Social Psychology of and for World-Making.
Séamus A PowerTania ZittounSanne AkkermanBrady WagonerMartina CabraFlora CornishHana HawlinaBrett HeasmanKesi MahendranCharis PsaltisAntti RajalaAngela VealeAlex GillespiePublished in: Personality and social psychology review : an official journal of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc (2023)
We propose that social psychology should focus on "world-making" in two senses. First, people are future-oriented and often are guided more by what could be than what is. Second, social psychology can contribute to this future orientation by supporting people's world-making and also critically reflecting on the role of social psychological research in world-making. We unpack the philosophical assumptions, methodological procedures, and ethical considerations that underpin a social psychology of and for world-making. Social psychological research, whether it is intended or not, contributes to the societies and cultures in which we live, and thus it cannot be a passive bystander of world-making. By embracing social psychology of and for world-making and facing up to the contemporary societal challenges upon which our collective future depends will make social psychology more humble but also more relevant.
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