Explaining theory and research in an accessible but thorough manner, Gender and Social Psychology critically evaluates the contribution that psychology has made to th study of gender, examining key issues such a family roles and parenting, inequalities in education, jobs and pay, and the effects of media representation of the sexes.

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Traditional social psychology assumes that the person has an already-existing nature that then becomes subject to the influence of the social environment. The Person in Social Psychology challenges this model, drawing on theories from micro-sociology and contemporary European social psychology to suggest a more 'social' re-framing of the person. In this book Vivien Burr has provided a radical new agenda for students of social psychology and sociology. Using concepts familiar to the social psychologist, such as norms, roles, demand characteristics and labelling, she argues for an understanding of the person where the social world is not a set of variables that affect a pre-existing individual, but is instead the arena where the person becomes formed.

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Now in its third edition, this successful book introduces students to the area of social science theory and research known as social constructionism. Using a variety of examples from everyday experience and from existing research in areas such as personality, sexuality and health, it clearly explains the basic theoretical assumptions of social constructionism. Key debates, such as the nature and status of knowledge, truth, reality and the self are given in-depth analysis in an accessible style. Drawing on a range of empirical studies, the book clearly defines the various different approaches to social constructionist research and explores the theoretical and practical issues involved. While the text is broadly sympathetic to social constructionism, it also adopts a critical perspective to the material, addressing its weaknesses and, in the final chapter, subjecting the theory itself to a more extensive critique. New to this edition: Extended coverage of the relationship between 'mainstream' psychology and social constructionism and how the two fields can engage with each other. An exploration of the rise and popularity of neuroscience and the challenge it poses to social constructionism. New material on the field of psychosocial studies. Updated coverage of existing key issues such as age and sexuality, and inclusion of more recently emerging issues (e.g. status and role of affect). Updated discussion of key social constructionist contributors, with revised references. Updated chapter on research methods, including more on narrative and critical narrative analysis, and personal construct methods. The third edition of Social Constructionism extends and updates the material covered in previous editions and will be an invaluable and informative resource for undergraduate and postgraduate students across the social and behavioural sciences.

Traditional social psychology assumes that the person has an already-existing nature that then becomes subject to the influence of the social environment. The Person in Social Psychology challenges this model, drawing on theories from micro-sociology and contemporary European social psychology to suggest a more 'social' re-framing of the person. In this book Vivien Burr has provided a radical new agenda for students of social psychology and sociology. Using concepts familiar to the social psychologist, such as norms, roles, demand characteristics and labelling, she argues for an understanding of the person where the social world is not a set of variables that affect a pre-existing individual, but is instead the arena where the person becomes formed.

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Nearly forty years after the passage of the Sex Discrimination and the Equal Pay Acts in the UK, and after similar legislative and judicial interventions in other jurisdictions around the world, women and men are still - by and large - following traditionally gendered educational and work careers. Everywhere, women, on average, earn less than men. (In Japan, for example, the International Federation of Business and Professional Women calculated that the wage difference between men and women was 29.4 per cent.) Women also remain significantly under-represented in the top jobs - including those fields of employment traditionally dominated by women. So, are women and men basically different kinds of people? Are they 'programmed' with different natural skills and abilities, things that we might call 'masculinity' and femininity'? And can these differences explain the continuing gender inequalities in our societies, or should we look for alternative explanations? If 'gender' is thought of as 'the social significance of sex', can the work of psychologists - alongside thinking from related disciplines - make sense of the apparently stubborn differences, divisions, and inequalities that continue to separate men and women in the twenty-first century? This new four-volume collection from Routledge's acclaimed Critical Concepts in Psychology series addresses these and other urgent questions by bringing together the best foundational and cutting-edge scholarship on gender and psychology. And as serious academic and practical thinking continues to develop, the collection also enables users to navigate the rapidly growing, and ever more complex, corpus of literature. With a full index, and thoughtful introductions newly written by the editor, Gender and Psychology will be valued by scholars, students, and professionals in the field as a vital and enduring resource.

Now in its third edition, this successful book introduces students to the area of social science theory and research known as social constructionism. Using a variety of examples from everyday experience and from existing research in areas such as personality, sexuality and health, it clearly explains the basic theoretical assumptions of social constructionism. Key debates, such as the nature and status of knowledge, truth, reality and the self are given in-depth analysis in an accessible style. Drawing on a range of empirical studies, the book clearly defines the various different approaches to social constructionist research and explores the theoretical and practical issues involved. While the text is broadly sympathetic to social constructionism, it also adopts a critical perspective to the material, addressing its weaknesses and, in the final chapter, subjecting the theory itself to a more extensive critique. New to this edition: Extended coverage of the relationship between 'mainstream' psychology and social constructionism and how the two fields can engage with each other. An exploration of the rise and popularity of neuroscience and the challenge it poses to social constructionism. New material on the field of psychosocial studies. Updated coverage of existing key issues such as age and sexuality, and inclusion of more recently emerging issues (e.g. status and role of affect). Updated discussion of key social constructionist contributors, with revised references. Updated chapter on research methods, including more on narrative and critical narrative analysis, and personal construct methods. The third edition of Social Constructionism extends and updates the material covered in previous editions and will be an invaluable and informative resource for undergraduate and postgraduate students across the social and behavioural sciences.