Theories in Social Psychology

“Theories in Social Psychologyis a handy resource for researchers and students of social psychology Theories in Social Psychologyis a handy resource for researchers and students of social psychology.”  (Dharma Deepika, 1 June 2013)

This exciting volume, with contributions from major social psychological scientists, calls attention to the fundamental truth that theories are what our enterprise is all about. And that beyond the fads, the fashions and the Zeitgeists, beyond sexy findings and fancy effects, our understanding of human social behavior boils down to our theoretical knowledge of the processes involved. A must read for all those for whom social psychology is near and dear to their hearts and minds.
— Arie W. Kruglanski, Distinguished University Professor, University of Maryland, USA

"This volume contains a solid presentation of major theories in social psychology. The historical roots, tenets, and research substantiation of a broad range of theories are laid out in a lucid and detailed manner. Contemporary applications addressing everyday situations in an ever interconnected social world increase the book's utility across parent disciplines."
—Jaipaul L. Roopnarine, Jack Reilly Professor of Child and Family Studies, Syracuse University, New York, USA.

“Nothing is as practical as a good theory,” wrote Kurt Lewin, the founder of modern social psychology. I interpret it to mean that although theories are abstract and theoretical, they could be the source of practical applications in the real world of phenomena and social structures. Theories in their best form are organizational, generational, and inspirational. They organize the existing findings and concepts in a given domain of knowledge. They generate new hypotheses that can be put to test experimentally. And they inspire researchers to engage in new research they might not have thought of prior to the existence of particular theories.

In this wonderful compilation of theories, at the core of modern social psychology, presented to us by Derek Chadee, we are given a special gift that enriches scholars, teachers and students of psychology in social and general psychology. We are treated to a clear exposition of these theories, some of the research and controversy that each has generated, and are given some guidelines to new paths for future exploration of their implications. My research career has benefitted from working in the domains of dissonance, attribution, and social comparison theories, but my teaching and textbook writing has relied on all of the theories and their concepts so elegantly orchestrated here.
—Philip G. Zimbardo, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Stanford University