Sydney Symposium of Social Psychology – serie

Gullibility, whether we like it or not, is a fundamental characteristic of human beings. In The Social Psychology of Gullibility, Forgas and Baumeister explore what we know about the causes, functions, and consequences of gullibility, and the social psychological processes that promote or inhibit it.With contributions from leading international researchers, the book reveals what social and cognitive psychology contribute to our understanding of how human judgments and decisions can be distorted and undermined. The chapters discuss the nature and functions of gullibility, the role of cognitive processes in gullibility, the influence of emotion and motivation on gullibility, and social and cultural aspects of gullibility. Underpinned by a wealth of empirical research, contributors explore captivating issues such as the psychology of conspiracy theories, the role of political gullibility, gullibility in science, the role of the internet in fostering gullibility, and the failures of reasoning that contribute to human credulity. Gullibility has become a dominant topic of interest in public discourse. The Social Psychology of Gullibility is essential reading for researchers, social science students, professionals and practitioners and all those interested in understanding human credulity and the role of gullibility in contemporary public affairs.

Gullibility, whether we like it or not, is a fundamental characteristic of human beings. In The Social Psychology of Gullibility, Forgas and Baumeister explore what we know about the causes, functions, and consequences of gullibility, and the social psychological processes that promote or inhibit it.With contributions from leading international researchers, the book reveals what social and cognitive psychology contribute to our understanding of how human judgments and decisions can be distorted and undermined. The chapters discuss the nature and functions of gullibility, the role of cognitive processes in gullibility, the influence of emotion and motivation on gullibility, and social and cultural aspects of gullibility. Underpinned by a wealth of empirical research, contributors explore captivating issues such as the psychology of conspiracy theories, the role of political gullibility, gullibility in science, the role of the internet in fostering gullibility, and the failures of reasoning that contribute to human credulity. Gullibility has become a dominant topic of interest in public discourse. The Social Psychology of Gullibility is essential reading for researchers, social science students, professionals and practitioners and all those interested in understanding human credulity and the role of gullibility in contemporary public affairs.

This book explores what social psychology can contribute to our understanding of real-life problems and how it can inform rational interventions in any area of social life. By reviewing some of the most recent achievements in applying social psychology to pressing contemporary problems, Forgas, Crano, and Fiedler convey a fundamentally optimistic message about social psychology’s achievements and prospects.The book is organized into four sections. Part I focuses on the basic issues and methods of applying social psychology to real-life problems, discussing evolutionary influences on human sociability, the role of psychological ‘mindsets’ in interpreting reality, and the use of attitude change techniques to promote adaptive behaviors. Part II explores the applications of social psychology to improve individual health and well-being, including managing aggression, eating disorders, and improving therapeutic interactions. Part III turns to the application of social psychology to improve interpersonal relations and communication, including attachment processes in social relationships, the role of parent-child interaction in preventing adolescent suicide, and analyzing social relations in legal settings and online social networks. Finally, Part IV addresses the question of how social psychology may improve our understanding of public affairs and political behavior. The book will be of interest to students and academics in social psychology, and professionals working in applied settings.

This book explores what social psychology can contribute to our understanding of real-life problems and how it can inform rational interventions in any area of social life. By reviewing some of the most recent achievements in applying social psychology to pressing contemporary problems, Forgas, Crano, and Fiedler convey a fundamentally optimistic message about social psychology’s achievements and prospects.The book is organized into four sections. Part I focuses on the basic issues and methods of applying social psychology to real-life problems, discussing evolutionary influences on human sociability, the role of psychological ‘mindsets’ in interpreting reality, and the use of attitude change techniques to promote adaptive behaviors. Part II explores the applications of social psychology to improve individual health and well-being, including managing aggression, eating disorders, and improving therapeutic interactions. Part III turns to the application of social psychology to improve interpersonal relations and communication, including attachment processes in social relationships, the role of parent-child interaction in preventing adolescent suicide, and analyzing social relations in legal settings and online social networks. Finally, Part IV addresses the question of how social psychology may improve our understanding of public affairs and political behavior. The book will be of interest to students and academics in social psychology, and professionals working in applied settings.

