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Popular Books on Psychology
Variations in Individual and Group Behavior
Akeret, R. U. (1995). Tales from a traveling couch. New York: Norton.
- This book details what happened when a New York psychotherapist set out to find his most memorable patients and discover what has become of their lives.
Aronson, E. (2003). The social animal (9 th ed). New York: Worth Publishers.
- This beautifully written and entertaining introduction to social psychology covers conformity, mass communication, propaganda, persuasion, social cognition, self-justification, aggression, prejudice, liking, and loving.
Atkinson, D., Morten, G., & Sue, D. (2003). Counseling American minorities (6th ed.). Burr Ridge, IL: McGraw-Hill.
- This book offers guidance about working with American Indian, Asian American, African American, and Latino clients.
Axline, V. (1964). Dibs: In search of self. New York: Ballantine.
- This is a classic, moving tale of a troubled child in therapy.
Balter, M., & Katz, R. (1987). Nobody’s child. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
- Marie Balter spent 25 years in mental hospitals, then attended Harvard University and became a spokesperson for the mentally ill. This is a dramatic and moving story in the tradition of I Never Promised You a Rose Garden.
Barkley, R. (2000). Taking charge of ADHD: The complete, authoritative guide for parents (Rev. ed.). New York: Guilford Publications.
- This is an excellent resource for parents and teachers.
Bass, E., & Kaufman, K. (1996). Free your mind: The book for gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth—and their allies. New York: HarperPerennial.
- Answers are provided to many of the questions gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth have, such as how to deal with homophobia in their schools. Free your mind gives advice to allies, teachers, parents, counselors, etc., as to what they can do to help gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth. An excellent guide and resource.
Baur, S. (1988). Hypochondria: Woeful imaginings. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
- This highly readable history of the source, nature, and treatment of hypochondriasis includes case studies of famous hypochondriacs throughout history (e.g., Tolstoy, Darwin, and Boswell). It also includes contemporary perspectives and recent research.
Beck, A. T. (1976). Cognitive therapy and the emotional disorders. New York: Penguin.
- In this highly regarded but challenging book on emotional disorders, the author, one of the pioneers of cognitive therapy, describes how cognitions can affect emotions (particularly depression) and describes procedures for changing cognitions (and thus changing undesirable emotions).
Beck, A. T., & Emery, G. (1985). Anxiety disorders and phobias: A cognitive perspective. New York: Basic Books.
- This challenging book on anxiety and phobias is written from a cognitive perspective. It includes a summary of cognitive therapy and suggestions for overcoming problems related to anxiety.
Berkowitz, L. (1993). Aggression: Its causes, consequences, and control. New
York: McGraw-Hill.
- One of the world’s experts on the topic gives a thorough overview of what science tells us about aggression. Aggression includes discussion on violence-prone personalities, domestic violence, gun control, violence in media, and control of aggression as well as various policy issues.
Berzon, B., & Leighton, R. (Eds.). (2001). Positively gay (3rd ed.). Millbrae, CA: Celestial Arts.
- This is the first, and still one of the best, introductions to a wide variety of issues in lesbian and gay life. Chapters cover such topics as coming out, relationships and couples, parenting, religious issues, aging, political issues, vocational and financial planning, and lesbian/gay communities.
Blum, D. (2002). Love at Goon Park: Harry Harlow and the science of affection. Cambridge, MA: Perseus.
- In her biography of Harry Harlow, Blum views Harlow as a pioneer in demonstrating the crucial importance of relationships and love to health and survival.
Brislin, R. (1999). Understanding culture’s influence on behavior (2nd ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing.
- Brislin introduces cross-cultural psychology as a means of promoting more effective communication among people from different cultural backgrounds.
Chase, T. (1989). When rabbit howls. New York: Dutton.
- This is an account of childhood abuse and multiple personalities, or dissociative identity disorder. In this case, each of the 92 personalities contributes to the book.
Chesler, P. (2005). Women and madness(Rev. ed.). New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
- Chesler proposes that sex-role stereotypes influence what is called mental illness and that there is a double standard of mental health.
Cialdini, R. B. (1998). Influence: The psychology of persuasion (Rev. ed.). New York: HarperTrade.
- This is a highly readable, engaging, and authoritative account of what psychology tells us about selling and marketing, persuasion, and influence.
Cohen, D. B. (1994). Out of the blue: Depression and human nature. New York: Norton.
- This book explores the full range of depression from occasional blues to chronic severe depression, including related phenomena such as mourning and suicide. It summarizes present state of knowledge and illustrates with examples from history, literature, and current events.
