Prospects for Research in Group Processes and Intergroup Relations

Reviews progress in research in group processes and intergroup relations. After I. D. Steiner's initial optimism in the 1960s, groups lost favor in social psychology during the 1970s and 1980s. However, new optimism emerged from the growth of research into groups in related disciplines. In the mid to late-1990s enthusiasm has increased. This is attributed to increasing interest in social contextual factors in social psychology, and to advances in theory and methodology that have facilitated the analysis of group and intergroup phenomena. An empirical review is reported that is based on searches of relevant and primary journals over a period of 23 yrs. This review shows that research in group and intergroup processes is being published at a disproportionately accelerating rate compared with the increase in social psychology as a whole.