History of ISP

Half a century of advanced research

Societal Psychology originates in the pioneering works of the ISP| founders (Himmelweit|, Farr, Gaskell|), with the path-breaking studies on voting behavior, children and television, social representations,  communication and public opinion that have left definitive marks in the field.

Continuing this tradition of involvement with real societal issues and openness to other academic  fields, the current ISP's pluridisciplinary staff's interests and capacity not only covers classic Social Psychology, but also Cognitive Science, Evolutionary Psychology, Communication, Psychoanalysis..

Research topics cover hot issues such as HIV, biotechnologies, religious communities, deviance, learning organizations etc. Many members spent part of their career in Industry, Commerce or Government overseas.

ISP initiated in 1964 a tradition of using advanced investigation methods (from automated discourse analysis to video) and teaching techniques (ISP streamed lectures on the web as early as 1995). ISP has close links with the Methodology Institute@LSE| and benefits|, on top of  the usual top-level LSE Information Technology support|, its own Psychology Technical Workshop| with 3 full time high-skilled technicians to support research and teaching.

ISP has collaborations and partnership with leading research institutions worldwide and major Industry. Working with or at the ISP is a gateway to this top-level network, and to the large 5000+ Alumni| community.