The recent rise of populist politics represent a major challenge for liberal democracies. This important book explores the psychological reasons for the rise of populism, featuring contributions from leading international researchers in the fields of psychology and political science.Unlike liberal democracy based on the Enlightenment values of individual freedom, autonomy and rationality, both right-wing and left-wing populism offer collectivist, autocratic formulations reminiscent of the evolutionary history and tribal instincts of our species. The book offers a comprehensive overview of the psychology of populism, covering such phenomena as identity seeking, anger and fear, collective narcissism, grievance, norms, perceptions of powerlessness and deprivation, authoritarianism, nationalism, radicalism, propaganda and persuasion, ethnocentrism, xenophobia and the effects of globalization. The book is divided into four parts. Part I deals with the motivational and emotional factors that attract voters to populist causes, and the human needs and values that populist movements satisfy. Part II analyzes the cognitive features of populist appeals, especially their emphasis on simplicity, epistemic certainty and moral absolutism. Part III turns to one of the defining features of populism: its offer of a powerful tribal identity and collectivist ideology that provide meaning and personal significance to its followers. Finally, in Part IV, the propaganda tactics used by populist movements are analysed, including the role of charismatic leadership, authoritarianism, and nationalism and the use of conspiracy narratives and persuasive strategies.This is fascinating reading on a highly topical issue. The book will be of interest to students, researchers, and applied professionals in all areas of psychology and the social sciences as a textbook or reference book, and to anyone interested in the global rise of populism. Please follow this link for an insightful interview by one of the editors of the book - Joseph P. Forgas: https://www.routledge.com/blog/article/editor-interview-the-psychology-of-populismWe have also created a short promotional video for the book here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iK1BEF8WyMA.

The recent rise of populist politics represent a major challenge for liberal democracies. This important book explores the psychological reasons for the rise of populism, featuring contributions from leading international researchers in the fields of psychology and political science.Unlike liberal democracy based on the Enlightenment values of individual freedom, autonomy and rationality, both right-wing and left-wing populism offer collectivist, autocratic formulations reminiscent of the evolutionary history and tribal instincts of our species. The book offers a comprehensive overview of the psychology of populism, covering such phenomena as identity seeking, anger and fear, collective narcissism, grievance, norms, perceptions of powerlessness and deprivation, authoritarianism, nationalism, radicalism, propaganda and persuasion, ethnocentrism, xenophobia and the effects of globalization. The book is divided into four parts. Part I deals with the motivational and emotional factors that attract voters to populist causes, and the human needs and values that populist movements satisfy. Part II analyzes the cognitive features of populist appeals, especially their emphasis on simplicity, epistemic certainty and moral absolutism. Part III turns to one of the defining features of populism: its offer of a powerful tribal identity and collectivist ideology that provide meaning and personal significance to its followers. Finally, in Part IV, the propaganda tactics used by populist movements are analysed, including the role of charismatic leadership, authoritarianism, and nationalism and the use of conspiracy narratives and persuasive strategies.This is fascinating reading on a highly topical issue. The book will be of interest to students, researchers, and applied professionals in all areas of psychology and the social sciences as a textbook or reference book, and to anyone interested in the global rise of populism. Please follow this link for an insightful interview by one of the editors of the book - Joseph P. Forgas: https://www.routledge.com/blog/article/editor-interview-the-psychology-of-populismWe have also created a short promotional video for the book here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iK1BEF8WyMA.

How to live well and the search for meaning have long been of intense concern to humans, perhaps because Homo sapiens is the only species aware of its own mortality. In the last few decades, empirical psychology made a major contribution to this quest. This book surveys groundbreaking work by leading international researchers, demonstrating that social psychology is the core discipline for understanding well-being and the search for meaning. Basic conceptual and theoretical principles are discussed, drawing on philosophy, evolutionary theory and psychology, followed by a review of the role of purposeful, motivated activity and self-control in achieving life satisfaction. The role of emotional and cognitive processes and the influence of social, interpersonal and cultural factors in promoting a happy and meaningful life are discussed. The book will be of interest to students, practitioners and researchers in the behavioral and social sciences, as well as to laypersons for whom improving the quality of human life and understanding the principles of well-being are of interest.

