This book argues for the importance of considering social class in critical psychological enquiry. It provides a historical overview of psychological research and theorising on social class and socio-economic status; before examining the ways in which psychology has contributed to the surveillance, regulation and pathologisation of the working-class ‘Other’. The authors highlight the cost of recent austerity policies on mental health and warn against the implementation of further austerity measures in the current climate The book pulls together perspectives from critical social psychology, feminist psychology, sociology and other critical research which examines the discursive production of social class, classism and classed identities. The authors explore social class in educational and occupational settings, and analyse the intersections between class and other social categories such as gender, race, ethnicity and sexuality. Finally, they consider key issues in debates around social class in the broader social sciences, such as the limitations of approaches informed by poststructuralist theory. This book will be a useful resource for both academics and students studying class from a critical perspective.

Philip Wexler places both conventional social psychology and the emergence of an alternative in their historical context, revealing the ideological character of conventional social psychology and emphasizing the social basis of an alternative. He describes the foundations of this alternative, critical psychology, by analysis of theory and research on questions of self, social interaction, and intimate or personal relations.

What is critical social psychology? In what ways can social psychology be progressive or radical? How can it be involved in political critique and reconstruction? Is social psychology itself the problem? Critical social psychology offers a confusing array of diverse answers to these questions. This book cuts through the confusion by revealing the very different assumptions at work in this fast growing field. A critical approach depends on a range of often-implicit theories of society, knowledge, as well as the subject. This book will show the crucial role of these theories for directing critique at different parts of society, suggesting alternative ways of doing research, and effecting social change. It includes chapters fr

This broad-ranging introduction to the diverse strands of critical psychology explores the history, practice and values of psychology, scrutinises a wide range of sub-disciplines, and sets out the major theoretical frameworks.

In The Psychology of Social Class, leading social psychologist Michael Argyle provides a comprehensive account of psychological and other research into social class using data from Britain, the United States and elsewhere. By addressing differences in social class, the book broadens the perspective of social psychological research to examine such topics as the effect of achievement motivation and other personality variables on social mobility and the effect of social class on health. After examining the historical development of class and the attempts to abolish it, Argyle describes the class system currently existing in Britain and compares it with others in the modern world. Included are discussions of psychological models of class, and hierarchies in small groups and social organizations. A detailed account is provided of class differences in behavior and beliefs, covering such aspects as marriage, friendship, speech, style, personality, sexual behavior, crime, religion, and leisure. Finally, Argyle examines the images people have of the class system, the effects of class on well-being, and discusses possible explanations of class differences in terms of genetics, socialization, work experience, differences in lifestyle and the sheer effects of social status.

In this original and major new work, David Blustein places working at the same level of attention for social and behavioral scientists and psychotherapists as other major life concerns, such as intimate relationships, physical and mental health, and socio-economic inequities. He also provides readers with an expanded conceptual framework within which to think about working in human development and human experience. As a result, this creative new synthesis enriches the discourse on working across the broad spectrum of psychology's concerns and agendas, and especially for those readers in career development, counseling, and policy-related fields. This textbook is ideal for use in graduate courses on counseling and work or vocational counseling.

This handbook is the first to bring together the latest theory and research on critical approaches to social psychological challenges. Edited by a leading authority in the field, this volume further establishes critical social psychology as a discipline of study, distinct from mainstream social psychology. The handbook explains how critical approaches to social processes and phenomena are essential to fully understanding them, and covers the main research topics in basic and applied social psychology, including social cognition, identity and social relations, alongside overviews of the main theories and methodologies that underpin critical approaches. This volume features a range of leading authors working on key social psychological issues, and highlights a commitment to a social psychology which shuns psychologisation, reductionism and neutrality. It provides invaluable insight into many of the most pressing and distressing issues we face in modern society, including the migrant and refugee crises affecting Europe; the devaluing of black lives in the USA; and the poverty, ill-health, and poor mental well-being that has resulted from ever-increasing austerity efforts in the UK. Including sections on critical perspectives, critical methodologies, and critical applications, this volume also focuses on issues within social cognition, self and identity. This one-stop handbook is an indispensable resource for a range of academics, students and researchers in the fields of psychology and sociology, and particularly those with an interest in social identity, power relations, and critical interventions.

"The twentieth century witnessed not only the devastation of war, conflict, and injustice on a massive scale, but also the emergence of social psychology as a discipline committed to addressing these and other social problems. In the twenty-first century, the promise of social psychology remains incomplete. We witness the reprise of authoritarianism and the endurance of institutionalized forms of oppression such as sexism, racism, and heterosexism across the globe. This volume represents an audacious proposal to reorient social psychology toward the study of social injustice in real-world settings. Contributors cross borders between cultures and disciplines to highlight new and emerging critical paradigms that interrogate the consequences of social injustice. United in their belief in the possibility of liberation from oppression, the authors of this book offer a blueprint for a new kind of social psychology." --

Much recent work in social psychology has questioned the assumptions and practices of traditional research and debate. Accessible and often passionately argued, this book pulls these new trends together in a major overview of the main theoretical, political and empirical developments. Assembling a group of leading figures in the field, the book addresses the need for a critical perspective in social psychology and examines the many levels of discussion that have informed that critique. The contributors encompass such key topics as: political analysis in a postmodern world; the status of qualitative methods; realism versus relativism; and the question of subjectivity from a critical perspective.

′this book provides an excellent introduction to contemporary Critical Social Psychology, which anyone exploring the field would do well to read.′ - Psychology in Society ′a very accessible introduction... lively and engaging.... Discussion questions are uncharacteristicaly thought-provoking, while practical exercises also seem better considered than one comes to expect from similar primers, suggesting a successful future as a core text in social psychology courses′ - The Psychologist ′Erudition, sagacity, patience and scholarship radiate from this book. This is an excellent introduction to the various strands of critical thinking to emanate primarily from England, and, to some extent, from continental Europe. Anyone interested in learning more about the discursive side of critical psychology will find in this book an excellent guide. I recommend this book to all psychologists interested in critical perspectives′ - Journal of Community and Applied Psychology A critical approach depends on a range of often-implicit theories of society, knowledge, as well as the subject. This book shows the crucial role of these theories for directing critique at different parts of society, suggesting alternative ways of doing research, and effecting social change. It includes chapters from the perspectives of social cognition, Marxism, psychoanalysis, discourse and rhetoric, feminism, subjectivity and postmodernism. In each case, the strengths and weaknesses of each perspective are highlighted, the ideas are linked to real world issues by a range of practical exercises, and guidance is given to further reading.These chapters will cover the work of diverse thinkers from within social psychology, such as Billig, Gergen, Kitzinger, Parker, Potter, Shotter, Walkerdine and Wetherell, and from outside, such as Butler, Derrida, Foucault, Haraway, Lyotard, Marx and Rose. An Introduction to Critical Social Psychology provides a systematic, integrated and accessible introduction to social psychology as a critical discipline. Consequently, it will be key reading for undergraduates and postgraduates studying Critical Social Psychology, and useful additional reading for postgraduates studying theoretical psychology and qualitative methods.