Abstract: | Proposes a new research orientation for population research, a psychology of population. This approach would include elements of social and developmental psychology (e.g., attitudes toward family planning, childhood socialization, sex roles, evaluation of different contraceptive methods, and family and group influences). Population psychology could integrate biological and social studies, provide a framework for studying the entire life cycle, and establish a methodology for evaluating micro- and macrosystems. The overall purpose of a psychology of population is presented as the ability to show (a) how biological variables are expressed in behavior and (b) the effects of basic drives on interpersonal, social, and cultural conditions and vice versa. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |