Social Psychology as Science and Practice:
What do Brazilian Researchers Think?
Keywords:
Social psychology, Crisis, Relevance, Basic science, Applied scienceAbstract
This study aimed to gain knowledge regarding the way Brazilian Social Psychology researchers conceive
their field, considering the science-practice dichotomy. Participants were 100 representatives of research groups of this
discipline. They answered an online questionnaire with five parts: conceptions of social psychology, area representatives,
reference journals, attitudes toward the discipline as basic and applied sciences and demographic questions. Social psychology
was conceived as socio-historical-critical, polarizing between Silvia Lane and Aroldo Rodrigues. The journal Psicologia &
Sociedade was considered the most appropriate for publications in this area, while internationally the Journal of Personality
and Social Psychology was highlighted. Participants’ attitudes characterized this discipline as applied rather than basic science.
In conclusion, the abrapsian perspective is predominant in Brazil, diverging some researchers of the classic social psychology.
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