| Summary: | "There are a number of problems in the field of social psychology that deserve re-examination in the light of contemporary facts and theories. The purpose of this book is so to re-examine certain of these problems in terms of what we choose to call Integrating Principles. These principles are imbedded in three perspectives which have shaped our approach to this task. First, we are convinced that the psychological study of social behavior and experience must focus on the nature of the social individual. Second, we hold that the available facts of social behavior and experience provide strong support for a cognitive-theoretical position. Third, we believe that man's social behavior must be viewed as a constant process of adaptation; and, as a consequence, an adequate evaluation of man's place in nature requires a healthy respect for comparative psychological and ethological information. In essence, then, we are hopeful that this book will acquaint students with some of the ways in which social psychologists have approached the problem of understanding the individual's social behavior. We emphasize the word some: we have reviewed the problems we believe to be especially relevant to the field. And with the help of our integrating principles, or concepts, we hope that we have suggested ways of making some psychological sense out of social confusion"--Preface. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).
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