Colgrove, M., Bloomfield, H. H., & McWilliams, P. (2004). How to survive the loss of a love (Rev. ed.). Los Angeles: Prelude.
- The “loss of a love” is defined very broadly, so this book addresses losses not only of treasured people and relationships, but also robbery, rape, moving, failure, loss of youth, menopause, lawsuits, and many other losses.
Corsini, R. (Ed.). (2004). Current psychotherapies (7 th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing.
- This book describes contemporary approaches to psychotherapy, including therapies in non-Western cultures.
Costa, P., & Widiger, T. (2002). Personality disorder and the five-factor model of personality (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
- This book explains how the five-factor model of personality can help in diagnosing and treating psychological disorders.
Coven, F. L. (1994). Crazy all the time: On the psych ward of Bellevue Hospital. New York: Fawcett Crest.
- An engrossing account of the lives of patients and staff, this was written by the chief psychologist at Bellevue Hospital.
Diamant, L. (Ed.). (1993). Homosexual issues in the workplace. Washington, DC: Taylor and Francis.
- This book contains chapters on lesbians/gays in a wide variety of professions and occupations, including education, the military, religion, etc. It also has general chapters on discrimination in the workplace and legal issues. It is an excellent resource for information about particular jobs or occupations.
Donnelly, K. F. (1994). Recovering from the loss of a child. New York: Berkeley Publishing Group.
- Recovering explores the experience of losing a child through numerous interviews with family members who have lost a child. It provides extensive information about support groups that provide assistance.
Donohue, W. A., & Kotl, R. (1992). Managing interpersonal conflict. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
- A practical guide on deciding whether to confront a conflict, planning how to deal with the conflict, and negotiating differences in goals and power. Includes a flowchart for conflict management and provides many interesting real-life examples, self-test questionnaires, and exercises.
Doyle, J. A. (1995). The male experience. Madison, WI: Brown & Benchmark.
- This engaging, easy-to-read text introduces men’s studies and the psychology of men. It is highly suitable for high school students and students in the first 2 years of college.
Ellis, A., & Kanus, W. J. (1977). Overcoming procrastination: How to think and act rationally in spite of life’s inevitable hassles. New York: Penguin.
- Applies cognitive psychology to overcoming procrastination. Examines the causes of procrastination and describes techniques for overcoming it.
Fieve, R. R. (1997). Moodswing (2 nd rev. ed.). New York: Bantam Books.
- This revised edition of a classic book on the causes, symptoms, and treatments available for mood disorders, including bipolar disorder, seasonal affective disorder, and premenstrual syndrome. This edition focuses increased attention on drug therapies.
Finney, L. D. (1995). Reach for joy: How to find the right therapist and therapy for you. Freedom, CA: Crossing Press.
- In the words of one reviewer, this is “[a] Consumer’s Report for the mind.” It provides guidance (including numerous checklists) for deciding whether you should see a therapist, for finding and evaluating potential therapists, and for assessing progress in therapy.
Frankl, V. E. (1997). Man’s search for meaning (Rev. ed.). New York: Pocket Books.
- This classic existential book examines the role of meaning in human lives as well as the philosophy behind logotherapy. Frankl is a psychiatrist, creator of logotherapy, and survivor of Auschwitz.
Fromm, E. (1956). The art of loving. New York: Harper & Row.
- Fromm provides a brief but challenging discussion of the nature of love, the importance of love, and the challenge of learning to love.
Gay, P. (1989). The Freud reader. New York: Norton.
- A good companion to the Hamm primer, this book provides an excellent selection from the full range of Freud’s writings, with a brief introduction to each piece.
Geisinger, K. (1998). Psychological testing of Hispanics. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
- This book examines various issues concerning the psychological testing of Latinos.
Gilman, S. L. (1985). Difference and pathology: Stereotypes of sexuality, race, and madness. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press.
- A scholarly but readable presentation of the thesis that human beings need to create stereotypes as a means of dealing with anxiety and their ultimate lack of control over the environment. Difference and Pathology cites stereotypes of race, sexuality, and pathology as historically the most powerful.
Greenberg, J. (1964). I never promised you a rose garden. New York: Penguin.
- This classic by J. Greenberg is about her descent into psychosis when she was 16 years old, her 3 years in mental institutions, and her later recovery.
Greenfield , J. (1970). A child called Noah: A family journal. San Diego, CA: Harvest Book.
