| Summary: | "The approach to this textbook is interactionist. It is hoped that this framework permeates the entire substantive area of the book. While the major part of this book is thus dedicated to presenting the subject matter of social psychology with this interactionist viewpoint, a minor part (quantitatively speaking) is devoted to an account of the scope and method of social psychology, its long history as a social philosophy, and its short history as a social science. There is included a critique of postulates and values in social science which, it is hoped, is sufficiently developed so that it is not necessary to offer negative and reproachful comments on modern viewpoints dealing with empirical evidence. In fact, the effort has been to reduce to a minimum the polemic approach to the subject and simply present that large and fascinating field which envelops parts of sociology, psychology, psychiatry, and anthropology as a scientific body of knowledge in its own right. With the anchoring points of the historical backgrounds and the philosophical discussion confined to one chapter, the Catholic college student should suffer no adverse reaction from his exposure to the remainder of the text, which is purely social-psychological as distinct from, say, a sectarian bias. Can it be hoped that this volume will contribute to the development of this subject in the Catholic college? It is the author's expectation that a large measure of the reward for this undertaking will be in the satisfaction that would result from such a development"--Preface. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).
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