Review of Social psychology(4th ed.).

Reviews the book, Social Psychology (4th ed.) by Robert C. Williamson, Paul G. Swingle, and S. Stansfeld Sargent (1982). In an area where there are too many textbooks, the social psychology text by Williamson, Swingle, and Sargent contributes an important alternative to the mass look-a-like introductions to the field. What makes this book different is that it is an integrated work of a sociologist (Williamson) and two psychologists which presents the major concepts and issues in social psychology from both a sociological and a psychological perspective. Most introductions to social psychology are either psychological social psychology or sociological social psychology. The Williamson et al. book, which is in its fourth edition, continues to be an exception to such an insular and incomplete view of social psychology. The book is divided into four parts: the first section presents a discussion of culture and the development of the individual; part two deals with fundamental psychological processes; part three presents basic group processes; and part four is an application of social psychology to a number of social issues. In general, the book provides a good overview of topics, emphasizing the major theories, principles, and research studies on each of the topics. Because of the special nature of this book, it will appeal most to those instructors who wish to present a more balanced introduction to the interdisciplinary field of social psychology, including the developments from both psychology and sociology. It is particularly appropriate for courses which include both sociology and psychology students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A reappraisal of Wundt's influence on social psychology.

Discusses the social psychology of Wundt and its link to current developments in the constructionist movement in modern psychology. The historical lines of descent from Wundt's experimental psychology to American behaviorist social psychology are traced, and the relationship between Wundt's (1911) Volkerpsychologie to the social scientists who kept alive Wundt's social psychological orientation and who figure as antecedents of postmodern constructionism is delineated. With historical hindsight, the behaviorist program for social psychology may now be seen as an aberrant detour around the fundamental questions of social psychology. The questions asked by Wundt appear to be perennial questions. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The reception of Kurt Lewin in Spanish psychology: A study through specialized journal publications.

Analyzed 75 references to K. Lewin's work in 20 psychological journals, as a measure of Lewin's impact on Spanish psychology from 1920 to 1989. Results show a growing impact of his work, solidly asserting itself from the 1970s onwards in the Spanish psychological scene. Knowledge of Lewin's writings in Spain is quite wide and representative of his production as a whole. Lewin's presence is most visible in social psychological journals, works, and authors, although it may also be found in other areas, notably experimental psychology, educational psychology, and the history of psychology. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A glance back at a quarter century of social psychology.

Presents a selective and informal retrospective on the rapid growth of social psychology from a discipline uncertain of its identity and future 25 yrs ago to the robust field it is today. The entry of women into the field, the cumulative nature of the growth of social psychological theory and research, as well as the expansion of social psychology's basic and applied research boundaries are highlighted. It is concluded that the potential promised by social psychology just a quarter of a century ago has been realized despite a harsh funding environment. Hope is expressed for more adequate funding in the near future for basic social psychological research and theory development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Learning from the basics: Clinical implications of social, developmental, and cross-cultural study of the self.

This article serves as an introduction to a series aimed at informing psychotherapists about the current state of theory and research on the self across different domains of basic psychological science (i.e., social, developmental, and cross-cultural). The authors highlight several gaps in integration that continue to exist both within the field of psychotherapy, and across psychology as a whole and argue that such chasms serve to limit the applied utility of an abundance of scholarly work. The self is then presented as a potentially unifying construct that may begin to address such chasms. The overarching goal of this special series is to attempt a direct stimulation of science and practice, as well as cross-discipline integration, by presenting the clinical implications of the highly diverse study of the self. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A new Big Five: Fundamental principles for an integrative science of personality.

Despite impressive advances in recent years with respect to theory and research, personality psychology has yet to articulate clearly a comprehensive framework for understanding the whole person. In an effort to achieve that aim, the current article draws on the most promising empirical and theoretical trends in personality psychology today to articulate 5 big principles for an integrative science of the whole person. Personality is conceived as (a) an individual's unique variation on the general evolutionary design for human nature, expressed as a developing pattern of (b) dispositional traits, (c) characteristic adaptations, and (d) self-defining life narratives, complexly and differentially situated (e) in culture and social context. The 5 principles suggest a framework for integrating the Big Five model of personality traits with those self-defining features of psychological individuality constructed in response to situated social tasks and the human need to make meaning in culture. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Survey of the behavioral and social sciences: Psychology.

