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  3. Contemporary Social Issues Series

Contemporary Social Issues is the official book series of the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI - www.spssi.org). Since its founding in 1936, SPSSI has addressed the social issues of the times. Central to these efforts has been the Lewinian tradition of action-oriented research, in which psychological theories and methods guide research and action addressed to important societal problems. Grounded in their authors’ programmes of research, works in this series focus on social issues facing individuals, groups, communities, and/or society at large, with each volume written to speak to scholars, students, practitioners, and policymakers.

  • General Editors: Brian D. Christens, Vanderbilt University, Tennessee

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6 results in Contemporary Social Issues Series

Propaganda and Ideology in the Russian–Ukrainian War
  • Jon Roozenbeek
  • Published online:
    16 May 2024
    Print publication:
    23 May 2024
  • Russia's invasion of Ukraine is one of the most important conflicts of the twenty-first century. With the start of military hostilities in 2014 also came an onslaught of propaganda, to both convince and confuse audiences worldwide about the war's historical and ideological underpinnings. Based on extensive research drawing on tens of thousands of news articles and hundreds of pages of legal documents and internal correspondence, this book offers the first comprehensive analysis of the role of propaganda, ideology, and identity in the Russian-Ukrainian war. It argues that, despite Russia's efforts to set up a media machine at home and abroad with eight years of propaganda legitimising Russia's presence in eastern Ukraine, Russia failed to vocalise a convincing alternative to Ukrainian nationhood. Instead, Russian propaganda backfired: Ukraine is now more united than ever before.

The Psychology of Misinformation
  • Jon Roozenbeek, Sander van der Linden
  • Published online:
    28 March 2024
    Print publication:
    04 April 2024
  • King Charles III is Dracula's distant cousin. Governments are hiding information about UFOs. COVID-19 came from outer space. These sound like absurd statements, but some are true, and others are misinformation. But what exactly is misinformation? Who believes and spreads things that aren't true, and why? What solutions do we have available, and how well do they work? This book answers all these questions and more. Tackling the science of misinformation from its evolutionary origins to its role in the internet era, this book translates rigorous research on misleading information into a comprehensive and jargon-free explanation. Whether you are a student, researcher, policymaker, or changemaker, you will discover an easy-to-read analysis on human belief in today's world and expert advice on how to prevent deception.

Young Black Changemakers and the Road to Racial Justice
  • Laura Wray-Lake, Elan C. Hope, Laura S. Abrams
  • Published online:
    08 February 2024
    Print publication:
    15 February 2024
  • Young Black Changemakers and the Road to Racial Justice tells the stories of how Black youth become changemakers and speaks to researchers, educators, community organizations, and the public. Through many kinds of action, Black youth are driven by a larger purpose to improve the world for Black people. Black families and Black-centered organizations support and sustain Black youth's civic engagement. Investing in community-based organizations benefits young Black changemakers, and Black identity and community can offer belonging and joy. Black youth's stories call us to root out anti-Blackness in schools, on social media, and in public discourse. Black youth bring society hope for the future and point the way forward on the road to racial justice.

When Politics Becomes Personal
  • The Effect of Partisan Identity on Anti-Democratic Behavior
  • Alexa Bankert
  • Published online:
    04 January 2024
    Print publication:
    18 January 2024
  • Can we be good partisans without demonizing our political opponents? Using insights from political science and social psychology, this book argues for the distinction between positive and negative partisanship. As such, strong support for a political party does not have to be accompanied by the vilification of the opposing party and its members. Utilizing data from five different countries, Bankert demonstrates that positive and negative partisanship are independent concepts with distinct consequences for political behavior, including citizens' political participation and their commitment to democratic norms and values. The book concludes with the hopeful message that partisanship is an essential pillar of representative and liberal democracy.

Developing Critical Consciousness in Youth
  • Contexts and Settings
  • Edited by Erin B. Godfrey, Luke J. Rapa
  • Published online:
    11 May 2023
    Print publication:
    25 May 2023
  • Critical consciousness is the ability to critically analyse societal inequities and to develop the motivation and agency to promote social change. While there has been a proliferation of empirical work on critical consciousness over the last two decades, this is the first volume to consider how we can support youth's critical consciousness development – their ability to recognize and fight injustice. Leading scholars address some of the field's most urgent questions: How does critical consciousness develop? What are the key developmental settings (such as homes, schools, community programs) and societal experiences (racism, policy brutality, immigration, political turmoil) that inform critical consciousness development among youth? Providing novel insights into key school-based, out-of-school-based, and societal contexts that propel youth to greater critical reflection and action, this book will benefit scholars and students in developmental, educational, and community psychology, as well as practitioners working in schools, community-based organizations, and other youth settings.

Critical Consciousness
  • Expanding Theory and Measurement
  • Edited by Luke J. Rapa, Erin B. Godfrey
  • Published online:
    20 April 2023
    Print publication:
    27 April 2023
  • Critical consciousness represents the analysis of inequitable social conditions, the motivation to effect change, and the action taken to redress perceived inequities. Scholarship and practice in the last two decades have highlighted critical consciousness as a key developmental competency for those experiencing marginalization and as a pathway for navigating and resisting oppression. This competency is more urgent than ever given the current sociopolitical moment, in which longstanding inequity, bias, discrimination, and competing ideologies are amplified. This volume assembles leading scholars to address some of the field's most urgent questions: How does critical consciousness develop? What theories can be used to complement and enrich our understanding of the operation of critical consciousness? How might new directions in theory and measurement further enhance what is known about critical consciousness? It offers cutting-edge ideas and answers to these questions that are of critical importance to deepen our critical consciousness theory and measurement.