Not by Chance Alone: My Life as a Social Psychologist Paperback – August 7, 2012

This book is the capstone of Elliot Aronson's magnificent lifework that combines theory and practice. He has in a single lifetime woven together several successful careers without sacrificing thoughtfulness or quality.He is a creative scientist of human behavior continuing and improving on the experimental tradition of one of his mentors, Leon Festinger. And he has designed studies and applied findings to critical problems that non-scientists and societies struggle with every day, e.g. his innovative development of the jigsaw classroom. And he has packaged all of his immense and valuable productivity for his social psychological colleagues, several generations of college students, and the general public with his palatable and accessible writing.And it is with that same beautiful pen that he puts his life's work together with the fascinating story of his own life -- the lows of an impoverished childhood, including sleeping in the back of parked cars at college, to the heights of academic honors, widely acclaimed books, and possibly most importantly, his cherished marriage and four productive children.If I may be permitted a personal note, I can offer first hand testimony that what Aronson has accomplished was definitely "not by chance alone." Although we are not friends, our paths intersected at many points over the years. We were both social psychology graduate students at Stanford a few years apart, and we worked with many of the same colleagues. Aronson even offered me an opportunity to join him on the U. Texas faculty in the 60's. We both performed laboratory studies, but wanted our data to impact a broader audience than scientific journal readers. Whereas I finally left academia in partial frustration 25 years ago to pursue an applied career in business and conflict resolution, Elliott Aronson has used his considerable talents to succeed as a teacher, writer, role-model and scientist whose work has benefitted many within academia and the greater human society.PS: One corollary to the poker/life lesson Elliott learned from his brother Jason (p. 160): Yes it's well not to blame the hand and to play the dealt cards in the best possible manner; however the best strategy for a poor hand is often not to play it at all, instead opting to wait for a better deal. This advice courtesy of Kenny Rogers and the Serenity Prayer.

I entered the University of Texas as a graduate student shortly after Dr. Aronson left for UCSC. I recall older students telling me about his teaching prowess only to have professors confirm that indeed, he occasionally got standing ovations in his 500 student intro classes." Who is this guy?" I wondered, " He can't be that charismatic?" Later I chose his textbook when I taught my own social psychology class. It was the best textbook that I'd ever read and the class was a great success,though no standing ovations arose. I have found myself, during breaks in my private practice, grabbing the Social Animal off the bookcase for the sheer joy of reading outstanding prose. I may have envied his popularity or assumed he had an advantaged life, but this honest, insightful autobiography puts the lie to that. It is to Dr. Aronson' credit that he overcame poverty, prejudice and little discernible esteem or confidence to have an amazing career and successful family life. As a psychologist and as a man, I remain inspired by his work and life.

Dr. Eliot Aronson is not only a brilliant social psychologist but also a wonderful writer. All his texts are a joy to read. "Not By Chance Alone" is the story of his life from being a young child to discovering his passion for psychology, research, teaching, and writing. You don't have to be a social psychologist or even a psychologist to appreciate his life story. But for those in the field or even contemplating the field this is an eye-opening journey, detailing how valuable associations are achieved, the politics and process of academia, and how illustrious careers are formed. Read it if for no other reasons than to read a well-done, fascinating literary piece.

Chance is often a matter of interpretation. Elliot Aronson emphasizes the power of action which chance can have when not preceived as simply a thing which happens TO one. The instances of Elliot's ability to think beyond the obvious is encouraging, not only because he did so so successfully, but because he makes me believe I could also be capable of tackeling chance to the the ground under me. This is a seriously delightful story of what happend when intellect, curousity, observational skills, tanacity and humor. collide.