Social Psychology

Abstract

The history of twentieth century American social psychology is often told as a story of developing laboratory procedures to more scientifically comprehend the psychological dynamics of the social. This chapter expands upon that story by exploring a more inclusive perspective on social psychology's maturation. Considered in this more compressive historical review are the field's immediate predecessors who generated an eclectic and intellectually stimulating theories of social‐psychological processes. Considered, too, is the play of politics, both how social psychologists took up concurrent political concerns or mirrored prevalent political attitudes in their research and also how some researchers deployed research to challenge or critically investigate those politics. Social psychological investigations contributed substantively to the twentieth century's shifting understanding of the relations of the individual to the social world. New technologies, notably cybernetics and computers, were not only utilized in social psychology experimentation but were integral to this rethinking of the individual and social. Most recently, these technologies have guided researchers to conceptualize social psychological processes as faulty information processors; the discipline, however, did not—and has not—become monolithic and some researchers have generated quite different theoretical visions. Whether through confirming accounts or critically interventions, through applications in business or explorations of new views of human kinds, social psychology has been actively engaged in the making of American social life.

Can We Demystify Theory? Examining Masculinity Discourses and Feminist Postmodern Theory.

“…And, we have to be careful not to fall in love with our theories. Finally, working on theory involves a reflexive stance (Morawski and Bayer, 2003). This means that we also turn our gaze on ourselves, on our own visions and values (Prilleltensky, 1997).…”

“Society Very Definitely Needs Our Aid”: Reflecting on SPSSI in History

“…As many historians have pointed out, rather than changing existing, and at times inequitable and oppressive social structures, the emphasis in psychology has been on helping individuals adjust to existing conditions (including war) through the practical application of science. American psychologists have typically been more likely to align themselves with the state's interests than to oppose or stand outside these interests (see Herman, 1995;Morawski & Bayer, 2003). Social psychologists have been no exception.…”

Examining the Acceptance of and Resistance to Evolutionary Psychology

“…Social psychology has been prominent since the late 19 th century with the publications of William James' The Principles of Psychology in 1890 and James Baldwin's Social and Ethical Interpretations in Mental Development: A Study in Social Psychology in 1897. These texts spawned theories with a focus on relating psychological events to social interaction ( Morawski and Bayer, 2003 ). With a century of developing theories and empirical progress, social psychologists have argued that one's environment (i.e., interaction with others) influences internal psychological phenomena and is therefore the foundation for social behavior.…”