Social psychology (sociology)

About: Social psychology (sociology) is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 18151 publications have been published within this topic receiving 907731 citations. The topic is also known as: Social psychology & sociological social psychology.

Toward a Social Psychology of Race and Race Relations for the Twenty-First Century

Abstract: The United States, like many nations, continues to experience rapid growth in its racial minority population and is projected to attain so-called majority-minority status by 2050. Along with these demographic changes, staggering racial disparities persist in health, wealth, and overall well-being. In this article, we review the social psychological literature on race and race relations, beginning with the seemingly simple question: What is race? Drawing on research from different fields, we forward a model of race as dynamic, malleable, and socially constructed, shifting across time, place, perceiver, and target. We then use classic theoretical perspectives on intergroup relations to frame and then consider new questions regarding contemporary racial dynamics. We next consider research on racial diversity, focusing on its effects during interpersonal encounters and for groups. We close by highlighting emerging topics that should top the research agenda for the social psychology of race and race relations ...

Toward a social psychology of globalization

Abstract: In most parts of the world, globalization has become an unstoppable and potent force that impacts everyday life and international relations. The articles in this issue draw on theoretical insights from diverse perspectives (clinical psychology, consumer research, organizational behavior, political psychology, and cultural psychology) to offer nuanced understanding of individuals’ psychological reactions to globalization in different parts of the world (Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Mainland China, Singapore, Switzerland, United States, Taiwan). These articles address the questions of how people make sense of and respond to globalization and its sociocultural ramifications; how people defend the integrity of their heritage cultural identities against the “culturally erosive” effects of globalization, and how individuals harness creative insights from their interactions with global cultures. The new theoretical insights and revealing empirical analyses presented in this issue set the stage for an emergent interdisciplinary inquiry into the psychology of globalization.

A Life-Span Approach to Social Motivation

Abstract: Social contact declines across adulthood. Socioemotional selectivity theory claims that such reductions are, in large part, volitional and result from changes in the salience of specific social goals. Information acquisition and the regulation of emotion are two principal classes of goals that are achieved through social contact. The essential premise of the theory is that the relative importance of these goals changes as a function of perceived time. When time is perceived as largely open-ended, future-oriented goals such as information acquisition are of paramount importance; however, when time is perceived as limited, present-oriented goals – namely emotional goals – are most important. Place in the life cycle and associated normative events serve as gentle and not so gentle reminders of the passage of time. Subsequently, age is associated with preferences for certain types of social contact (e.g., emotionally satisfying contact) over others (e.g., information-rich contact). This chapter is an overview of empirical evidence for the theory, highlighting aspects that pertain to life-span issues of motivation and control. The adaptiveness of the phenomenon, individual differences, and self-regulation are discussed. Introduction Human volition, intention, will, and desire have fascinated psychologists since the field of psychology began (Bandura, 1987; H. Heckhausen, 1991; James, 1890; Maslow, 1968; White, 1959). Each of these important constructs addresses what is arguably the most intriguing question about human behavior: What moves human beings to act? Very early theory and research attempted to describe an essential set of human motives.

Evolutionary Social Psychology

Abstract: 1 What is Evolutionary Social Psychology? 2 Important Assumptions and Conceptual Tools 3 The Affordance Management System 4 Evolutionary Perspectives on Social Psychological Phenomena 5 Linkages to Development, Learning, and Culture 6 Thinking Straight about Theory and Research in Evolutionary Social Psychology 7 Future Directions 8 Final Comments 9 Envoi