Attempted to provide a basis for estimating the support for psychological education and science during the next 10 yrs. Results suggest that there are equal numbers of psychologists in 3 areas: those who work with individuals, those who work with institutions, and those concerned with social development and social psychology. The field of psychology continues to attract graduate students. There are 2 approaches to psychology: one is to solve the problems of social issues, and the other is to perform laboratory research on behavioral problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Survey of research with psychological tests in India.

The article gives an overview of the research with psychological tests in India. The main emphasis in this summary and critique will be on current research in the area of psychological tests although other areas will be treated. Omitted here is the large volume of work in social psychology, most of which stems from the pioneering work of the Unesco Tensions Project in 1950 for which Gardner Murphy was the consultant. The orientation is still quite British, largely because the older psychologists, who could afford to go abroad for graduate training, either went to London or to Edinburgh. Three clear psychological lines are now evident: (a) pyschological testing for school use--intelligence, achievement, aptitude; (b) studies with applied problems--such as industrial fatigue, research on tests for worker selection, social psychology problems (largely via questionnaires) and tensions between social groups and classes; (c) clinical, taking the form of a preoccupation with the Rorschach and TAT. Departments of psychology are still largely under the dominance of philosophy. Statistics, in line with the cognitive emphasis from Great Britain, is much developed, particularly factor analysis. There is the ever-present tendency to look for "quick solutions" and, on occasion, to adapt foreign psychological techniques too uncritically. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The prophetic vision of Giambattista Vico: Implications for the state of social psychological theory.

Discusses 3 heuristic themes that emerge in Vico's writings and their implications for social psychology: (a) that human nature and society are in perpetual flux; (b) that there are recursive trends in social behavior influenced by human events; and (c) that it is possible, by transhistorical analysis, to identify these cyclical patterns, as well as their systematic influence upon trends in theories of human nature and society. The question is raised whether some motive explanations and psychological norms or processes that are presumed to be space–time universals may, analogous to Newtonian physics, turn out to be "closed theories," which in the case of social psychology are dependent upon what Vico conceived of as the course and recourse of events. A discussion of current research examples is presented that illustrates the applicability of these themes pursuant to a genetic social psychology, which emphasizes the origins (genesis) and development of social behavior. (42 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Consumer psychology as a social psychological sphere of action.

Brings to the attention of social psychologists the fact that contemporary consumer psychology is essentially social psychology utilized in a specific context, and attempts to stimulate a few social psychologists to engage in social-consumer psychological research. Consumer behavior and consumer psychology are defined and distinguished from each other, and 10 bases for justifying greater social psychological involvement in consumer research are elaborated. This involvement is considered to contribute to the development of both social psychology and the social psychologists who become so involved. (70 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Empowerment in mainstream psychology: Legitimacy, obstacles, and possibilities.

Argues that if the concept of empowerment is to expand beyond the field of community psychology into more traditional areas of psychology (e.g., social, personality, clinical, and school psychology), its moral and psychological foundations should be more clearly articulated. To advance this proposition, an integrative conceptual model of empowerment is presented. Within this framework, ethical and therapeutic legitimacy of empowering practices, obstacles for their inclusion in mainstream psychology, and possibilities for their future development are explored. Some of the benefits to be derived from the adoption of the concept of empowerment in academic and applied psychology are outlined. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Finding "Meaning" in Psychology: A Lay Theories Approach to Self-Regulation, Social Perception, and Social Development.

Much of psychology focuses on universal principles of thought and action. Although an extremely productive pursuit, this approach, by describing only the "average person," risks describing no one in particular. This article discusses an alternate approach that complements interests in universal principles with analyses of the unique psychological meaning that individuals find in their experiences and interactions. Rooted in research on social cognition, this approach examines how people's lay theories about the stability or malleability of human attributes alter the meaning they give to basic psychological processes such as self-regulation and social perception. Following a review of research on this lay theories perspective in the field of social psychology, the implications of analyzing psychological meaning for other fields such as developmental, cultural, and personality psychology are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Martin T. Orne (1927–2000)).

Memorializes Martin T. Orne, one of the world's foremost authorities on hypnosis, an expert on the social psychology of the psychological experiment, and a leading figure in behavioral medicine. During his career he held appointments at the University of Pennsylvania in psychiatry and psychology. His primary research interest was the objective study of subjective states of mind. His doctoral dissertation, published in 1959, largely defined the field of hypnosis research for more than 20 yrs, and his studies of analgesia, antisocial behavior, and human performance are regarded as classic contributions to the field. Largely on the basis of his experience with hypnosis, Orne developed an analysis of the psychological experiment as a distinctive social situation in which both Ss and experimenters are active participants. In addition, he served as Editor in Chief of the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis from 1961–1992. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mapping the structure and dynamics of psychological knowledge: Forty years of APA journal citations (1970–2009).