How to live well and the search for meaning have long been of intense concern to humans, perhaps because Homo sapiens is the only species aware of its own mortality. In the last few decades, empirical psychology made a major contribution to this quest. This book surveys groundbreaking work by leading international researchers, demonstrating that social psychology is the core discipline for understanding well-being and the search for meaning. Basic conceptual and theoretical principles are discussed, drawing on philosophy, evolutionary theory and psychology, followed by a review of the role of purposeful, motivated activity and self-control in achieving life satisfaction. The role of emotional and cognitive processes and the influence of social, interpersonal and cultural factors in promoting a happy and meaningful life are discussed. The book will be of interest to students, practitioners and researchers in the behavioral and social sciences, as well as to laypersons for whom improving the quality of human life and understanding the principles of well-being are of interest.

This edited volume brings together the latest research in understanding the nature, origins, and evolution of human sociability, one of the most intriguing aspects of human psychology. Sociability—our sophisticated ability to interact with others, imagine, plan, and execute interdependent behaviours—lies at the heart of our evolutionary success, and is the most important prerequisite for the development of increasingly elaborate civilizations. With contributions from internationally renowned researchers in areas of social psychology as well as anthropology and evolutionary psychology, this book demonstrates the role of social psychology in explaining how human sociability evolved, how it shapes our mental and emotional lives, and how it influences both large-scale civilizational practices and intimate interpersonal relations. Chapters cover the core psychological characteristics that shape human sociability, including such phenomena as the role of information exchange, affective processes, social norms, power relations, personal relationships, attachment patterns, personality characteristics, and evolutionary pressures.Featuring a wide variety of empirical and theoretical backgrounds, the book will be of interest to students and researchers in all areas of the social sciences, as well as practitioners and applied professionals who deal with issues related to sociability in their daily lives.

This edited volume brings together the latest research in understanding the nature, origins, and evolution of human sociability, one of the most intriguing aspects of human psychology. Sociability—our sophisticated ability to interact with others, imagine, plan, and execute interdependent behaviours—lies at the heart of our evolutionary success, and is the most important prerequisite for the development of increasingly elaborate civilizations. With contributions from internationally renowned researchers in areas of social psychology as well as anthropology and evolutionary psychology, this book demonstrates the role of social psychology in explaining how human sociability evolved, how it shapes our mental and emotional lives, and how it influences both large-scale civilizational practices and intimate interpersonal relations. Chapters cover the core psychological characteristics that shape human sociability, including such phenomena as the role of information exchange, affective processes, social norms, power relations, personal relationships, attachment patterns, personality characteristics, and evolutionary pressures.Featuring a wide variety of empirical and theoretical backgrounds, the book will be of interest to students and researchers in all areas of the social sciences, as well as practitioners and applied professionals who deal with issues related to sociability in their daily lives.

Insecurity is an inevitable part of being human. Although life is insecure for every organism, humans alone are burdened by knowing that this is so. This ground-breaking volume features contributions by leading international researchers exploring the social psychology of insecurity and how existential, metaphysical, and social uncertainty influence human social behaviour.Chapters in the book investigate the psychological origins of insecurity, evolutionary theorizing about the functions of insecurity, the motivational strategies people adopt to manage insecurity, self-regulation strategies, the role of insecurity in the formation and maintenance of social relationships, and the influence of insecurity and uncertainty on the organization of larger social systems and public affairs. The chapters also discuss how insecurity influences many areas of contemporary social life, highlighting the applied implications of this line of research. Topics covered include the role of insecurity in social communication, social judgments, decision-making, group identification, morality, interpersonal behaviour, relationships, attitudes, and many applied aspects of social life and politics where understanding the psychology of insecurity is of critical importance.This accessible and engaging book will be of interest to students, researchers, and practitioners as a textbook or reference book in behavioural and social science fields, as well as to a broad spectrum of intelligent lay audiences seeking to understand one of the most intriguing issues that shapes human social life.

