Interdisciplinary Social Psychology: Prospects and Problems

Abstract

In recent years there have appeared numerous signs of increasing convergence between the sociological and psychological traditions in social psychology. The latest edition of The Handbook of Social Psychology (Lindzey & Aronson, 1985) includes considerably more references to sociological materials than previous editions. This, of course, might be expected for the new chapter on symbolic interaction and role theory prepared by two sociologists, Stryker and Statham. The same can be said for the new chapters on survey methods and social deviance by sociologists. But one may note considerable sociological input in the chapters prepared by psychologists on socialization in adulthood and on sex roles. Some of the chapters in the latest edition covering topics dealt with in the earlier editions also reflect increased sociological input. The chapter on organizations, again by a sociologist, contains many sociological references, and the chapter by a psychologist on language has a definite sociolinguistic flavor, in contrast to the chapter on psycholinguistics in the second edition of the Handbook.