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28 - You Can’t Be a Self by Yourself

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 September 2022

Saul Kassin
Affiliation:
John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York
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Summary

I was born Hazel Rose in London, England to an English Catholic mom and a Jewish American dad who had grown up in England. Our family immigrated to sunny, orange-scented, anything-was-possible Southern California; first to Los Angeles and then to San Diego. My mother, father, uncles and aunts all became public school teachers. It was at San Diego State University that I became certain that social psychology was my path. I had planned on a major in English and journalism. As the editor of my high school newspaper, I was convinced that my passion was rigorous reporting and clear writing that would deliver the truth of important events to inquiring minds. Then in my sophomore year I took Psychology 101. The professor divided the room into two groups and positioned us so that the groups were out of each other’s earshot. He told my group a story about shopping for shoes and how it was often difficult to find a shoe that fits. He moved to the other side of the room and told the second group a story about the excitement of travel in North Africa.

Type
Chapter
Information
Pillars of Social Psychology
Stories and Retrospectives
, pp. 236 - 246
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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References

Suggested Reading

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