Publisher's Synopsis
What has psychology to say about major problems and debates in the 'real world'? This new textbook provides a psychological focus on eight issues of current social concern. Four themes organise the issues: the impact of mass consumption on the lives of ordinary people. The powerful role of the mass media. Contemporary health debates over AIDS and eating disorders. Family life and family violence.;The authors' aim is twofold: to make substantive issues in applied social psychology accessible to undergraduate students, and to emphasise the problematic relationship between developing useful theories and accumulating research evidence, on the one hand, and on the other hand, the social construction of these issues in a time of rapid social change.;Special features of the book include liberal use of illustrations such as photographs, tables, figures and boxes; extensive bibliographies for each issue; and suggestions for further reading. This up-to-date, topic based textbook should be of interest to undergraduates in psychology and sociology, and to students in further education courses.
