社会心理学は、私たちの振る舞いがいかに他者に影響を受けるのかを探求する学問です。私たちの思考や行動の本質を見抜くことは、21世紀が直面する問題の解決に取り組むにも役立ちます。日常に係わりの深いこの領域が、過去120年間に歩んできた道のりを振り返り、主な研究者、理論、議論を紹介するとともに、最新の見解と展開にも言及します。
　　　

• Tells the story of social psychology, from the earliest explorations to exciting cutting edge ideas
• Introduces the core theories, approaches, and findings of social psychology
• Written by a leader in the field, and one of the most prolific, active and well-known psychologists in the UK

Social psychology is about the people who populate our everyday lives, and how they affect our 'personal universe', defining who we are, and shaping our behaviour, beliefs, attitudes, and ideology. In an age where we've mapped the human genome and explored much of the physical world, the study of people's behaviour is one of the most exciting frontiers of scientific endeavor.
  
In this Very Short Introduction Richard Crisp tells the story of social psychology, its history, concepts and major theories. Discussing the classic studies that have defined the discipline, Crisp introduces social psychology's key thinkers, and shows how their personal histories spurred them to understand what connects people to people, and the societies in which we live. Taking us from the first ideas of the discipline to its most cutting edge developments, Crisp demonstrates how social psychology remains profoundly relevant to everyday life. From attitudes to attraction, prejudice to persuasion, health to happiness - social psychology provides insights that can change the world, and help us tackle the defining problems of the 21st century.