Handbook of Social Psychology: Vol. 1: Micro Perspective (Handbooks of Sociology and Social Research)

This third edition of the highly successful handbook is presented for the first time in two volumes, covering the field of social psychology more comprehensively than earlier, including applying social psychology to different areas in sociology. It showcases the dynamics of social psychological phenomena across the micro level (Volume 1), and meso and macro levels of social reality (Volume 2). The reader will see how social psychology can be leveraged at the interactive level, within groups and larger units, and across many aspects of society, thus showing the expansiveness of social psychology in understanding social behavior, social organization, and social structures.

The emphasis in Volume 1 rests on theoretical frameworks for processes occurring within individuals and among interacting individuals. The chapters span fundamental principles pertaining to the social construction of meaning, identity, emotions, language, and social cognition, and the structure and dynamics unfolding in interactions characterized by status, social exchange, network linkages, and justice. A shorter chapter, offering an empirical illustration, complements each theoretically oriented chapter. Together, the two volumes provide the reader with theoretical tools useful in understanding the basics of individual behavior, while highlighting how social psychological processes emerge in a variety of contexts. The connections among micro, meso, and macro levels, through the lens of social psychology, forge new pathways to understanding the various forms of inequality plaguing the social world.

Jan E. Stets is Distinguished Professor in the Department of Sociology and Director of the Social Psychology Research Laboratory at the University of California, Riverside. Professor Stets is a social psychologist who works in the areas of self and identity, emotions, and morality. She uses identity theory to understand individuals' self-views, emotions, and moral sensibilities. She is the author of 12 books, 100 papers, and numerous grants. Recent books include Advancing Identity Theory, Measurement, and Research (with Ashley V. Reichelmann and K. Jill Kiecolt, Springer, 2023), Identity Theory: Expanded, 2nd Edition (with Peter J. Burke, Oxford University Press, 2023), and Identities in Action: Developments in Identity Theory (with Philip S. Brenner and Richard T. Serpe, Springer, 2021). The Sociology of Emotions (with Jonathan H. Turner, Cambridge University Press, 2005) has been translated into Japanese, Croatian, Polish, and Chinese. The Handbook of the Sociology of Emotions (with Jonathan H. Turner, Springer, 2006) received the 2008 Outstanding Recent Contribution Award from the American Sociological Association (ASA) Section on Emotions. In 2010, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the ASA Emotions Section. In 2020, she received the Cooley-Mead Award for Distinguished Scholarship from the ASA Social Psychology Section. She is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She is past co-chair of the Department of Sociology at UCR, past director of the Sociology Program at the National Science Foundation, past co-editor of Social Psychology Quarterly, and past chair of the ASA Section on Emotions, the ASA Section on Social Psychology, and the ASA Section on Altruism, Morality, and Social Solidarity. 

Karen A Hegtvedt is Professor of Sociology at Emory University. As a social psychologist, she works in the area of group processes. Her scholarly interests pertain specifically to processes of justice, legitimacy, and emotions. She has coedited a volume “Justice” in the Advances in Group Processes series and is coauthor (with Cathryn Johnson) of the text, Individuals, Interaction, and Inequality. Her 60 publications address basic issues regarding perceptions of and responses to injustice and factors affecting perceptions of leader legitimacy; more applied work examines issues of environmental justice and justice processes within schools. Her work has appeared in Social Forces, Social Psychology Quarterly, Work and Occupations, and other journals. She is the former chair of her department and coeditor of Social Psychology Quarterly. She has served as the chair of ASA Emotions and Social Psychology sections and is the incoming president of the International Society for Justice Research.

Long Doan is Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and Director of the Group Processes Laboratory at the University of Maryland. Doan is broadly interested in how various social psychological processes motivate behavior and explain patterns of inequality. In particular, Doan is interested in the intersections of sexuality, gender, and race. His work examines how seemingly subtle differences in evaluations of individuals based on their social characteristics lead to larger, more concrete implications, such as the acceptance or denial of legal rights or decisions related to hiring. His recent publications have appeared in the American Sociological Review, Social Problems, Journal of Marriage and Family, and Sociological Methodology. He has received the Lupia-Mutz Award for Outstanding Publication and paper awards from the ASA’s Sex and Gender, Social Psychology, and Emotions sections.