Customer Reviews

Social Psychology, Second Edition: Handbook of Basic Principles

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Now in a newly revised and expanded second edition, "Social Psychology: Handbook Of Basic Principles" is expertly compiled and deftly edited Aire W. Kruglanski (Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland) and E. Tory Higgins (Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY). The forty-one informed and informative essays and articles comprising "Social Psychology" are organized into five sections: Biological System; Cognitive Systems; Personal Motivational System; Interpersonal System; Group and Cultural System; and Applications of Social Psychology. Enhanced with a comprehensive Author Index and Subject Index, "Social Psychology" is confidently recommended as a core addition to academic library Social Psychology collections and student supplemental reading lists.

This is a hefty book (they are not kidding about the 5lbs of shipping weight) and it looks impressive on the shelf. Not a social psychologist myself, but a researcher with interests that draw heavily on psychology, I've found this book a useful and up-to-date resource for understanding a variety of topics, including attitudes, motivations, and other social psychological topics. It is expensive, so if you're only interested in one or two chapters it is not worth the investment (select reviews from the Annual Review of Psychology might provide similar, if less comprehensive material). That said, if you currently conducting psychological research or are looking for a comprehensive review of nearly every sizable literature in the field, this is an excellent choice.

This is an excellent resource for faculty and graduate students who are experts in psychology, or academics in other fields are used to reading journal articles in psychology. It is too information-dense for undergraduates or a lay audience.