Insecurity is an inevitable part of being human. Although life is insecure for every organism, humans alone are burdened by knowing that this is so. This ground-breaking volume features contributions by leading international researchers exploring the social psychology of insecurity and how existential, metaphysical, and social uncertainty influence human social behaviour.Chapters in the book investigate the psychological origins of insecurity, evolutionary theorizing about the functions of insecurity, the motivational strategies people adopt to manage insecurity, self-regulation strategies, the role of insecurity in the formation and maintenance of social relationships, and the influence of insecurity and uncertainty on the organization of larger social systems and public affairs. The chapters also discuss how insecurity influences many areas of contemporary social life, highlighting the applied implications of this line of research. Topics covered include the role of insecurity in social communication, social judgments, decision-making, group identification, morality, interpersonal behaviour, relationships, attitudes, and many applied aspects of social life and politics where understanding the psychology of insecurity is of critical importance.This accessible and engaging book will be of interest to students, researchers, and practitioners as a textbook or reference book in behavioural and social science fields, as well as to a broad spectrum of intelligent lay audiences seeking to understand one of the most intriguing issues that shapes human social life.

Tribalism is a key evolutionary feature of humans, and the recent growth in tribal polarisation presents a serious challenge to our highly individualistic civilisation. This fascinating book examines the psychological origins and consequences of tribalism both in our private and in our public lives.The chapters explore how social, evolutionary, biological, and cognitive factors shape our tribal habits, featuring contributions from eminent international researchers. The chapters review the nature and origins of tribalism, the psychological mechanisms promoting tribalism, how tribal narratives can distort rationality and perceptions of reality, and the role of tribalism in politics and public affairs. The contributions investigate how insecurity, the search for meaning and attachment, victimhood, grievance, and cognitive shortcomings can facilitate tribal bonding and how such groups once formed can foster conflict, hatred, and irrational behaviours. The book suggests that the survival of our extremely successful civilisation based on the enlightenment values of liberty and individualism may well depend on our ability to understand and manage the human evolutionary propensity for tribalism.The book will be of great interest to students and researchers in psychology, sociology, and other disciplines of behavioural and social sciences, as well as all readers who seek to understand one of the most intriguing issues that shape human social life.

Tribalism is a key evolutionary feature of humans, and the recent growth in tribal polarisation presents a serious challenge to our highly individualistic civilisation. This fascinating book examines the psychological origins and consequences of tribalism both in our private and in our public lives.The chapters explore how social, evolutionary, biological, and cognitive factors shape our tribal habits, featuring contributions from eminent international researchers. The chapters review the nature and origins of tribalism, the psychological mechanisms promoting tribalism, how tribal narratives can distort rationality and perceptions of reality, and the role of tribalism in politics and public affairs. The contributions investigate how insecurity, the search for meaning and attachment, victimhood, grievance, and cognitive shortcomings can facilitate tribal bonding and how such groups once formed can foster conflict, hatred, and irrational behaviours. The book suggests that the survival of our extremely successful civilisation based on the enlightenment values of liberty and individualism may well depend on our ability to understand and manage the human evolutionary propensity for tribalism.The book will be of great interest to students and researchers in psychology, sociology, and other disciplines of behavioural and social sciences, as well as all readers who seek to understand one of the most intriguing issues that shape human social life.

This exciting book outlines the fascinating social psychology of false beliefs and tribal delusions, examining the common human tendency to create and maintain collectively shared belief systems that have no foundation in reality. Bringing together leading international researchers, contributors explore how evolutionary, biological, cognitive, and social variables shape the creation and maintenance of widely shared but obviously false belief systems. The authors review how psychological processes promote the formation and maintenance of fallacious beliefs and discuss the philosophical and epistemological criteria we can use to classify some beliefs as false, and others as true.The chapters draw on many core areas of contemporary social life where false beliefs are of topical interest, highlighting the applied implications of this line of research. Topics include political polarisation, false narratives about group differences, pandemic conspiracy theories, fallacious theories in academia and the role of the media and the internet in creating distorted narratives.This book is engagingly written and will be of great interest to students and researchers in social psychology and the social sciences, as well as anyone seeking to understand one of the most intriguing issues that shape human social life.

