Since its founding in 1936, SPSSI has addressed the social issues of the times. Central to these efforts has been the Lewinian tradition of action-oriented research, in which psychological theories and methods guide research and action addressed to important societal problems.

Contemporary Social Issues is SPSSI’s official book series, published by Cambridge University Press. Grounded in their authors’ programs of research, works in this series focus on social issues facing individuals, groups, communities, and/or society at large, with each volume written to speak to scholars, students, practitioners, and policymakers.

Prospective authors (and those with ideas) should contact Series Editor Brian Christens. Most works are sole- or co-authored books (averaging around 80,000 words in length), although there is also room in the series for high-level research works that appeal to a predominately scholarly audience, such as monographs and edited volumes. Please review the Contemporary Social Issues Author Guidelines for more information about the process of proposing a book for the series.

Books published and currently in progress and under contract in the series are listed below. Note that for books not yet published, final titles may change prior to publication.
 

Sheri Levy (in progress)

Climate ageism: What it is and hope for the future


Michael Mascolo (in progress)

Bridging partisan divides: A collaborative-developmental approach


Iain Butterworth (Ed.) (2026)

The psychology of place: Rebuilding sense of place in a post-colonial world

Jon Roozenbeek (2024)

Propaganda and ideology in the Russian–Ukrainian war
 

Jon Roozenbeek & Sander van der Linden (2024)

The psychology of misinformation
 

Laura Wray-Lake, Elan Hope, & Laura Abrams (2024)

Young Black changemakers and the road to racial justice
 

Alexa Bankert (2024)

When politics becomes personal: The effect of partisan identity on anti-democratic behavior
 

Erin Godfrey & Luke Rapa (Eds.) (2023)

Developing critical consciousness in youth: Contexts and settings
 

Luke Rapa & Erin Godfrey (Eds.) (2023) 

Critical consciousness: Expanding theory, methods, and measurement
 

The Contemporary Social Issues series with Cambridge University Press carries forward SPSSI’s long history of sponsoring books. It merged the missions of the two previous SPSSI-sponsored series published by Wiley, which were titled Contemporary Social Issues (for authored works) and Social Issues and Interventions (for edited volumes). Books in these two series, both edited by Dan Perlman, are listed below:

Chuck Huff & Almut Furchert (2023)
Taking moral action

Marybeth Shinn & Jill Khadduri (2020)
In the midst of plenty: How to prevent and end homelessness

Arie Nadler (2020)
Giving, seeking and receiving help: Solidarity and inequality in helping relations

Michelle A. Nario-Redmond (2019)
Ableism: The causes and consequences of disability prejudice

Heather E. Bullock (2013)
Women and poverty: Psychology, public policy, and social justice

Shigehiro Oishi (2012)
The psychological wealth of nations: Do happy people make a happy society?

Kai J. Jonas & Thomas A. Morton (Eds.) (2012)
Restoring civil societies: The psychology of intervention and engagement following crisis

Richard J. Crisp (Ed.) (2011)
The psychology of social and cultural diversity

Bernice Lott (2009)
Multiculturalism and diversity: A social psychological perspective

Ulrich Wagner, Linda R. Tropp, Gillian Finchilescu & Colin Tredoux (Eds.) (2009)
Improving intergroup relations: Building on the legacy of Thomas F. Pettigrew

Victoria M. Esses & Richard A. Vernon (Eds.) (2008)
Explaining the breakdown of ethnic relations

SPSSI has sponsored additional books beyond the series. For instance, the 8th edition of SPSSI's popular text, Research methods in social relations is now available for adoption. Contact Wiley for an examination copy.

A full list of SPSSI-sponsored books (including out-of-print titles) can be found on our history pages and can be viewed either by author name or by date published.