Contemporary Social Psychology is published by the Society for the Advancement of Social Psychology. Its focus is mostly mainstream research, but they are open to presenting alternative views. Abstract Many of the seemingly disconnected topics discussed in introductory social psychology textooks can be integrated within an anarchist political framework. Such a perspective integrates data from a number of areas in social psychology and encourages psychologists to consider the political implications of their theory, their research, and their teaching. An Opening Paragraph Students often complain that social psychology, instead of presenting a coherent framework for understanding and improving social life, typically confronts students with a hodge-podge of seemingly unrelated, contradictory, and overly detailed research findings .
Topic follows disconnected topic.
Multiple choice tests rarely ask students to consider the interrelationships among subject areas, partly because such questions are difficult to put into machine-gradable format, but also because most social psychologists have themselves learned to view the field in the same disconnected way. The common belief that increments in factual knowledge will lead to slow but steady theoretical and social progress stands in the way of perceiving connections between topics, connections that, if examined more holistically, might make the isolated segments of the field more understandable. Closing Paragraphs When considered through an anarchist lens, many of the separate topics covered in introductory social psychology textbooks fall into place. The subject matter of social psychology does support the view that a decentralized society of small, autonomous communities organized along the lines suggested by anarchist theorists would in fact be beneficial for its members. Such a conclusion integrates theory and data from a number of areas.