Social psychology is one of the most important branches of psychology, just as clinical psychology or educational psychology are, and is in charge of investigating the way in which we relate to other people, emphasizing the influence of the social on human behavior.

In other words, it seeks to understand social factors, relationships between people, as well as society as a whole and political and social institutions.

Great Books on Social Psychology

In its attempt, this discipline deals with issues such as: prejudices, group cohesion, inter-group and inter-individual conflict, values and beliefs and the attitudes or roles that we individuals play as part of society or a group.

Over the years, several successful editorials have been written on this subject . Below you can find 21 of the best books on social psychology. Enjoy them!

1. Collective behaviour and social movements (Esteve Espelt, Federico Javaloy and Álvaro Rodríguez)

This reading is recommended for all those people who want to deepen their knowledge of group behaviour and social movements from a psychosocial perspective . In its pages it is possible to find references to the functioning of the group and how an identity already predisposed with a set of norms, values, sensations, beliefs, reasons and action models can guide our behaviour.

This book explains the most important theories about social movements, and the authors provide a vision adapted to the 21st century, dealing with issues such as the feminist or environmental movement.

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2. Whistling Vivaldi (Claude M. Steele)

This text was recommended by Princeton University as it is a very interesting work. It is an entertaining and very well explained reading, which examines stereotypes from an objective point of view, without making a moral analysis of the situation but rather a sociological and psychological one , for example, how stereotypes affect our daily lives or how we respond to them.

Inside, the author tells how Brent Staples, a black student at the University of Chicago, noticed that when he crossed the streets of Hyde Park at night people looked at him with fear. So he decided to whistle a tune by Antonio Vivaldi, which allowed him to escape the racial stereotype, associated with crime, that many individuals have toward African Americans. Unfortunately, this text is only available in English.

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3. Influence (Robert Cialdini)

“Influence” is a must read if you are interested in the psychology of persuasion . It is a safe bet for all those interested in social psychology, because the author has created a text that is not only easy to follow thanks to its excellent examples, but Cialdini has worked to write a book that is enjoyable and accessible from the point of view of reading, so that the reader can easily understand even the most technical concepts.

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4. The Lucifer Effect: The Why of Evil (Philip Zimbardo)

Philip Zimbardo is one of the obligatory study authors in the Social Psychology courses of all psychology faculties around the globe for his research and the findings of the Stanford prison experiment. This book details everything that happened in that fictitious situation but that went out of the hands of the research team, and provides many data of great scientific value.

In short, reviews the influence of roles on the behaviour of individuals , and explains how people, even those classified as good, can behave very cruelly in some specific situations.

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5. Social Psychology of Violence (María Concepción Fernández Villanueva)

The book that delves into the vision of violence as a product of a series of psychosocial factors that vary according to the characteristics and norms of the human groups or contexts in which it occurs. In order to study and understand this phenomenon, it must be approached from a psychosocial perspective. After a theoretical explanation of violence and aggression, this book analyses various types and contexts of violence, for example, violence at school or at work.

It also reviews, among other topics, the group nature of this behaviour, gender violence and its social and political factors, and also analyses the problem of violence in the media.

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6. Social animal (Elliot Aronson)

A well known book on social psychology and one of the best selling books today . Elliot Aronson, with a pleasant and easy to read text, invites the reader to go through the different scientific discoveries through its pages, with examples and all kinds of details of social experiments. A highly recommended book for both students and professionals of psychology.

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7. Foundations of Social Psychology (Rosa Rodriguez Bailon and Miguel Moya Morales)

A great manual that intends to cover the basic knowledge of this branch of psychology . Especially recommended for students, the book includes different CD-ROMs (one for each chapter) that help in the acquisition of the learning of this subject. Without a doubt, it is a great book to introduce oneself, but at the same time to go deeper into this area of psychology.

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8. Applying social psychology (Francisca Expósito Jiménez and Miguel Moya Morales)

This text on social psychology presents a different approach to that of most manuals on this subject . After presenting a historical overview and a description of the contents of social psychology, it shows the applicability of psychosocial knowledge on basic topics, such as: attribution, attitudes or group processes; and on topics of great interest for society, for example, gender violence, migratory processes, violence or political leadership or leisure and tourism. A very complete work with a very updated bibliography.

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9. 50 Essential Experiments for Understanding Social Psychology (Armando Rodríguez, José Francisco Morales, Naira Delgado and Verónica Betancor)

The aim of this reading is to present in an entertaining and pleasant way 50 experiments that have allowed to understand and explain social psychology . Many studies and researches have been carried out on social behaviour, and the authors, for this editorial work, have selected the most outstanding experiments in this branch of psychology.

