Psychology: Books

In A Dream of Undying Fame, renowned psychologist Louis Breger narrates the story behind the creation of Studies as well as the case of Anna O., which helped contribute to Freud's definition of "neurosis." Breger reveals that Freud's own self-mythologizing and history not only affected everything he did in life, but also helped shape his emerging beliefs about psychoanalysis. Illustrating the importance of personality and social context behind an intellectual breakthrough, Breger provides an in-depth look at a field that reshaped our understanding of what it means to be human.

This biography of one of the world's most eminent psychologists describes Skinner's youth, family and education, his early and lingering desires to become famous as a writer or artist, his lifelong fascination with literary and ""bohemian"" figures, his difficult life and his devotion to his children. The author strips away many misconceptions about the great behaviourist pointing out that far from having a rigid, mechanistic view of humans, Skinner had an expansive, highly moral vision of the possibilities of human achievement. He shows Skinner's ideas as immensely practical with immediate ""real world"" applications through books geared to the general public, and through his interventions - machines and devices that could streamline everything from daily activities and teaching to missile guidance. The author has drawn on scholarly source material as well as personal correspondence, diary entries, interviews and other informal sources. The result is a narrative of Skinner's life, of the breakthroughs he made as a researcher and the lasting influences that his work still has on the science of psychology.

This best-selling introduction to Jean Piaget's theory shows readers how children construct and acquire knowledge related to current constructivist approaches. This text is well-regarded as a work that preserves the historically important research done by Jean Piaget. The Classics Edition retains all of the content of the previous edition and contains updates in critical areas by Barry Wadsworth and a foreword by William Gray, Dean of the School of Education, University of Toledo.

Psychology's Grand Theorists argues that the three schools in psychology that have been dominant historically--the psychodynamic, behavioral, and phenomenological--have resulted in large part from the personal experiences of their originators. Sigmund Freud, B.F. Skinner, and Carl Rogers each believed that he had discovered the truth about human nature, yet their truths are entirely different. This book explores how the lives of these men influenced the divergent theories they developed, through a close examination of letters, diaries, biographies, autobiographies, and professional writings. Uncovering the subjective sources of these theories, the book gives the reader a greater sense of intimacy with each man's ideas, and promotes critical inquiry into their scientific status. The book is written in an engaging style that will appeal to a wide range of readers. Intended as a supplement in courses on personality, clinical psychology, and/or the history of psychology, it will also be of interest to clinicians or counselors who use one or more of these theoretical models in their therapeutic work.

Robert D. Nye's THREE PSYCHOLOGIES clearly and succinctly presents the essential ideas of Freud, Skinner, and Rogers, three of the most important contributors to contemporary psychological thought. A brief introductory chapter gives an overview of each perspective and points out some basic differences among the theories. Chapters Two, Three, and Four discuss the basic ideas of the three psychologists, including practical examples, real-world applications, and commentaries. Chapter Five compares the theories on specific topics, also offering critical evaluations, and Nye's personal comments. An Epilogue includes concise information about cognitive psychology and Albert Ellis's rational-emotive behavior therapy, so that readers can compare these currently popular approaches with those of Freud, Skinner, and Rogers.

In this astonishing and startling book, award-winning science and history writer Robert Whitaker investigates a medical mystery: Why has the number of disabled mentally ill in the United States tripled over the past two decades? Every day, 1,100 adults and children are added to the government disability rolls because they have become newly disabled by mental illness, with this epidemic spreading most rapidly among our nation's children. During the past fifty years, when investigators looked at how psychiatric drugs affected long-term outcomes, what did they find?

After receiving a bipolar diagnosis, you need clear answers. Bipolar 101 is a straightforward guide to understanding bipolar disorder. It includes all the information you need to control your symptoms and live better. Authored by both a psychologist and a mental health expert who has bipolar disorder herself, this pocket guide is the only book on bipolar disorder you'll ever need.

The price we pay for today's fast-paced, always-connected life is often stress, anxiety, and depression. While drawing on ancient wisdom, Donald Altman embraces twenty-first-century brain science to create practical, everyday strategies for experiencing a less-encumbered, less-entangled state of being. These techniques reactivate natural abilities you already possess.

In Mind Fixers, Anne Harrington, author of The Cure Within, explores psychiatry's repeatedly frustrated struggle to understand mental disorder in biomedical terms. She shows how the stalling of early twentieth-century efforts in this direction allowed Freudians and social scientists to insist, with some justification, that they had better ways of analyzing and fixing minds.