Kenrick, Neuberg, and Cialdini encourage student comprehension by showing that social behavior is goal-directed and is a result of interactions between the person and the situation.

• Social Psychology offers a unique integrated approach to social behavior. Using a “goal-directed” approach, the authors organize the book around a “Goal, Person, Situation” framework using a pair of unifying themes:
• Social behavior is goal-directed.
• Social behavior is a result of interactions between the person and the situation.

By using these two simple organizing themes, the book presents the discipline as a coherent framework for understanding human conduct. The authors have captured social psychology's renowned ability to captivate student interest but add throughout the more intellectually helpful (and satisfying) feature of integration.

Compelling mysteries, cutting-edge scholarship, lively writing, and the authors' reputations as both respected researchers and also as teachers, all come together to make the second edition of Social Psychology: Unraveling the Mystery an accessible and engaging read for students, and to provide a modern and cohesive approach for their teachers.

Using a “goal-directed” approach, the authors organize the book around a “Goal, Person, Situation” framework — indicated throughout the text by attractive marginal icons that label the text's headings.