CALL FOR PAPERS
SPECIAL ISSUE OF
SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY QUARTERLY:
SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES ON MORALITY
The terms “moral” and “social” were interchangeable for 18th and 19th century social theorists. In the past few decades sociologists have become, as Craig Calhoun describes it, “unmusical” in addressing the moral dimension of human life. Morality involves more than the established social psychological fields of altruism and aggression; it encompasses individual and cultural duties, ideals, and prohibitions that shape interaction. A social science of morality looks at the influences on, embodied enactment, and consequences of implicit and explicit moral orientations toward the good, just, and worthy (and alternately the profane, disgusting, and shameful).
Psychologists and neurologists are currently directing the scientific study of moral behavior, thought, and feeling. With some notable exceptions, such scholars are looking deeper into the evolutionarily adapted brain. A sociological counterpart is called for to address morality within the self, social situations, and the life course. Such work encompasses the study of affect, exchange, justice, or values, but may lead to new syntheses or research programs.
Our goal is to publish a special issue of Social Psychology Quarterly on the topic of “Social Psychological Perspectives on Morality.” We welcome submissions from a broad range of empirical and theoretical perspectives, demonstrating the utility (or potential hazards) of a sociological understanding of morality. The deadline for submitting papers is January 1, 2009. The usual ASA requirements for submissions apply (see “Notice for Contributors”). Please send a copy of your paper as a Word attachment to spq@northwestern.edu, the $25 submission fee (payable by credit card or check, and waived for graduate student authors), and an indication that the paper is intended for the special issue. Prospective authors are encouraged to communicate with the editor (g-fine@northwestern.edu) or the special issue deputy editor (steven-hitlin@uiowa.edu) about the appropriateness of their papers.
