Most Popular Books by Elliot Aronson

A landmark text that maintains its relevance and unique approach edition after edition, The Social Animal offers a brief, compelling introduction to modern social psychology. Through vivid narrative, lively presentations of important research, and intriguing examples, Elliot Aronson probes the patterns and motives of human behavior, covering such diverse topics as terrorism, conformity, obedience, politics, race relations, advertising, war, interpersonal attraction, and the power of religious cults.

How does a boy from a financially and intellectually impoverished background grow up to become a Harvard researcher, win international acclaim for his groundbreaking work, and catch fire as a pioneering psychologist? As the only person in the history of the American Psychological Association to have won all three of its highest honors -- for distinguished research, teaching, and writing -- Elliot Aronson is living proof that humans are capable of capturing the power of the situation and conquering the prison of personality. A personal and compelling look into Aronson's profound contributions to the field of social psychology, Not by Chance Alone is a lifelong story of human potential and the power of social change.

"Aronson brings to bear the power of social psychology to help us understand why a negative school environment can push vulnerable kids over the edge." —James Garbarino, PhD, author of Lost Boys On April 20, 1999, the halls of Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, reverberated with the sound of gunshots as two students, highly armed and consumed with rage, killed thirteen students and seriously injured twenty-three before turning the guns on themselves. It was the worst school massacre in our nation's history. Can we prevent a tragedy like this from happening again? In Elliot Aronson's Nobody Left to Hate, one of our nation's leading social psychologists argues that the negative atmosphere in our schools—the exclusion, taunting, humiliation, and bullying—played a major role in triggering the pathological behavior of the shooters. At the very least, such an atmosphere makes schools an unpleasant experience for most normal students. But it doesn't have to be. Nobody Left to Hate offers concise, practical, and easy-to-apply strategies for creating a more supportive, stimulating, and compassionate environment in our schools. Based on decades of scientific research and classroom testing, these strategies explain how students can be taught to control their own impulses, how to respect others, and how to resolve conflicts amicably. In addition, they show teachers how to structure classes to promote cooperation, rather than competition, without sacrificing academics. On the contrary, education is greatly enhanced. For parents, teachers, or anyone concerned with what is happening in our schools, Nobody Left to Hate provides a simple and effective plan of action that will make their children's school not only a safe place, but a more humane place of learning.

Exploring the key ideas in social psychology, this collection of classic and contemporary readings includes accounts of specific experimental findings as well as more general articles summarizing studies on such topics as attraction, prejudice, and aggression. The new edition adds 15 new readings while retaining a number of classics by leading psychological thinkers such as Stanley Milgram on obedience and Solomon Asch on conformity. Readings makes the perfect companion for the Aronsons highly praised book, The Social Animal as it follows the same major themes. The Reader can also be used with any introductory social psychology text or even in lieu of a text. Using both The Social Animal textbook and the reader is a unique and engaging combination for understanding social psychology and its research.

Examines the patterns, motives, and effects of mass persuasion, discussing the history of propaganda, how the message of propaganda is delivered, and counteracting the tactics of mass persuasion.

Renowned social psychologists Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson take a compelling look into how the brain is wired for self-justification. When we make mistakes, we must calm the cognitive dissonance that jars our feelings of self-worth. And so we create fictions that absolve us of responsibility, restoring our belief that we are smart, moral, and right--a belief that often keeps us on a course that is dumb, immoral, and wrong.

"Here is a detailed guide for students who will design and implement their own independent research. It examines the complete process of experimentation: asking the right question and translating it into a workable design, setting the stage for data collection, designing dependent variable measures, avoiding bias, conducting the post-experimental interview, and writing up the results. Although the approach of the book is primarily practical, it also confronts substantive issues such as ethics, design, validity, and measurement"--Taken from Google Books.

Then the old woman said, 'Ruthie, I have a cake and some cookies baking in the oven. They may be almost done. I am getting old and feeble. It hurts me to bend over. Would you kindly open the oven door, lean in, and see if the cake and cookies are done?" Ruthie opened the oven door and stuck her head way inside while the woman stood behind her peering over her shoulder. Grandpa was so frightened that he closed his eyes and covered them with his hands. He could not bear to watch. When six-year old Ruthie, embarked on an adventure with her grandfather, she got more than she bargained for. Her grandfather, magically transformed into a six-year old, is as stodgy as an old man. Ruthie leads him into situations that seem familiar (like the story of Jack and the Beanstalk and Hansel and Gretel). But the familiar characters turn out to be much more interesting than they appear in this wonderful world where thing are not always what they seem to be. Along the way, both Ruthie and the little boy named Grandpa learn some valuable lessons about trust and prejudice.