This exciting book outlines the fascinating social psychology of false beliefs and tribal delusions, examining the common human tendency to create and maintain collectively shared belief systems that have no foundation in reality. Bringing together leading international researchers, contributors explore how evolutionary, biological, cognitive, and social variables shape the creation and maintenance of widely shared but obviously false belief systems. The authors review how psychological processes promote the formation and maintenance of fallacious beliefs and discuss the philosophical and epistemological criteria we can use to classify some beliefs as false, and others as true.The chapters draw on many core areas of contemporary social life where false beliefs are of topical interest, highlighting the applied implications of this line of research. Topics include political polarisation, false narratives about group differences, pandemic conspiracy theories, fallacious theories in academia and the role of the media and the internet in creating distorted narratives.This book is engagingly written and will be of great interest to students and researchers in social psychology and the social sciences, as well as anyone seeking to understand one of the most intriguing issues that shape human social life.

The sophisticated human capacity for trust is our crowning evolutionary achievement that makes social life and long-lasting relationships and institutions possible. This cutting-edge volume provides a comprehensive overview of the psychology of trust, featuring leading international researchers who have done ground-breaking work on the origins, nature, characteristics and consequences of trust.The chapters examine the evolutionary, historical, social, cultural and psychological origins of trust. The role of cognitive, motivational and affective processes influencing trust is discussed, and the current crisis of trust in Western liberal democracies receives special attention, representing a serious challenge to the survival of liberal democratic societies built on the enlightenment values of rationalism, individualism, humanism and tolerance.Exploring one of the most intriguing psychological issues that shapes human social life, this book will be of interest both to a lay audience as well as students and researchers interested in all areas relevant to the relationship between human psychology and the social and cultural processes that define our civilization.

The sophisticated human capacity for trust is our crowning evolutionary achievement that makes social life and long-lasting relationships and institutions possible. This cutting-edge volume provides a comprehensive overview of the psychology of trust, featuring leading international researchers who have done ground-breaking work on the origins, nature, characteristics and consequences of trust.The chapters examine the evolutionary, historical, social, cultural and psychological origins of trust. The role of cognitive, motivational and affective processes influencing trust is discussed, and the current crisis of trust in Western liberal democracies receives special attention, representing a serious challenge to the survival of liberal democratic societies built on the enlightenment values of rationalism, individualism, humanism and tolerance.Exploring one of the most intriguing psychological issues that shapes human social life, this book will be of interest both to a lay audience as well as students and researchers interested in all areas relevant to the relationship between human psychology and the social and cultural processes that define our civilization.

This book focuses on the ubiquitous and powerful effects of ostracism, social exclusion, rejection, and bullying. Human beings are an intrinsically gregarious species. Most of our evolutionary success is no doubt due to our highly developed ability to cooperate and interact with each other. It is thus not surprising that instances of interpersonal rejection and social exclusion would have an enormously detrimental impact on the individual. Until 10 years ago, however, social psychology regarded ostracism, rejection and social exclusion as merely outcomes to be avoided, but we knew very little about their antecedents and consequences, and about the processes involved when they occurred. Furthermore, the literatures of ostracism, social exclusion and rejection have not until now included discussions of the bullying literature.

This book seeks to combine the study of human social cognition - the way we think, decide, plan and analyze social situations - with an evolutionary framework that considers these activities in light of evolutionary adaptations for solving problems of survival faced by our ancestors over thousands of generations. The chapters report recent research and theories illustrating how evolutionary principles can shed new light on the subtle and often subconscious ways that cognitive mechanisms guide peoples’ thoughts, memories, judgments, attitudes and behaviors in social life. The contributors to this volume, who are leading researchers in their fields, seek answers to such intriguing questions as: how can evolutionary principles help to explain human beliefs, attitudes, judgments, prejudice, and group preferences? Are there benefits to behaving unpredictably? Why are prototypical faces more attractive than atypical ones? How do men and women think about, and select potential mates? What are the adaptive functions of negative affect? What are the evolutionary influences on the way people think about and respond to social exclusion and ostracism? Evolution and the Social Mind offers a highly integrated and representative coverage of this emerging field, and is suitable as a textbook in advanced courses dealing with social cognition and evolutionary psychology.

