Becker, Michael A.

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Clinical Sociology ReviewVolume 16 | Issue 1 Article 101-1-1998Social Psychology: Handbook of Basic PrinciplesMichael A. BeckerThe Pennsylvania State University at HarrisburgFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/csrThis Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@WayneState. It has been accepted for inclusion in Clinical SociologyReview by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@WayneState.Recommended CitationBecker, Michael A. (1998) "Social Psychology: Handbook of Basic Principles," Clinical Sociology Review: Vol. 16: Iss. 1, Article 10.Available at: http://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/csr/vol16/iss1/10Book ReviewsSocial Psychology: Handbook of Basic Principles, edited by E. Tory Higginsand Arie W. Kruglanski. New York: The Guilford Press, 1996. 948 pp.ISBN 1-57230-100-7.Michael A. BeckerThe Pennsylvania State University at HarrisburgThe goal of Social Psychology: Handbook of Basic Principles is an am-bitious one—to identify and analyze the basic principles that underlie socialbehavior. While a substantial volume of work has now accumulated in sub-stantive areas of social psychology, Higgins and Kruglanski believe that thefundamental principles that tie social phenomena together have yet to be "di-rectly analyzed in a comprehensive manner" (p. vii).In contrast to the organization by content area taken in more traditionaltexts, the 28 chapters in this handbook are organized into sections based onthe five levels at which they examine social behavior: biological, cognitive,personal motivational, interpersonal, and group/cultural. Within each section,four to seven chapters review theory and research relevant to the "broad so-cial-psychological domains" (p. vii) that are the book's focus. No attempt ismade to integrate the chapters beyond the linkages that naturally arise, nor isany level of analysis presented as more basic or central than another.Representative of the readings on the biological system are chapters onevolutionary social psychology and social psychosomatics. Coverage of thecognitive system includes chapters devoted to mental representation and so-cial hypothesis testing. Self-regulation and mental control are among the per-sonal motivational system topics, while the interpersonal system section in-cludes readings on social support and interpersonal communication, and thegroup/cultural system section includes chapters on group conflict and socialtransitions.Each chapter strives to "provide a comprehensive review of all the sig-nificant conceptualizations related to principles in a given domain, as well asa review of the research supporting (or failing to support) eachconceptualization" (p. vii). This goal is well accomplished; the readings are9798 CLINICAL SOCIOLOGY REVIEW / 1998invariably thorough in their coverage and all contain extensive references,yielding comprehensive end-of-chapter bibliographies and an author index ofover 6,000 entries.However, a focus on underlying social psychological principles does notguarantee coverage of substantive areas and, in fact, some topics receive greaterattention than others. In large part, the issue is a relative one; most of themajor areas receive at least some coverage and many are discussed in depth.Nevertheless, it is important to stress that for everything this volume is, it isnot (nor is it intended to be) a comprehensive survey of accumulated socialpsychological knowledge.The book's organization guarantees that there be some overlap acrosschapters, as some phenomena are discussed at more than one level of analysisor from different perspectives within the same level. A detailed subject indexis useful for locating information of interest.The book's focus on basic principles raises two additional issues for clini-cal sociologists. First, some levels of analysis are more directly relevant thanothers. Not surprisingly, clinical sociologists should generally find the latersections on personal motivational, interpersonal, and group/cultural systemsparticularly useful. However, it would be a mistake to ignore earlier chapters,as it is the exposure to the varied analytical approaches that imbues the readerwith a renewed appreciation for the complexity and elegance of social behav-ior.Second, a focus on basic principles must inevitably be at the expense ofapplication. While all chapters extensively review relevant theory and research,they are uneven in their attention to how this information can be applied tosocial issues. Nonetheless, by integrating content areas that have heretoforestood separately, the Handbook implicitly suggests new and creative solu-tions to a variety of applied social problems.Despite these concerns, the Handbook is an invaluable resource for clini-cal sociologists (and other professionals) interested in understanding socialbehavior. The readings are thoughtful, ambitious, and engaging, and are gen-erally well-written. The focus on the underpinnings of social behavior comple-ments that of more traditional texts and contributes to a framework for view-ing social phenomena that has the potential to greatly advance our under-standing of the human social experience.

Social Psychology: Handbook of Basic Principles

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