In this intriguing study, two social psychologists and an intellectual historian describe the people and intellectual currents which have given rise to the complex discipline of American social psychology. The authors examine the influence of British evolutionary theory, French social theory, American pragmatism, and the ideas of Freud, Marx and Lewin on the evolution of social psychological theory, and explain how these traditions contributed to later developments such as group dynamics, cognitive social psychology, and symbolic interaction. American social psychology during this century has shifted back and forth from a focus on individual psychological processes to a concern with the role of the broader social context and social interaction. This has resulted in the development of several quite distinct social psychologies, which are all valid rather than mutually exclusive, and it should be possible to build a discipline in which all aspects of social interaction are considered. Students and professionals in social psychology, sociology, and related areas, as well as those interstd in the history of the social sciences, will find this important and comprehensive appraisal of the field useful.

Currents of Thought in American Social Psychology

Literature & Fiction

REYNOLDS, GRAHAM

Collier, Gary

Minton, Henry

History & Criticism

Oxford University Press

Adds essential clarification to the ongoing debate between nature and nurture in the development of intelligence. Contains a broad overview of the way motivation and cultural conditions shape the growth and use of cognitive skills. Many familiar concepts from the classical psychology of personality--need for achievement, level of aspiration, field dependence, the authoritarian personality--are reviewed along with others more recently defined--fear of success, learned helplessness, mastery orientation. Surveys the cognitive roots of mental ability including language and its relation to thought, memory and metamemory, methods of problem solving and heuristics for creativity. Offers new information that has serious potential as an influence in social and educational policy, race relations and more.

Social Origins of Mental Ability (Wiley Series on Personality Processes)

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Mental Health

John Wiley&Sons, Inc.

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Books by Collier, Gary