The connection between mental and social life remains one of the most intriguing topics in all of psychology. This book reviews some of the most recent advances in research exploring the links between how people think and behave in interpersonal situations. The chapters represent a variety of theoretical orientations, ranging from evolutionary approaches through cognitive and affective theories, all the way to considering social and cultural influences on the relationship between social cognition and interpersonal behavior.Given its breadth of coverage, this volume is useful both as a basic reference book and as an informative textbook for advanced courses dealing with social cognition and interpersonal behavior. The main target audience comprises researchers, students, and professionals in all areas of the social and behavioral sciences, including social, cognitive, clinical, counseling, personality, organizational, forensic, and applied psychology, as well as sociology, communication studies, and social work. Written in a readable yet scholarly style, this volume serves as an engaging overview of the field for students in courses dealing with social cognition and social interaction at undergraduate and graduate levels.

Social psychology and politics are intricately related, and understanding how humans manage power and govern themselves is one of the key issues in psychology. This volume surveys the latest theoretical and empirical work on the social psychology of politics, featuring cutting-edge research from a stellar group of international researchers.It is organized into four main sections that deal with political attitudes and values; political communication and perceptions; social cognitive processes in political decisions; and the politics of intergroup behavior and social identity. The contributions address such exciting questions as how do political attitudes and values develop and change? What role do emotions and moral values play in political behavior? How do political messages and the media influence political perceptions? What are the psychological requirements of effective democratic decision making, and why do democracies sometimes fail? How can intergroup harmony be developed, and what is the role of social identity in political processes?As such, this volume integrates the role of cognitive, affective, social and cultural influences on political perception and behavior, offering an overview of the psychological mechanisms underlying political processes. It provides essential reading for teachers, students, researchers and practitioners in areas related to power, social influence and political behavior.

Social psychology and politics are intricately related, and understanding how humans manage power and govern themselves is one of the key issues in psychology. This volume surveys the latest theoretical and empirical work on the social psychology of politics, featuring cutting-edge research from a stellar group of international researchers.It is organized into four main sections that deal with political attitudes and values; political communication and perceptions; social cognitive processes in political decisions; and the politics of intergroup behavior and social identity. The contributions address such exciting questions as how do political attitudes and values develop and change? What role do emotions and moral values play in political behavior? How do political messages and the media influence political perceptions? What are the psychological requirements of effective democratic decision making, and why do democracies sometimes fail? How can intergroup harmony be developed, and what is the role of social identity in political processes?As such, this volume integrates the role of cognitive, affective, social and cultural influences on political perception and behavior, offering an overview of the psychological mechanisms underlying political processes. It provides essential reading for teachers, students, researchers and practitioners in areas related to power, social influence and political behavior.

Human beings are an intrinsically gregarious species - our personal relationships are of immense interest to us and are a key factor in achieving happiness and well being. From the moment of birth, humans crave love and intimacy and we devote much energy to creating and maintaining successful personal relationships throughout our personal and our working lives. However, modern industrialized societies present a particularly challenging environment for sustaining rewarding personal relationships. Understanding how people initiate, develop, maintain, and terminate relationships is one of the core issues in psychology, and the subject matter of this book.Contributors to this volume are all leading researchers in relationship science, and they seek here to explore and integrate the subtle influence that evolutionary, socio-cultural, and intra-psychic (cognitive, affective and motivational) variables play in relationship processes. In addition to discussing the latest advances in areas of relationship research, they also advocate an expanded theoretical approach that incorporates many of the insights gained from evolutionary psychology, social cognition, and research on affect and motivation.The contributions should be highly relevant to researchers, teachers, students, laypersons and to everyone who is interested in the subtleties of human relationships. The book is also highly recommended to clinical, health, and relationship professionals who deal with relationship issues in their daily work.

