into self-concept, impression formation, prejudice, group dynamics, helping, aggression, social influence, culture, and every other topic that is fundamental to social psychology. Evolution and Social Psychology is the first book to review and discuss this broad range of social psychological phenomena from an evolutionary perspective. It does so with a critical and constructive eye. Readers will emerge with a clear sense of the intellectual challenges, as well as the scientific benefits, of an evolutionarily-informed social psychology. The world-renowned contributors identify new questions, new theories, and new hypotheses―many of which are only now beginning to be tested. Thus, this book not only summarizes the current status of the field, it also sets an agenda for the next generation of research on evolution and social psychology. Evolution and Social Psychology is essential reading for evolutionary psychologists and social psychologists alike.

400 pages, Hardcover

First published May 24, 2006

Reviews

[Steven · Rating 2 out of 5]

What's the point of the Santa Barbara school people?

And I thought the "Cialdini's book with evolution words" chapter was funny. It's exactly what RD Alexander accused them of being.