Social Psychology takes a sociological approach to the study of the individual in relationship to society. It's main purpose is is to highlight how social psychology provides varied, yet inter-related, explanations for individuals’ experiences in groups.

Preface
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
Chapter 1 ¿ Introduction to the Interrelated Processes of Social Psychology
Roots, Overview, and Key Themes
Segue: Moving From the Content of Social Psychology to the Means of Studying It
Chapter 2 ¿ Methods of Developing Social Psychological Knowledge
The Logic of Scientific Inquiry
Social Research Methodologies
Ethical Issues
Segue: From the Means of Collecting Data to the Patterns Revealed
Chapter 3 ¿ The Individual in a Social World
How Do Individuals Socially Construct Their Worlds?
How Does the Social Self Emerge?
Segue: The Symbolic Interaction Approach and Identity Processes
Chapter 4 ¿ Identity Processes
How Do Individuals Socially Construct Their Identities?
How Do Identities Affect the Choices We Make and Our Interactions With Others?
Segue: The Symbolic Interaction Approach, Identity Processes, and Social Cognition
Chapter 5 ¿ Intraindividual Processes: Social Cognitions
Cognitive Processing: How Do Humans Perceive Social Stimuli?
How Do People Form Impressions of Others?
What Determines People's Inferences About the Causes of Social Behavior?
How Do Cognitions Affect Behavior?
Segue: Social Cognitions Feed Attitude Processes
Chapter 6 ¿ Intraindividual Processes: Attitudes
How Do Attitudes Develop?
How Do Attitudes Change?
Reciprocal Influences: To What Extent Are Attitudes Related to Behavior?
Segue: Moving From Attitudes to Affect
Chapter 7 ¿ Beyond Cognition: Affect and Emotions
What Distinguishes Emotions From Other Affective States?
Why Do People Feel What They Feel?
What Influences Displays of People's Feelings?
How Do Gender and Race or Ethnicity Influence Experience and Display of Emotions?
How Do Affective States Influence Social Interaction?
Segue: Emotions, Status, Power, and Inequality
Chapter 8 ¿ Status Processes in Groups
How Are Groups Defined?
What Is Conformity, and Why Do People Conform in Groups?
Status Processes in Groups
How Do Characteristics Acquire Status Value in the First Place?
Segue: Status and Power
Chapter 9 ¿ Power Relations in Groups and Social Networks
Social Exchange Theory Overview
When Will Actors Use Power in Social Exchange Relations?
How Do Commitment and Trust Develop in Social Exchange Relations?
What Is the Role of Emotions in Social Exchange Relations?
What Is the Relationship Between Status and Power?
Segue: Power and Legitimacy
Chapter 10 ¿ Legitimacy: Shaping Behavior in Groups and Organizations
The Milgram Studies on Obedience and Legitimate Authority
What Is the Process of Legitimacy?
How Do Individuals and Structures Become Legitimated?
What Are the Consequences of Legitimation? The Good and the Bad
Segue: Legitimacy and Justice
Chapter 11 ¿ Justice Processes and Evaluations Within Groups
What Is Justice?
How Do People Perceive Injustice?
How Do People Respond to Perceptions of Injustice?
Segue: Justice and Intergroup Relations in Society
Chapter 12 ¿ Intergroup Processes
What Processes Underlie Intergroup Behavior?
Prejudice and Discrimination
How Can Negative Intergroup Behavior Be Ameliorated?
Conclusion: Intergroup Processes and Addressing Social Inequalities
Index