"Smart and engaging . . . uses cutting-edge scientific research to show us how the few can influence the many, and how the weak can beat the strong." —Daniel Gilbert, New York Times–bestselling author of Stumbling on HappinessNo one doubts the power of the majority. It makes the rules and enforces them, and most of us are willing to go along with it, most of the time. But what happens when you're not? What about when the issue is so important to yo...

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...

Through a multi-methodology approach, Principles and Methods of Social Research, Fourth Edition covers the latest research techniques and designs and guides readers toward the design and conduct of social research from the ground up. Applauded for its comprehensive coverage, the breadth and depth of content of this new edition is unparalleled.Explained with updated applied examples useful to the social, behavioral, educational, and organizational sciences, the methods desc...

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...

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...

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...

Scholars in many of the disciplines surrounding politics explicitly utilize either a narrative perspective or a metaphor perspective (though rarely the two in combination) to analyze issues -- theoretical and practical, domestic and international -- in the broad field of politics. Among the topics they have studied are:competing metaphors for the state or nation which have been coined over the centuries in diverse cultures;the frequency with whic...

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 t...

This book tells the story of the mass media's potential in the war against drug abuse. It is based on scientific evidence on the use of media in health promotion and disease prevention. Past approaches--successes and failures alike--are included to help enlighten future programs of research and practice. Advice about the logical steps that must be taken to help alleviate the crisis of drug abuse is featured throughout.The book will appeal to social scientists interested in persuasi...

This volume assembles a distinguished group of international scholars whose chapters on classic and emerging issues in research on attitudes provide an excellent introduction for advanced undergraduates and graduate students. The book’s chapters cover all of the most critical features of attitude measurement, attitude development, and attitude change. Implicit and explicit approaches to measurement and conceptualization are featured throughout, making this one of the most up-to-date treatm...