Social psychology is a flourishing discipline. It explores the most essential questions of the human psyche (e.g., Why do people help or harm others? How do influence professionals get us to do what they want, and how can we inoculate ourselves against their sometimes-insidious persuasion tactics? Why do social relationships exert such powerful effects on people's physical health?), and it does so with clever, ingenuitive research methods.
This edited volume is a textbook for advanced social psychology courses. Its primary target audience is first-year graduate students (MA or PhD) in social psychlogy, although it is also appropriate for upper-level undergraduate courses in social psychology and for doctoral students in disciplines connecting to social psychology (e.g., marketing, organizational behavior). The authors of the chapters are world-renowned leaders on their topic, and they have written these chapters to be engaging and accessible to students who are just learning the discipline.
After reading this book, you will be able to understand almost any journal article or conference presentation in any field of social psychology. You will be able to converse competently with most social psychologists in their primary research domain, a use skill that is relevant not only in daily life but also when interviewing for a faculty position. And, most importantly, you will be equipped with the background knowledge to forge ahead more confidently with your own research.
Dr. Roy F. Baumeister is Social Psychology Area Director and Francis Eppes Eminent Scholar at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. He is a social psychologist who is known for his work on the self, social rejection, belongingness, sexuality, self-control, self-esteem, self-defeating behaviors, motivation, and aggression. And enduring theme of his work is "why people do stupid things." He has authored over 300 publications and has written or co-written over 20 books.
I try to finish what I started. Unfortunately, the problem with this book is that it's more of a reference than a textbook. It can get you started on your research but speaks in the abstract way too much. Not a lot of meat on these bones even despite the terrific length.
An inconsistent read but full of interesting theories. It covers the core topics of social psychology from a very abstract and high level view.
Some chapters were more engaging than others. A few chapters were far too full of theory without application (Attitude Change and Attitude Structure, Attraction and Rejection). More examples would have served the book well in almost all of chapters, as at times it was a dry, academic slog.
The editors also clearly got tired of editing when it came to the last 2 chapters.
Favorite Chapters: Social Influence, Judgement and Decision Making, The Self, Cultural Psychology, Group/ Intergroup Relations.