Bridging the gap between theory and practice

摘要

This issue of The Psychologist has five articles on social identity and health. These provide an overview of the social identity approach advanced within The New Psychology of Health. This can be thought of as a practical handbook for researchers and applied psychologists who are looking for a clear account of the way in which social psychology can be made relevant to health and wellbeing. The particular brand of social psychology that the book promotes is concerned with the importance of social groups for our health. Research in this fascinating field goes back to classic studies that demonstrated how perceptions and behaviour are structured by our group memberships - even when those groups have no prior meaning (Tajfel et al., 1971). In recent times, studies on very young infants have found strong ingroup preferences, again based on very small distinctions, such as which sorts of crisps the infants prefer (see e.g. (Pun et al, 2017). So, the importance of our connection to others is undeniable. We are clearly social creatures. For some, though, a frustration has been how to apply this work in clinical practice and in health settings more generally.