Social Identity

In Social, renowned psychologist Matthew Lieberman explores groundbreaking research in social neuroscience, revealing that our need to connect with other people is even more fundamental, more basic, than our need for food or shelter. Because of this, our brain uses its spare time to learn about the social world-other people and our relation to them.

This is a book about ideas. Specifically, this is a book about the evolution of a certain set of ideas, and how these ideas have come to dominate every important discussion about race, gender, and identity today. Have you heard someone refer to language as literal violence, or say that science is sexist? Or declare that being obese is healthy, or that there is no such thing as biological sex? Or that valuing hard work, individualism, and even punctuality is evidence of white supremacy? 

The concept of identity has become widespread within the social and behavioral sciences, cutting across disciplines from psychiatry and psychology to political science and sociology. Introduced more than fifty years ago, identity theory is a social psychological theory that attempts to understand person's identities, their sources in interaction and society, their processes of operation, and their consequences for interaction and society from a sociological perspective.

[Features extensive bonus content only available in the audiobook edition] This groundbreaking exposé of how artificial intelligence and gender ideology undermine our view of reality helps us cut through the chaos and find the hope we’re looking for. We hear that technology will set us free...

In 2014, Francis Fukuyama wrote that American institutions were in decay, as the state was progressively captured by powerful interest groups. Two years later, his predictions were borne out by the rise to power of a series of political outsiders whose economic nationalism and authoritarian tendencies threatened to destabilize the entire international order. These populist nationalists seek direct charismatic connection to “the people”, who are usually defined in narrow identity terms that offer an irresistible call to an in-group and exclude large parts of the population as a whole.

"Subtly altered how I see the world." —Michelle Goldberg, New York Times “[Status and Culture] consistently posits theories I'd never previously considered that instantly feel obvious.” —Chuck Klosterman, author of The Nineties “Why are you the way that you are? Status and Culture...

Who are you, really? Why does it sometimes feel so hard to fit in? Are we defined by our past, or can we reinvent who we are? The Psychology of Social Identity unpacks the fascinating, messy, and ever-changing nature of identity. Drawing on cutting-edge psychological research and real-world...

'A sober but devastating skewering of cancel culture and the moral certainties it shares with religious fundamentalism' Sunday Times 'Andrew Doyle has written a masterful broadside against the woke that will also discomfit the anti-woke, proposing to both the radical notion that rather than...

Self and Identity: The Basics is a jargon-free and accessible introduction that draws on key theories and ideas in social psychology to explore the ways that other people affect our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Highlighting selfhood as a function of identity, the book shows that it is our relationships with others in our social world that largely determine who we are. It considers the philosophical and psychological context in which ideas about selfhood have developed and reviews the ways that the people around us, and the groups that we belong to, affect who we are. 

Born in Dickens, Los Angeles, the narrator of The Sellout spent his childhood as the subject in his father's racially charged psychological studies. He is told that his father’s memoir will solve their financial woes. But when his father is killed, he discovers there never was a memoir...

We present ourselves and encounter others through profiles. A profile shows us not as we are seen directly but how we are perceived by a broader public. Profile-based identity is evident everywhere from pop culture to politics, marketing to morality. This book argues that the profile marks an epochal shift in our concept of identity and demonstrates why that matters. You and Your Profile blends social theory, philosophy, and cultural critique to unfold an exploration of the way we have come to experience the world.

An award-winning journalist takes to the protest-riven streets of Hong Kong to write this startling landmark account of the island city's complex past and precarious future. The story of Hong Kong has long been obscured by competing myths- to Britain, a 'barren rock' with no appreciable history...

From Marcus Collins, strategist to Apple, Nike and Beyoncé, discover the powerful force behind what we buy, what we do, and who we want to be . . . 'Compelling and vivid' – Robert Cialdini, author of Pre-Suasian We all try to influence others in our daily lives. We are all marketers, whether...

Dirk sees his best friend killed in a car accident, then rifles through his pockets for a last joint. Cheryl chides her future stepdaughter, 'You're tan but you don't look happy'. Jamie is a clubland carnivore with a taste for human blood. They go to the same schools and eat at the same...

As claims of antisemitism continue to distort our politics at home and abroad, it has become almost impossible to talk about constructively, even in private. Instead, we find ourselves in a storm of misinformation, political mudslinging and bad-faith accusations. There is, however, a way to...

Bloomsbury presents How to Be a Social Worker: Developing Your Professional Identity by Priscilla Dunk-West read by Esmee Cooke When studying social work, it can be difficult to find the time to step back and think about what it actually means to be a social worker. Now in its third edition, How...

The transgender movement is based on a destructive ideology that has affected every adult and minor in every sector of American society. Our churches and communities need to understand how to address the spiritual and psychological crisis behind gender ideology. This book was written by Jennifer Bauwens, a trauma therapist and researcher, and Walt Heyer, who previously identified as a woman. Both authors have helped those who suffered the effects of gender ideology and who also had traumas and other mental health conditions.

In the shifting culture of our diverse, postmodern world, it is important to understand what we believe and why we believe it. In this collection of writings, David K. Bernard's trusted voice calls us to steadfastly adhere to the universal truth claims of apostolic faith. And in so doing, we will step into a Pentecostal future of explosive growth and unprecedented revival.

From the authors of the fascinating The Age of Cryptocurrency, comes the definitive work on the Internet’s next big thing: the blockchain. Many of the ‘legacy systems’ once designed to make our lives easier and our economy more efficient are no longer up to the task; big banks have grown...

Romila Thapar is one of the most important indian academics writing today. Well-researched and thoroughly accessible, this volume is sure to become essential listening for those interested in Indian history and religion. It includes her experience of writing history textbooks for school, analysis of ancient history and interpretations of the epics, and the role history plays in contemporary politics.