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The sub-title of Professor Sprott's book describes it as 'A study of how men and women behave in the family, the village, the crowd, and many other forms of association.' This is a somewhat misleading description, since Professor Sprott has not written an account of his own investigations and ideas, but an introduction to sociology and social psychology which surveys the work of others. In straight-forward language he describes the subject-matter under investigation, some of the attempts which have been made to investigate it, and the explanatory hypotheses to which they give rise. He also comments on the advantages and limitations of each approach.
Professor Sprott's attitude to the issues raised by psycho-analysis is one of frank avoidance. In a section on 'The Family' he writes: 'We are here confronted with the great citadel of psycho-analysis, and if we enter it we shall never get out.' A little later he writes: 'Having thus by-passed psycho-analysis we find ourselves in something of a desert.' For this second statement his book provides a good deal of evidence. It is a little surprising, though pleasantly so, to find that the work of both Bion and Jaques, which is briefly described here, stands out so prominently in the total field. Foulkes's contribution to the study of group dynamics is not mentioned.
This is not an original or stimulating book, but it has some interest as an up-to-date survey and provides a list of references.