To understand how subfields of psychology relate to each other as a whole, we analyzed 40 years (from 1979 to 2009) of journal citation data collected from 17 American Psychological Association journals. The results reveal two stable underlying dimensions of psychological knowledge—basic versus applied, and population-specific versus population-general—that organize subfields of psychology. Within the structure, personality and social psychology is located at the heart of psychological knowledge. Analysis of the dynamic flow of knowledge between subfields of psychology further reveals that although the subfields engage in clear division of labor, they also engage in dynamic transactions of knowledge. Finally, an emergent subfield would first obtain its intellectual nutrients from the established disciplines. Once it has found its own niche, it turns into a spin-off and starts to assume the role of knowledge supplier. The implications of these results for psychology as a science are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Les fondements de la psychologie sociale, 2e édition.

Reviews the book, Les fondements de la psychologie sociale, 2e édition edited by Robert J. Vallerand (2006). Social psychology is a fascinating field of research. It enables us to explain collective phenomena as well as interpersonal behaviors and group dynamics. Robert J. Vallerand proposes an exciting scientific voyage into the heart of human social behaviors, constantly stressing the psychological mechanisms which manage them. The scientific contribution of this book is singular; it was it in its first edition and remains with this one a "must" for whoever is interested in social psychology. The foundations of social psychology can definitively and without any doubt be classified as a "classic". (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Health Psychology: 2001-2006.

Over the past 20 years, the field of health psychology has experienced tremendous growth. This reflects an increasing recognition of the many social and psychological factors affecting health and illness. The current health care system is in need of effective and efficient interventions, especially for chronic illnesses. The journal Health Psychology is currently one of the premier outlets for work in this field. A. A. Stone discusses what the focus of the journal will be, and covers publication issues concerning electronic submission, letters to the editor, commentaries and editorials, special sections and issues, and peer reviewers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Environmental psychology and the real world.

Describes factors that led the author to move his field of interest from laboratory social psychology to the emerging field of environmental psychology. Environmental psychology is defined as the attempt to establish empirical and theoretical relationships between the behavior and experience of the person and the built environment. The writer points up his dissatisfaction with the laboratory approach and the need to find a new methodology focused on complex environmental problems. Five methodological requirements for research in environmental psychology are described: the absolute integrity of person-physical-setting events; the distinction between behavior system reactions and psychological system reactions; a content orientation to problems; the time orientation of environmental psychology; and a context orientation in the analysis of problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Obituary: Otto Klineberg (1899–1992).

Memorializes Otto Klineberg, who made significant contributions to 4 areas of social psychology that he felt were interrelated: cross-cultural study, race differences, international affairs, and the social psychology of mental health and mental illness. While furthering the infusion of cultural factors into social psychological study, he also encouraged anthropologists to attend to individual differences. He took support from R. Woodworth's observation that all psychology may be social psychology, and from H. S. Sullivan's approach to psychiatry as the study of interpersonal relations. (0 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Integrating social justice training into the practicum experience for psychology trainees: Starting earlier.

Calls from the psychological literature have highlighted a need for the integration of social justice training in both didactic and fieldwork practicum experiences in professional psychology. This article presents concrete strategies for practicum instructors and applied fieldwork training site staff to integrate social justice work into practicum experiences. The authors review current scholarship on social justice training, identify foundational principles of social justice and recommendations for teaching social justice in applied training facilities, and apply these principles and recommendations to practicum experiences. Learning activities and evaluation methods are identified and presented, and recommendations for integration of these methods for teaching psychology trainees are underscored. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Community psychology, diversity, and the many forms of culture.

Comments on the original article, "Many forms of culture," by A. B. Cohen (see record 2009-04471-003). Cohen argued that psychology must broaden its conceptualization of culture to consider its many forms, such as religion, socioeconomic status, and region. The current author could not agree more with Cohen’s proposed conceptualization of culture and its potential impact on psychological theory, research, and practice. However, the current author asserts that Cohen's conceptualization is one that the field of community psychology has been incorporating into its theory, research, and practice for the past 15 years. Evidence for this can be found in the field’s journals and texts as well as its conferences and course offerings. It is striking, says the current author, that this rich tradition of scholarship and social action—much of it illustrating what Cohen’s proposed conceptualization purports to achieve but also advancing his vision further than even he proposes—was ignored in his analysis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)