View source for The Social Animal (Aronson book)

{{Short description|1972 book by Elliot Aronson}}
{{Infobox book
 |name = The Social Animal
 |author = [[Elliot Aronson]]
 |image = The Social Animal (11th Edition Textbook Cover).jpg
 |caption = 11th edition cover
 |country = United States
 |language = English
 |genre = [[Non-fiction]]
 | release_date = 1972
 |}}

'''''The Social Animal''''' is an [[American Psychological Association|APA]]-medal winning book about [[social psychology]] by [[Elliot Aronson]]. Originally published in 1972, ''The Social Animal'' is currently in its twelfth<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://aronson.socialpsychology.org/publications|title=Elliot Aronson|website=aronson.socialpsychology.org|access-date=2019-10-01}}</ref> edition. In a style written for the general audience, the book covers what modern psychology knows about the reasons for some of the most important aspects of human behavior.

==Contents==
Aronson begins the book by referencing a number of scenarios, real and constructed, such as the [[Stanford prison experiments]], reactions to the [[Kent State shootings]], and a four-year-old boy given a drum set, which illustrate a variety of human behaviors seen in real life. The rest of the book is spent primarily on explaining how human minds operate and interact with one another, using these situations as examples. Topics covered include aggression, [[cognitive dissonance]], and the causes of prejudice.

In explaining the reasons why people behave in unusual ways, Aronson cites his "first law":

<blockquote>
People who do crazy things are not necessarily crazy.
</blockquote>

==Style and use of experimental method==
As a scientist, Aronson leans on the importance of case work and [[Experimental psychology|experimental study]]. Thus, the ''Social Animal's'' explanations of human behavior are largely validated with citations of studies done by researchers of social psychology. Throughout the book, Aronson relies on the use of controlled experiments to validate empirical observation.

==References==
{{Reflist}}
*Elliot Aronson: ''The Social Animal'', Palgrave Macmillan, 10th revised edition, 2007, {{ISBN|1-4292-0316-1}}
*Elliot Aronson (Ed.): ''Readings about the Social Animal'', W.H. Freeman & Co, 10th edition, 2007, {{ISBN|1-4292-0617-9}}

==External links==
*[http://aronson.socialpsychology.org/ Elliot Aronson - Social Psychology Network]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Social Animal, The}}
[[Category:1972 non-fiction books]]
[[Category:Books about social psychology]]
[[Category:Sociology books]]