Leading theoreticians and researchers present current thinking about the role played by group memberships in people's sense of who they are and what they are worth. The chapters build on the assumption, developed out of social identity theory, that people create a social self that both defines them and shapes their attitudes and behaviors. The authors address new developments in the theoretical frameworks through which we understand the social self, recent research on the nature of the social self, and recent findings about the influence of social context upon the development and maintenance of the social self.

Much discussion in recent years has centred on the status of the self, identity and subjectivity in the light of powerful arguments about the social origins of personhood. The Social Self presents many dimensions of the debate, spanning psychology, philosophy, politics and feminist theory, and provides a critical overview of the key themes involved. The internationally renowned contributors examine the senses in which we are `social selves' whose very identities are intimately bound up with the communities and cultures in which we live. Drawing on Wittgenstein, Marx, Foucault, Bakhtin, Gilligan and MacIntyre, among others, the chapters show the diversity of influences that have shaped this exciting and controversial

For students, this is an invaluable collection of some of the best work on the topic, and for the specialist it will be a handy resource. It is ideal for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses on self, identity, and related topics.

The differences between individual and collective representations have occupied social scientists since Durkheim, and the social psychological theory of social representations has been one of the most influential theories in twentieth-century social science. The Psychology of the Social brings together leading scholars from social representations, discourse analysis and related approaches to provide an integrated overview of contemporary psychology's understanding of the social. Each chapter comprises a study of a topical issue, such as social memory, the language of racism, intelligence or representations of the self in different cultures; the theory of social representations is both exemplified and linked to central concerns of psychological research, including attribution, memory, and culture; and important links with developmental and educational psychology are made.

This book is about human behavior and, more particularly, about a class of human behaviors-those behaviors by people that have themselves as the object of their behaviors. These self-referent behaviors are social in nature in the sense that in large measure, they are the outcomes of pervasive social processes and are themselves major influences on social outcomes. As such, self-referent behaviors have the potential to be sig nificant organizing constructs in the study of the broader field of social psychology. In any case, they are regarded here as of intrinsic interest and are the focus of this volume. Four broad categories of self-referent behaviors are considered with regard to their social bases and conse quences as these are revealed in the social psychological and sociological literature. With appropriate discriminations made within each group ing, the four categories are: self-conceiving, self-evaluating, self-feeling, and self-protective-self-enhancing responses. Following a consideration of the social antecedents and consequences of each category of self referent behaviors, I present a final summary statement that outlines a theoretical model of the additive and interactive social influences on and consequences of the mutually influential self-referent behaviors. The outline of the theoretical model reflects my synthesis of the apparently relevant theoretical and empirical literature and is intended to function as a framework for the orderly incorporation of new theoretical asser tions and more or less apparently relevant empirical associations.

This volume provides a cutting-edge exposition to research on the self. Sixteen authoritative overviews highlight the role of the self around four themes.Throughout the volume, the exposition is both scholarly and accessible. It also offers critical assessments along with thoughtful discussions of challenges and problems ahead, as well as the generation of novel hypotheses. As such, the book aspires to influence the research agenda for several years to come.

Includes such contents as: Constituents of the Self-Concept; Principles of Self-Concept Formation; Social Identity & Social Context; Social Institutions; Deviance; and, Defense Mechanisms.

This innovative text sheds light on how people work -- why they sometimes function well and, at other times, behave in ways that are self-defeating or destructive. The author presents her groundbreaking research on adaptive and maladaptive cognitive-motivational patterns and shows: * How these patterns originate in people's self-theories * Their consequences for the person -- for achievement, social relationships, and emotional well-being * Their consequences for society, from issues of human potential to stereotyping and intergroup relations * The experiences that create them This outstanding text is a must-read for researchers in social psychology, child development, and education, and is appropriate for both graduate and senior undergraduate students in these areas.

An ideal text for undergraduate- and graduate-level courses, this accessible yet authoritative volume examines how people come to know themselves and understand the behavior of others. Core social-psychological questions are addressed as students gain an understanding of the mental processes involved in perceiving, attending to, remembering, thinking about, and responding to the people in our social world. Particular attention is given to how we know what we know: the often hidden ways in which our perceptions are shaped by contextual factors and personal and cultural biases. While the text's coverage is sophisticated and comprehensive, synthesizing decades of research in this dynamic field, every chapter brings theories and findings down to earth with lively, easy-to-grasp examples.

The ability to regulate and control our behaviors is a key accomplishment of the human species, yet the psychological mechanisms involved in self-regulation remain incompletely understood. This book presents contributions from leading international researchers who survey the most recent developments in this fascinating area. The chapters shed new light on the subtle and often subconscious ways that the people seek to regulate their thoughts, feelings and behaviors in everyday social life. The contributions seek answers to such intriguing questions as: How can we improve our ability to control our actions? How do people make decisions about which goals to pursue? How do we maintain and manage goal-oriented behavior? What happens when we run out of self-regulation resources? Can we match people and the regulatory demands of to specific tasks so as to optimize performance? What role does self-regulation play in sports performance, in maintaining successful relationships, and in managing work situations? The book offers a highly integrated and representative coverage of this important field, and is suitable as a core textbook in advanced courses dealing with social behavior and the applications of psychology to real-life problems.