Evolution of Social Psychology

Disciplinary development history dynamically combines intellectual and institutional aspects. This chapter constructs a “disciplinary institution” perspective using social psychology. It defines the fundamentals of disciplinary institution as the ethos of disciplinary institution (an institutionalized, normative code of conduct for disciplinary research) and the infrastructure of disciplinary institution (an infrastructural system supporting disciplinary development and advancement) consisting of four interrelated components: professional researchers, research institutions, organizations and academic exchange networks, normalized disciplinary training program, circulation and evaluation system of academic achievements and stable funding system. Using this perspective, this chapter assesses and elucidates fundamental conundrums in social psychology. The vicissitudes of interdisciplinary social psychology stem largely from established institutional orthodoxy delegitimizing transient disciplinary institutional innovations. American social psychology's unified disciplinary demands failed due to the cross-consolidation of its intellectual division with its institutional division. Social psychology's mainstream historical discourse emerged from the symbolic hegemonization process led by disciplinary institutional elites over both institutional and intellectual development; European social psychology's success resulted from positive interaction between its intellectual demands and institutionalization. It concludes that the disciplinary institution perspective provides a basic framework, strategy, and tool for disciplinary progress beyond purely intellectual viewpoints, shedding light on the intellectual renaissance of Chinese social psychology.