It is a nearly universal truth that people need people; humans have adapted to life with other humans, and the interactions and relationships that result are the most relevant adaptation environment. This book explores the core motives and goals that shape these interactions with others, with the self, and collectively as a group; in other words, “Why do people do what they do?” A brief overview of the field’s unifying themes - belonging, understanding, controlling, enhancing self, and trusting - gives way to a detailed exploration of the human condition as well as the techniques used to study and understand it.
By delving into the motivations behind attraction, helping, bias, persuasion, aggression, and more, this book helps students grasp the complex interplay of internal and external cues and influences that inform every interaction. An emphasis on real-world applications relates social psychology principles to everyday life, and this latest revision has been updated with the most recent research and trends to provide an accurate picture of the state of the field. Blending traditional topics with new developments in an informal, readable style makes this the ideal text to ignite students’ deeper interest and full engagement with social psychology concepts.
By delving into the motivations behind attraction, helping, bias, persuasion, aggression, and more, this book helps students grasp the complex interplay of internal and external cues and influences that inform every interaction. An emphasis on real-world applications relates social psychology principles to everyday life, and this latest revision has been updated with the most recent research and trends to provide an accurate picture of the state of the field. Blending traditional topics with new developments in an informal, readable style makes this the ideal text to ignite students’ deeper interest and full engagement with social psychology concepts.
Table of Contents
1 INTRODUCTION: ADAPTIVE MOTIVES FOR SOCIAL SITUATIONS, VIA CULTURES AND BRAINS
2 SCIENTIFIC METHODS FOR STUDYING PEOPLE IN INTERACTION
3 ORDINARY PERSONOLOGY: FIGURING OUT WHY PEOPLE DO WHAT THEY DO
4 SOCIAL COGNITION: MAKING SENSE OF OTHERS
5 THE SELF: SOCIAL TO THE CORE
6 ATTITUDES AND PERSUASION: CHANGING HEARTS AND MINDS
7 ATTRACTION: INITIATING ROMANCE, FRIENDSHIP, AND OTHER RELATIONSHIPS
8 CLOSE RELATIONSHIPS: PASSION, INTERDEPENDENCE, COMMITMENT, AND INTIMACY
9 HELPING: PROSOCIAL BEHAVIOR
10 AGGRESSION: ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOR
11 STEREOTYPING, PREJUDICE, AND DISCRIMINATION: SOCIAL BIASES
12 SMALL GROUPS: ONGOING INTERACTIONS 389
13 SOCIAL INFLUENCE: DOING WHAT OTHERS DO AND SAY 428
14 CONCLUSION: SOCIAL BEINGS 450
