ANDREW MCKINLAY & CHRIS MCVITTIE. Social Psychology and Discourse. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell, 2008. ix + 315. Paperback EUR30.00/GBP 24.99	

This handbook by McKinley & McVittie effectively presents the contributions of discursive researchers worldwide in various fields of social psychology. The preface identifies it as the “first general book on social psychology and discourse”, which is organised around central themes of social psychology (i.e groups, attraction and relationships, health or organizations), instead of presenting the strands of discursive research. This book is oriented towards both undergraduate and postgraduate students of social psychology. In effect, it is divided into 13 chapters, each a “stand-alone” text. All chapters, written by the authors, are presented in a handy and structured manner. 

Chapter One (1) provides an introduction in the two core themes of the book, social psychology and discourse. It elaborates on their space of intersection, i.e qualitative research in social psychology. Furthermore, it introduces the different traditions of discursive research. The following chapters, forming the core of the book - from the second to the eleventh - overview in detail the discursive research on central thematic areas of social psychology. They bear the titles: 'Self and Identity', 'Groups', 'Attraction and Relationships', 'Social Cognition', 'Attitudes and Persuasion', 'Prejudice', 'Dispute and Aggression', 'Social Psychology, Law and Order', 'Social Psychology and Health', and 'Social Psychology and Organizations'. Each chapter starts with a general introduction to the thematic area, followed by an authoritative presentation of the contributions of discursive research to the topic. The discursive social psychological theory is illustrated and empirically grounded by extracts of discourse data, in various lengths. As a young discursive researcher, I was amazed to discover the extent and number of discourse studies cited by the authors in all the fields of study of  social psychology, ample evidence for the wealth of relevant research worldwide. 

Due to word limit, only the chapters on 'Self and Identity' and 'Social Psychology and Health' from the above, will be briefly overviewed. Chapter Two (2), taking a social constructionist perspective, examines the ways in which selves and identities arise in conversation. The idea of the Self is presented as a conversational achievement, ascribed to the goals of a context-specific interaction. It is argued effectively, on the other hand, that social groups influence the constructions of identity accomplished in conversations, such as ethnic, or feminine/masculine identities. In parallel, notions of time and place always are featured in identity-talk. Constructions of identity in the virtual space is a subject covered, with the presentation of relevant research. The ways in which people articulate resistance to being ascribed particular identities is another topic outscetched in the end of the chapter.  

Chapter Ten (10) on Health is part of a sub-unit of chapters within the core of the book oriented to applied social issues, such as Law, Health and Organisations. Hence the chapter presents research on how people construct their health status, within a prevailing social ideology of health, in the realm of their interactions with health professionals. Research on ME, or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, is used as a case of patient contestation of an ascribed condition and of the expertize of professionals. Gender differences on talk about being ill are also given space in the chapter, as are the individual and group coping and support mechanisms. Finally, issues of preventive health behavior and community care are briefly overviewed.      

The last two chapters focus more on specific theoretical issues of discursive research. Chapter Twelve (12) examines the side-arguments of the debates within the field, on the 'external context', 'membership categorization analysis' and 'social  constructionism vs realism'. The final chapter, entitled ambitiously 'Social Psychology in the 21st Century', brings back into perspective the differences between discursive and experimental research in social psychology. These two systematic positions evolve into the methodological directives of 'research independence', and 'research integration'. The former claims that the discursive and experimental tradition are mutually exclusive, while the latter advances the possibility of mixing the two methodologies. Even though this chapter is the most theoretical of the book, advancing an interesting viewpoint in the realm of discourse studies, it is nevertheless the most abstract-termed chapter, grounded in Wittgensteinian philosophical theories, and methodological integrative arguments like those advanced by Augoustinos et al. (2006) or Verkuyten (2005); it ends up being quite heavy to be grasped by students not so familiar with the scholarly discussions within discursive social psychology.       

A very helpful feature of the book is the pattern structure of all the chapters, designed having in mind the student readership. Each chapter begins with a page containing a list of the topics covered and a list of key terms to be encountered, rendering it easy to scan the chapter diagonally. It ends with a summary-box, a suggested activity and further reading references. What I found though most appealing – as a graduate student perplexed by the intricacies of discourse theory – were the text boxes at the foot of a page. They serve to provide ultra-brief definitions of the hard-to-understand key terms of professional jargon discussed in the text, helping one to clarify misunderstandings, revise on theory and, why not, discover new theoretical ideas. All these text boxes of definitions comprise the alphabetically ordered 'glossary' at the end of the book, making it easy for the reader to track definitions of terminology. The “classic text” boxes in every chapter, serve also to remind the reader of the historical development of the research informing each chapter. 
 
To conclude, this handbook comes in just at the right time; there is a proliferation of discursive research and teaching in the faculties of psychology and social sciences worldwide. In the meanwhile, discourse study is becoming even more diverse by drawing on many different disciplines. For a scholar of discourse in social psychology, it can be a reference text for the contributions of discursive research in so many fields of the discipline. For a potential teacher of introductory courses, it can be useful as an additional reference handbook providing a detailed introduction in the discourse tradition, aimed at novice students. More advanced students of social sciences, will find this book an interesting stepping-stone text for the exploration of more in-depth research in the relevant fields of social sciences and humanities. Hence, an introductory text such as this can serve, apart from providing the appropriate references for discursive research in social psychology, to build up an appetite for more. Novel methodologies for social psychologists, such as feminist studies, participant action research methods, practice-based research, psycho-social studies, post-colonial theories and studies of subjectivity, prove to lie just one step further to be discovered by the eager students of the discipline.      

Augoustinos, M., Walker, I. & Ngaire, D. (2006) Social Cognition: An integrated introduction. London: Sage. 
Verkuyten, M. (2005) The Social Psychology of Ethnic Identity. Hove: East Sussex.

Georgios Kesisoglou, Ph.D. Student (Heracleitus II Fellow), Dept. of Psychology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece.