Social Sciences: Sound smarter without trying harder

The Very Lazy Intellectual

Social Sciences

Sound smarter without trying harder

Adams Media, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Avon, Massachusetts

Contents

Introduction

Social Sciences

Psychology

Psychology Disciplines

Clinical Psychology

Economics

History of Economic Theory

The Great Depression

Sociology

History of Sociology

Sociology in America

A Future of Sociology

Political Science

Political Science Movements

Politics of Globalization

Military Expenditures in 2008

Nuclear Politics

Anthropology

Cultural Anthropology

Archaeology

Linguistic Anthropology

Physical Anthropology

Cheat Sheet for Social Sciences

Also Available

Copyright Page

Introduction

If we were to look up the term lazy in a dictionary, we might expect to find some unflattering connotations. Let’s skip over such definitions as adverse or resistant to work, slothful, and sluggish, and adopt a more positive, charitable perspective. If instead we consider lazy as economical or avoiding waste, we get a much better picture of the idea behind The Very Lazy Intellectual series.

This series of books is a set of short, economical references full of the fundamental knowledge you need to know to sound as if you really know something about a particular academic subject. The Very Lazy Intellectual: Social Sciences lays out the indispensable facts, crucial high points, and fascinating elements of humanity’s critical social sciences to build your knowledge foundation.

Whether you want to refresh your memory of a long-since forgotten course, or merely wish to be able to say something intelligent about economics, psychology, sociology, or any social science, this book will help. Enjoy the low-effort scholarship of The Very Lazy Intellectual: Social Sciences.

If you’d like to learn more about social sciences, check out The Lazy Intellectual, available in print (978-1-4405-0456-3) and eBook (978-1-4405-0888-2) formats.

Social Sciences

The social sciences are a group of academic disciplines that apply scientific methods to the social relations of humans. Many of these studies had their roots in a desire for social betterment of society but now employ quantitative methods and statistics in their analysis of theories and trends. The Very Lazy Intellectual: Social Sciences takes a brief look at the fields of psychology, economics, sociology, political science, anthropology, and archaeology.

Psychology

Psychology is a scientific approach to understanding the thought processes and behaviors of humans in their interaction with the environment. The term psychology has its origins in the Greek words psyche (soul or self) and logos (logic and, in turn, science). Psychologists study the processes of thinking and cognition, sense perception, learning, emotions and motivation, personality, abnormal behavior, and