Shared Beliefs in a Society

Social Psychological Analysis

Daniel Bar-Tal

• Publisher: SAGE Publications, Inc
• Year: 2000
• Print ISBN: 9780761906599, 9780761906582
• eBook ISBN: 9781452221885
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Psychology
• Subtopic: Social Psychology
• Index: Psychology

...carefully argued, this book will have special appeal to graduate students, faculty, social psychologists (notably those yearning for Lewinian Approaches), and group-oriented sociologists. —Choice What kind of shared beliefs in a society are of importance to social systems? What functions do they fulfill? How are they informed and disseminated? What are the societal consequences of shared beliefs? All of these questions are addressed in this book in which Daniel Bar-Tal develops the notion of societal psychology, which he states can contribute a social-psychological perspective to the study of a wide range of social problems in a society. He shows how societal psychology can fulfill the promise of early social psychologists by directing attention to the societal and cultural contexts in which individuals live and by examining the reciprocal influence between these contexts and individuals. In this comprehensive volume, four themes of societal belief: patriotism, security, siege mentality, and deligitimization, are examined through well-defined examples and systematic analysis. Researchers, students and practitioners in social psychology, sociology, political science and anthropology will be stimulated and engaged by this important contribution to the field.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Dedication
• Contents
• Preface
• Introduction
• Beliefs
• Societal Beliefs and Ethos
• Society as a Unit of Analysis
• Structure of the Book
• Chapter 1. Sharing Beliefs in Groups
• The Social Nature of Beliefs
• Sharing Beliefs in Groups
• Social Identity and Sharing Beliefs
• Consequences of Sharing Beliefs in a Group: A Model
• Chapter 2. A History of the Study of Shared Beliefs
• Early Studies of Mental Sharing
• Sharing Beliefs in Modern Social Psychology
• Moscovici's Social Representations
• Shared Beliefs in Current Social Psychology
• Chapter 3. The Nature of Societal Beliefs
• The Conception of Societal Beliefs
• The Contents of Societal Beliefs
• The Functions of Societal Beliefs
• Chapter 4. Formation, Dissemination, Maintenance, and Change of Societal Beliefs
• Formation of Societal Beliefs
• Dissemination of Societal Beliefs
• Maintenance of Societal Beliefs
• Change of Societal Beliefs
• Chapter 5. Societal Beliefs About Patriotism
• The Contents of Patriotic Beliefs
• The Essentiality of Patriotism
• The Functionality of Patriotism
• Chapter 6. Societal Beliefs About Security
• The Nature of Security Beliefs
• The Roots of Security Beliefs
• Societal Beliefs About Security in the United States
• Societal Beliefs About Security in Israel
• Chapter 7. Societal Beliefs About Siege
• The Nature and Basis of Siege Beliefs
• Israeli Beliefs About Siege
• The Functions of Siege Beliefs
• The Consequences of Siege Beliefs
• Chapter 8. Societal Beliefs About Delegitimization
• The Nature of Delegitimizing Beliefs
• The Experiential Bases of Delegitimizing Beliefs
• The Functions of Delegitimizing Beliefs
• Chapter 9. The Ethos of a Society
• The Concept of Ethos
• The Present Conception of Ethos
• The American Ethos
• The Conflictual Ethos of the Jewish Israeli Society
• Chapter 10. Societal Beliefs and Ethos: Contribution to Societal Psychology
• The Contribution of the Present Book
• The Unfulfilled Promise of Social Psychology
• The Promise of Societal Psychology
• References
• Name Index
• Subject Index
• About the Author