Social Psychology: Revisiting the Classics (2nd Edition)
Human consciousness can be blessing or a curse as it often impels us into self-examination. Hence, people wonder what makes them and others tick? How their attitudes are shaped? How great leaders are made? How does prejudice develop, and how can it be overcome? And the questions can go on and on.
Social interactions are complicated and their impact on the individual is profound. Therefore, understanding the social context that motivates behavior becomes necessary to fathom. Social psychology is a discipline that tackles these queries as it addresses how each individual behavior is influenced by the social environment. Over the years, this subdivision of psychology has produced consequential studies that undertook collective human behavior and its impact on society and individuals alike.
To elucidate the concepts of social psychology, two editors and leading scholars, Joanne R. Smith and Alexander Haslam, reintroduced this well-edited and updated version titled Social Psychology: Revisiting the Classics (2nd Edition). With a meticulous editorial approach Smith and Haslam attempt once again to edify, reexamine, and reflect on the findings of the most important fifteen studies in the field such as Festinger’s end of world study, Milgram’s shock experiments, Tajfel’s minimal group studies, Lapierre’s hospitality study, Sherif’s boys’ camp studies, and Zimbardo’s Stanford prison experiment, as well as many others.
The book consists of a constellation of well-organized chapters written by various researchers who attempt to illuminate the most celebrated and significant social psychological studies with an explicit writing style. They also discuss the inspiring impact of these studies on the subsequent work of other researchers, eliciting the interdependence of these old classic studies to the current issues in social psychology. Furthermore, the work is an overview of classic research in social psychology that delves into the historical findings, thus illustrating their importance on our behavior, attitudes, and perceptions. Overall, Smith and Haslam have assiduously and skillfully updated and melded social psychology’s best studies into one cohesive volume.
Social Psychology: Revisiting the Classics (2nd Edition) is a compelling compendium of significant studies in social psychology that successfully delineate the components of social behavior. This book will make a fascinating reading and a great resource for students, teachers, and anyone who is interested in social psychology, human behavior, and the influence of others onto our lives.