Popularity Explained: The Social Psychology of Grade School

Popularity is a social phenomenon that re-emerges every year in every school around the world. Yet, despite how common it is and how important it is to students, it has never been fully explained. This book is NOT a how-to-guide of tired clichés nor is it a story of personal growth and discovery. With clear language and simple logic, Popularity Explained answers how popularity works and why it emerges so predictably. Based on published scientific literature, it draws on concepts from psychology and neuroscience to explain this fascinating social phenomenon. Although I originally intended this book to be for adolescents, it is now written for for parents and educators. Armed with superior maturity and wisdom, they are uniquely positioned to help guide dissatisfied students through the requisite processes of planning, action, and reflection required to make substantive changes. Without guidance, the content of this book is too blunt to be appropriate for all students. The experience of popularity may be available to anyone but a major theme throughout is that not everyone can be everything. Also, the phenomenon isn’t unique to grade school. The human behaviours which underlie it are present throughout the life span meaning anyone can benefit from understanding the phenomenon that is.” Look for it: glimmers of grade school social dynamics can be found anywhere there are people. Even the adult reader, I hope, will find this book interesting and applicable.