Chapter 23 – Telling Tales: The Cold War Parables of Social Psychology

A symbolic story in which the characters, events, or settings represent abstract ideas or moral qualities. In this chapter, social psychology experiments are read as allegories that reflect societal anxieties.

A social psychological theory suggesting that individuals are less likely to offer help to a victim when other people are present. It emerged in the wake of the (misreported) Kitty Genovese case.

A geopolitical period following World War II, marked by ideological conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union. It fostered widespread societal fears—such as authoritarianism and conformity—which shaped psychological research.

The act of matching attitudes, beliefs, or behaviours to group norms. In the context of this chapter, it features in Asch’s line judgement experiments and is explored for its cultural and symbolic significance.

An interpretive device that helps students understand psychological experiments as symbolic stories with moral or ideological lessons. The chapter uses this tool to reframe classic studies in terms of their narrative power.

The extent to which research findings can be generalised to real-world settings. The chapter critiques the lack of ecological validity in many classic laboratory studies.

A young woman whose 1964 murder in New York became a moral parable in psychology. The original story of public indifference was later shown to be largely false but profoundly influenced research.

A study conducted by Stanley Milgram (1963) to test obedience to authority. This chapter examines the moral and cultural narrative the experiment came to symbolise during the Cold War era.

A story or idea that expresses deep cultural beliefs and is widely accepted, often without scrutiny. In this chapter, psychological studies are examined as modern myths that shape public perception.

An approach to psychology that focuses on how human beings make sense of their experiences through stories. This chapter invites readers to consider how experiments function as narrative devices.

Compliance with an order, request, or law. In social psychology, often studied in the context of authority figures, as in Milgram’s experiments.

A simple story used to illustrate a moral or philosophical lesson. The chapter applies this concept to psychological experiments, arguing that they convey more than empirical results—they tell cultural stories.

The ability to influence or control others, structures, or narratives. Explored in this chapter in relation to both the content of the experiments and the authority of psychological knowledge itself.

A recent controversy in psychology concerning the difficulty of replicating many foundational studies. This issue is linked in the chapter to the constructed, context-dependent nature of knowledge.

The role that experiments play in conveying meaning beyond their data—through narrative, metaphor, or parable. A key concept in understanding psychology as a cultural practice.

Also known as the Stanford Prison Experiment (1971), this study explored the psychological effects of perceived power. This chapter critiques it as a pre-scripted performance with enduring mythic power.