Publisher's Synopsis
How is it that individuals grow up to be independent beings with private thoughts and feelings, yet also become integral parts of a continuous collective life? This book explores the fascinating relationship between the individual and society through a multi- disciplinary approach, drawing from research in social psychology, sociology, political science, anthropology, cultural psychology, neuroscience, and cognitive psychology. The concept of carriers, such as flags and other means by which styles of behavior are socially manufactured, individually appropriated, and collectively passed on from generation to generation, is introduced to explain the merging of individuals in society, and the penetration of the social into all aspects of behaviour. The multi-disciplinary approach is matched by the breadth of the topics discussed, from romantic love, personality, intelligence, memory, eating disorders, depression, and Alzheimer's disease, to more macro level topics of revolutions, human rights and duties, social class, gender, and collective aggression.
