Cái tôi xã hội là gì? Ảnh hưởng của xã hội lên mỗi cá nhân như thế nào? Thiên kiến, khuôn mẫu, định kiến khác gì nhau? Tất cả sẽ được trả lời trong bộ môn Tâm lý học Xã hội.
Social Psychology introduces students to the science of us: our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in a social world. By studying social psychology, students learn to think critically about everyday behaviors and they gain an appreciation for how we view and affect one another.
Social Psychology’s conversational voice allows students to access and enjoy this relatively young and exciting science. In Social Psychology, students find scientific explorations of love and hate, conformity and independence, prejudice and helping, persuasion and self-determination.
Social Psychology focuses on how people view, affect, and relate to one another. Beginning with its chapter-opening stories, the text relates the theme of the chapter to the human experience. The cutting edge of social psychological research is also at the forefront, with more than 450 new or updated citations since the last edition.
The Research Close-Up feature remains a mainstay in this edition, offering comprehensive looks at current research in the social psychology field around the world, ranging from “On Being Nervous About Looking Nervous” in Chapter 2, to “Misperception and War” in Chapter 13.
Research Close-Ups provide students with accessible examples of how social psychologists employ various research methods from naturalistic observation to laboratory experiments to the harvesting of archival and Internet data.
Other engaging and instructive features retained in the new edition are:
■ the Focus On feature, an in-depth exploration of a topic presented in the text. For example, the Focus On in Chapter 11, Does the Internet Create Intimacy or Isolation?, describes the pros and cons of using the Internet for communication and a sense of belonging;
■ the Inside Story, famous researchers in their own words, highlighting the interests and questions that guided, and sometimes misguided, their findings. For example, Chapter 5 offers an essay by Alice Eagly on gender similarities and differences;
■ the Postscripts, chapter-ending afterthoughts on the essence of the chapter that engage students with thought-provoking questions and personal reflections on the chapter. For example, the Postscript to Chapter 16, Social Psychology and the Sustainable Future, offers thoughts on “How does one live responsibly in the modern world?” Much about human behavior remains a mystery, yet social psychology can offer insight into many questions we have about ourselves and the world we live in, such as:
■ How does our thinking—both conscious and unconscious—drive our behavior?
■ What is self-esteem? Is there such a thing as too much self-esteem?
■ How do the people around us influence our behavior?
■ What leads people sometimes to hurt and sometimes to help one another?
■ What kindles social conflict, and how can we transform closed fists into helping hands?
Investigating and answering such questions is this book’s mission—to expand students’ self-understanding, and to reveal the social forces at work in their lives. After reading this book and thinking critically about everyday behaviors, students will better understand themselves and the world in which they work, play, and love.
