The Social Psychology of Motivation

This collection of classic and contemporary readings explores the social and cognitive underpinnings of the psychology of motivation. Written in a student-friendly style, author commentaries accompany each unit and article, providing historical and contextual analyses throughout. Looking at human motivation from a social psychological perspective, the text examines such issues as why some people respond to success by lowering their level of aspiration while others raise it; why some people go out of their way to identify with stigmatized minority groups; and why people become more patriotic after thinking about their death. The Social Psychology of Motivation is an impressive blend of empirical research, theoretical analysis, and fresh Canadian commentary.