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10. Obedience to authority (Stanley Milgram)

Stanley Milgram is known for one of the most famous investigations of social psychology . This psychologist from Yale University, in 1961, conducted a series of experiments with the idea of knowing why we obey the orders of an authority. This text gathers together these surprising results.

If you want to know more about his famous research, you can read our article: “Milgram’s Experiment: The Danger of Obedience to Authority”

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11. Why we lie… especially to ourselves (Dan Ariely)

Dan Ariely gives us a text to read for those who love social psychology . In it, he immerses us in the chiaroscuro of the mind to help us understand what makes us lie and how to protect ourselves from it. Ariely answers questions such as: Do we lie more when we are forced to collaborate? Are believers more honest? On what subjects is it easier for us to lie? Does the fear of being discovered reduce our tendency to deceive? All this while reviewing such interesting topics of social psychology as cognitive dissonance.

Lying is one of the most characteristic aspects of human social behavior. While we are capable of communicating in very precise ways thanks to the use of language, we can also give false information to deceive others. This book is an excellent way to understand how we tend to use lies and what logic is behind this behavior.

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12. Treatise on Social Psychology Vol. I: Basic Processes (J. F. Morales Domínguez and Carlos Moya Montes)

Another essential manual . The book “Treatise on Social Psychology” is in two volumes. In this first one, a detailed analysis of the psychosocial processes emerging from this discipline is offered. For example, the processes that influence group interaction; stereotypes, causal analysis, inter-group conflict or attitudes and influence.

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13. Treatise on social psychology Vol. II: social interaction (J. M. Fernández Dols, P. Carrera Levillaín, L. V. Oceja Fernández, J. Berenguer Santiago)

This text, which follows the previous one, offers those interested in social psychology a set of knowledge that allows them to broaden their horizons in this field . Focusing on the specific processes of social interaction, it dedicates its pages to attractive themes, for example, the tension between mind and society.

  • You can buy it at this link.

14. The advantages of desire

A book that addresses the issue of irrationality in our behaviors and answers questions about the decisions we make. For example, are we really masters of our decisions or can we be manipulated as consumers?

This work shows us the surprisingly positive effects that irrationality can have on our lives. Furthermore, thanks to the conclusions of his entertaining and original experiments, the author draws incredible conclusions about how and why we behave the way we do.

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15. Love from social psychology (Carlos Yela García)

Love is one of the most important themes in our lives . That is why it has aroused great interest among psychologists, and also among social psychologists.

Some experts in the field have focused their research on the biological aspects (e.g. the chemistry of love), while others have contributed knowledge about the psychosocial and cultural factors that influence this phenomenon. This book attempts to answer many of the questions that arise when dealing with the subject of love and makes interesting contributions to the scientific literature in this field.

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Books on social psychology beyond Spanish

There are many excellent titles that, unfortunately, have not yet been translated into Spanish. Here you can find a selection of these works as far as social psychology books are concerned.

16. Drive (Daniel H. Pink)

One of the most interesting books on social psychology for those who want to learn how to motivate work teams . In its pages you will find ways to understand job satisfaction and formulas to improve the fit between the members of a group.

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17. Mistakes were made… but not by me (Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson)

If you don’t mind getting away from books in Spanish, you’ll love this very interesting work. Similar to Dan Arielly’s, here the idea that we are rational beings is questioned and we are oriented towards the search for truth through logical thought. In fact, we are incredibly prone to remain blind to our own mistakes and attribute them to others or to elements in our environment.

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18. Social Engineering (Christopher Hadnagy)

An excellent book to understand the methods of manipulation used to direct people’s behavior towards certain objectives or goals… without them realizing it.

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19. Methods of Persuasion (Nick Kolenda)

Another excellent title to add to the list of books on social psychology that focus on the phenomenon of persuasion . It is based on principles from the cognitive sciences to apply this knowledge in business or informal personal relationships.

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20. The psychology of advertising (Bob M. Fennis and Wolfgang Stroebe)

A 10-second advertising piece broadcast on television can make us want to buy a product we hardly know anything about. This is the power of advertising , which thanks to its ability to appeal to our emotions, achieves incredible things. This book explains how this is possible.

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21. The Social Psychology of the Classroom (Elisha Babad)

A relatively unknown book that will undoubtedly interest all those interested in education. Its extensive documentation can be of great help, for example, to educators and pedagogues.

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