Ever since Plato’s ‘Republic’ was written over two thousand years ago, one of the main concerns of social philosophy and later empirical social science was to understand the moral nature of human beings. The faculty to think and act in terms of overarching moral values is as much a defining hallmark of our species as is our intelligence, so homo moralis is no less an appropriate term to describe humans as homo sapiens. This volume makes a case for the pivotal role of social psychology as the core discipline for studying morality. The book is divided into four parts. First, the role of social psychological processes in moral values and judgments is discussed, followed by an analysis of the role of morality in interpersonal processes. The sometimes paradoxical, ironic effects of moral beliefs are described next, and in the final section the role of morality in collective and group behavior is considered.This book will be of interest to students and researchers in the social and behavioral sciences concerned with moral behavior, as well as professionals and practitioners in clinical, counseling, organizational, marketing and educational psychology where issues of ethics and morality are of importance.

Ever since Plato’s ‘Republic’ was written over two thousand years ago, one of the main concerns of social philosophy and later empirical social science was to understand the moral nature of human beings. The faculty to think and act in terms of overarching moral values is as much a defining hallmark of our species as is our intelligence, so homo moralis is no less an appropriate term to describe humans as homo sapiens. This volume makes a case for the pivotal role of social psychology as the core discipline for studying morality. The book is divided into four parts. First, the role of social psychological processes in moral values and judgments is discussed, followed by an analysis of the role of morality in interpersonal processes. The sometimes paradoxical, ironic effects of moral beliefs are described next, and in the final section the role of morality in collective and group behavior is considered.This book will be of interest to students and researchers in the social and behavioral sciences concerned with moral behavior, as well as professionals and practitioners in clinical, counseling, organizational, marketing and educational psychology where issues of ethics and morality are of importance.

Human beings have a unique ability to create elaborate predispositions and evaluations based on their social experiences. The concept of attitudes is central to understanding how experience gives rise to these predispositions, and psychologists have spent the best part of the past 100 years trying to understand the intricacies of this process. Yet, despite decades of research, we still do not fully understand how attitudes are created, maintained and changed. The main objective of this book is to review and integrate some of the most recent, cutting-edge developments in research on attitudes and attitude change, presenting the work of eminent scholars in this field. Chapters in this book deal with such intriguing questions as: What role do associative processes play in the formation of attitudes? How do attitudes function as global and local action guides? What is the function of implicit evaluations, and vicarious experiences in producing attitude change? Are implicit associations a useful way to measure attitudes? What role does affect play in attitude formation and change? What role do social interaction processes play in persuasion, and how does persuasion work in real-life settings?The book is essential reading for students and researchers in social psychology, as well as practitioners in every field where understanding and changing attitudes is important, such as clinical, counseling, organizational, marketing, forensic, and developmental psychology.

The ability to regulate and control our behaviors is a key accomplishment of the human species, yet the psychological mechanisms involved in self-regulation remain incompletely understood. This book presents contributions from leading international researchers who survey the most recent developments in this fascinating area. The chapters shed new light on the subtle and often subconscious ways that the people seek to regulate their thoughts, feelings and behaviors in everyday social life. The contributions seek answers to such intriguing questions as: How can we improve our ability to control our actions? How do people make decisions about which goals to pursue? How do we maintain and manage goal-oriented behavior? What happens when we run out of self-regulation resources? Can we match people and the regulatory demands of to specific tasks so as to optimize performance? What role does self-regulation play in sports performance, in maintaining successful relationships, and in managing work situations?The book offers a highly integrated and representative coverage of this important field, and is suitable as a core textbook in advanced courses dealing with social behavior and the applications of psychology to real-life problems.

Social influence processes play a key role in human behavior. Arguably our extraordinary evolutionary success has much to do with our subtle and highly developed ability to interact with and influence each other. In this volume, leading international researchers review and integrate contemporary theory and research on the many ways people influence each other, considering both explicit, direct, and implicit, indirect influence strategies. Three sections examine fundamental processes and theory in social influence research, the role of cognitive processes and strategies in social influence phenomena, and the operation of social influence mechanisms in group settings. By applying the latest research to a wide range of interpersonal phenomena, this volume greatly advances our understanding of social influence mechanisms in strategic social interaction, and should be of interest to all students, researchers and practitioners interested in the dynamics of everyday interpersonal behavior.