Social Psychology Arena

Reflecting on Cosmetic Surgery

Body image, Shame and Narcissism

• By Jane Northrop.

Published April 2012

Cosmetic surgery represents an extreme form of modern grooming. It is the fastest growing medical specialty, yet misconceptions abound about those who undertake it and their reasons for doing so. With a grounded approach, engaging 30 women through in-depth interview, this study explores how they…
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The Neighborhood in the Internet

Design Research Projects in Community Informatics

• By John M. Carroll.

Published March 2012

Today, "community" seems to be everywhere. At home, at work, and online, the vague but comforting idea of the community pervades every area of life. But have we lost the ability truly to understand what it means? The Neighborhood in the Internet investigates social and civic effects of community…
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Social Metacognition

• Edited by Pablo Briñol, and Kenneth DeMarree.

Published December 2011

Metacognition refers to thinking about our own thinking. It has assumed a prominent role in social judgment because our thoughts about our thoughts can magnify, attenuate, or even reverse the impact of primary cognition. Metacognitive thoughts can also produce changes in thought, feeling, and…
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Surviving Identity

Vulnerability and the Psychology of Recognition

• By Kenneth McLaughlin.

Published October 2011

Today, political claims are increasingly made on the basis of experienced trauma and inherent vulnerability, as evidenced in the growing number of people who identify as a "survivor" of one thing or another, and also in the way in which much political discourse and social policy assumes the…
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Goal-Directed Behavior

• Edited by Henk Aarts, and Andrew Elliot.

Published October 2011

This volume presents chapters from internationally renowned scholars in the area of goals and social behavior. The book is organized around a series of topics that are of critical importance to understanding the social-cognitive aspects of goal-directed behavior. In each chapter, the authors offer…
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Elucidating the Neural Basis of the Self

A Special Issue of Neurocase

• Edited by Bruce Miller, and Indre Viskontas.

Published August 2011

In this special issue, leading neuroscientists and neurologists present comprehensive review papers and empirical studies on the topic of the neural basis of self-identification. From philosophical definitions to single-case studies, the articles provide the reader with a broad view of the self in…
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Self- and Identity-Regulation and Health

• Edited by James Shepperd, William Klein and Alexander Rothman.

Published August 2011

Researchers have become increasingly aware of how theories and findings regarding self- and identity-regulation have important implications for understanding health outcomes. Self- and identity concerns can prompt increases in precautionary actions and healthy behavior, but also increases in risky…
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The Social Cure

Identity, Health and Well-Being

• Edited by Jolanda Jetten, Catherine Haslam and S. Alexander Haslam.

Published July 2011

A growing body of research shows that social networks and identities have a profound impact on mental and physical health. With such mounting evidence of the importance of social relationships in protecting health, the challenge we face is explaining why this should be the case. What is it that…
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Social Cognition, Social Identity, and Intergroup Relations

A Festschrift in Honor of Marilynn B. Brewer

• Edited by Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli and Robert W. Livingston.

Published May 2011

Perhaps the defining feature of humanity is the social condition -- how we think about others, identify ourselves with others, and interact with groups of others. The advances of evolutionary theory, social cognition, social identity, and intergroup relations, respectively, as major fields of…
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Consumer Culture, Identity and Well-Being

The Search for the 'Good Life' and the 'Body Perfect'

• By Helga Dittmar.
• Series Edited by Professor Rupert Brown.

Published September 2010

Advertising, materialism and consumption are central aspects of contemporary Western culture. We are bombarded with idealised images of the perfect body, desirable consumer goods, and affluent lifestyles, yet psychology is only just beginning to take account of the profound influence these consumer…
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