Product Description

Social Psychology: Unraveling the Mystery explores how social behavior is goal-directed and a result of interactions between the person and the situation. Social Psychology Unraveling the Mystery has two features that set it apart from other social psychology textbooks: Opening mysteries: Each chapter begins with a mystery of social behavior, designed not only to grab student interest, but also to organize the ensuing discussion of scientific research: Why would a poor black washerwoman give away her hard-earned life-savings? What psychological forces led the Dalai Lama, the most exalted personage in Tibet, to forge a lifelong friendship with a foreign vagabond openly scorned by Tibetan peasants? Why would a boy falsely confess to murdering his own mother? A unique integrated approach to social behavior: Rather than encyclopedically listing unconnected factoids, the authors organize each chapter around the two broad themes, asking: (1) what are the goals that underlie the behavior in question? (2) what factors in the person and the situation link to each goal? The book thus presents the discipline as a coherent framework for understanding human behavior. Cutting-edge scholarship, lively writing, and the authors' strengths as both respected researchers and expert teachers, all come together to make the third edition of Social Psychology: Unraveling the Mystery an accessible and engaging read for students, and provides a modern and cohesive approach for their teachers.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #437543 in Books
• Published on: 2004-07-16
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 600 pages

From the Back Cover
Offering the first truly integrated presentation of social psychology, this innovative book uses two central themes to provide a big-picture view. To capture the excitement of discovery and mystery that surrounds the science of social behavior, the authors use the metaphor of social psychologist as detective. Each chapter opens with a mystery -- a real life example of human behavior - and lets the solution unfold throughout the chapter with the help of basic principles and findings of social psychological research. Compelling themes, cutting edge scholarship and lively writing combine to make this an appealing and distinguished introduction to the field.

The two central themes of this book are (1) social behavior is goal directed; and 2) social behavior is the result of interactions between the person and the situation. The book begins by describing the field, then moves on to discuss the systems that affect social behavior; social cognition; self-presentation; persuasion; social influence; affiliation, love, and romantic relationships; prosocial and aggressive behavior; prejudice; groups; and global social dilemmas. For anyone who wants to understand social behavior and why people act the way they do.

About the Author

Douglas T. Kenrick is a professor at Arizona State University. He received his B.A. from Dowling College and his Ph.D. from Arizona State University. He taught at Montana State University for four years before returning to ASU. His research has been published in a number of places, including Psychological Review, Behavioral and Brain Sciences, American Psychologist, Handbook of Social Psychology, Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, Psychological Science, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Current Directions in Psychological Science, and Personality and Social Psychology Review. With John Seamon, he coauthored Psychology (1994). He has taught a graduate course on teaching psychology, and he thoroughly enjoys teaching undergraduate sections of social psychology.

Steven L. Neuberg received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University and his graduate degrees from Carnegie-Mellon University. He spent a postdoctoral year at the University of Waterloo in Canada and has since taught at Arizona State University. Neuberg’s research has been published in journals such as Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, and Psychological Science, and has long been supported by the National Institute of Mental Health. He has received a half dozen teaching honors, including his college’s Outstanding Teaching Award and the ASU Honors College Outstanding Honors Disciplinary Faculty Award. He has served on federal grant review panels and as associate editor of the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology and teaches a graduate course on teaching social psychology.

Robert B. Cialdini is a Regents Professor at Arizona State University, where he has also been named Graduate Distinguished Professor. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin and his graduate degrees from the University of North Carolina. He is a past president of the Society of Personality and Social Psychology and has received the Society’s award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions. His research has appeared in numerous publications, including Handbook of Social Psychology, Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, and Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. His book, Influence: Science and Practice, has sold over a million copies and has appeared in 20 languages.

Customer Reviews

The best in influence
I have all of Cialdini's books, and if you can afford it, you will love this one! Dr. Cialdini continues to do a wonderful job of teaching in the area of social psychology, but the benefit of this book is that it is much more complete than his other shorter works, such as, "Influence."
The clarity and interesting examples will keep you reading and reading. Normally one would not find a social psychology text book described as "hard to put down," but this one most assuredly is!
If you are looking for that one great social psychology book, be it for a class, to understand what social psychology is all about, or just to get more of Cialdini's works, then get this book. I would buy it for you if I could (but then you wouldn't appreciate it as much. (he, he, recall "commitment and consistency")

Dull, but Great Teacher
I had to use this book for a Social Psych class at school, and while it was very very clear in descriptions, it was a little bit slow to get through. The stuff to learn about is fascinating, if you have a deep interest for psychology. For anyone teaching a social psych class, I would recommend it as the accompanying text book.

It works
The copy of this book that I bought was actually given as a free "examiner's copy" to someone who sold it to a book buyer to make some fast cash. As far as I can tell though, the only thing that is different is the cover, and for half price, I think thats worth it.