The Psychology of False Beliefs

Collective Delusions and Conspiracy Theories

Joseph P. Forgas

$305

Hardback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Routledge
30 April 2025

Communication studies; Social, group or collective psychology; Groups & group theory

Series: Sydney Symposium of Social Psychology

This exciting book outlines the fascinating social psychology of false beliefs and tribal delusions, examining the common human tendency to create and maintain collectively shared belief systems that have no foundation in reality. Bringing together leading international researchers, contributors explore how evolutionary, biological, cognitive, and social variables shape the creation and maintenance of widely shared but obviously false belief systems. The authors review how psychological processes promote the formation and maintenance of fallacious beliefs and discuss the philosophical and epistemological criteria we can use to classify some beliefs as false, and others as true.

The chapters draw on many core areas of contemporary social life where false beliefs are of topical interest, highlighting the applied implications of this line of research. Topics include political polarisation, false narratives about group differences, pandemic conspiracy theories, fallacious theories in academia and the role of the media and the internet in creating distorted narratives.

This book is engagingly written and will be of great interest to students and researchers in social psychology and the social sciences, as well as anyone seeking to understand one of the most intriguing issues that shape human social life.

Edited by: Joseph P. Forgas
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm,
Weight: 800g
ISBN: 9781032834139
ISBN 10: 1032834137
Series: Sydney Symposium of Social Psychology
Pages: 326
Publication Date: 30 April 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Primary , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Joseph P. Forgas is Scientia Professor of Psychology at the University of New South Wales, Australia. He received his D.Phil. and D.Sc. from the University of Oxford and his research focuses on affective influences on social cognition and behaviour. He published over 30 books and 300 papers and for his work he received the Order of Australia, the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award, the Alexander von Humboldt Research Prize and a Rockefeller Fellowship as well as a number of academic fellowships and honours.