- This moving, award-winning story of a family’s day-to-day living with and loving a brain-damaged child.
Griffen, C. W., Wirth, M. J., & Wirth, A. G. (1997). Beyond acceptance: Parents of lesbians and gays talk about their experiences (Rev. ed.). New York: St. Martin’s Press.
- This book is written by and for parents of lesbians and gay men and contains frank discussions of some of the issues parents face when they learn their children are lesbian/gay. Chapters cover topics such as coming to terms with guilt, overcoming restrictive religious ideologies, telling others, and relating to lesbian/gay children affirmatively. This book also contains an extensive bibliography and list of helpful organizations. It can be useful in discussions of coming out and family relationships.
Haddon , M. (2004 ). The curious incident of the dog in the night-time. Toronto, ON: Doubleday Canada, Limited.
- This is an excellent, bestselling fictional book about a boy with autism.
Jamison, K. R. (1993). Touched with fire: Manic-depressive illness and the artistic temperament. New York: Free Press.
- Jamison explores the question whether manic-depressive illness is related to creative occupations.
Johnson, A. S. (1990). Out of Bedlam: The truth about deinstitutionalization. New York: Basic Books.
- A clinical social worker in New York City describes how deinstitutionalization arose, its initial promise, and its often devastating consequences in the absence of adequate community-based care alternatives. This is an excellent, comprehensive, informative, thoughtful, but highly critical overview by an advocate of deinstitutionalization.
Kaysen, S. (1993). Girl, interrupted. New York: Vintage.
- The author was committed to a mental hospital at age 18 for 2 years. Her memoir describes the patients and staff members, but in the process she raises disturbing questions about hospitalization, diagnosis, women, and mental illness. Witty but dark and disturbing, this book continues the tradition of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
Klein, D. F., & Wender, P. H. ( 2005). Understanding depression: A complete guide to its diagnosis and treatment (2 nd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.
- This is a practical discussion of biological depression (both normal and pathological) and related disorders, such as panic attacks, seasonal affective disorder, and premenstrual syndrome. It includes self-tests and advice for relief from depression. The emphasis is on medical treatments.
Kohn, A. (1990). The brighter side of human nature: Altruism and empathy in everyday life. New York: Basic Books.
- The author argues that it is natural for humans to be caring, generous, empathetic, altruistic, and kind rather than selfish, self-interested, and aggressive.
Korn, J. (1997). Illusions of reality: A history of deception in social psychology. Albany: State University of New York Press.
- This book demonstrates how deception is used in psychological research and examines the origins and development of the practice. Ethical issues are discussed.
Laing, R. D. (1969). The divided self: An existential study of sanity and madness. New York: Penguin.
- This is a classic collection of case studies of people with schizophrenia and Laing’s existential analysis of their personal alienation and estrangement from themselves and society.
Landman, J. (1993). Regret: The persistence of the possible. New York: Oxford University Press.
- Regret presents a broad-ranging, multidisciplinary discussion by a psychologist of what people most regret about their lives and how regret differs from other emotions. It includes thought-provoking excerpts from several literary works, each shedding light on regret.
Levant , R. F., & Pollack, W. S. (Eds.). (1995). A new psychology of men. New York: Basic Books.
- This 1995 edited volume summarizes much of the recent advances in theory and research about the psychology of men and masculinity. It is suitable for those seeking greater background and depth on the subject.
Levenkron, S. (1991). Obsessive-compulsive disorders: Treating and understanding crippling habits. New York: Warner.
- Levenkron includes many case studies that illustrate the disorders and demonstrate effective ways of coping with them.
Mace, N., & Rabins, P. (2001). The 36-hour day (Rev. ed.). New York: Warner Books.
- This book offers sensitive advice to families coping with the challenge of Alzheimer’s disease.
Marshall, J. R. (1994). Social phobia: From shyness to social anxiety. New York: Basic Books.
- Through case histories and self-tests, the author (a psychiatrist who specializes in anxiety disorders) provides interesting insight into the sources, nature, and treatment of social phobias.
Matsumoto, D. (1994). People: Psychology from a cultural perspective. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
- Matsumoto focuses on the far-reaching impact of culture on behavior, feeling, and thought.
McNamara, E. (1994). Breakdown. New York: Pocket Books.
- This book presents the lurid but true story of a Harvard Medical School student who committed suicide less than a year after he terminated therapy for depression. After his death, it became apparent that he had been involved in a bizarre form of experimental therapy. This disturbing, widely publicized case raises difficult questions about inter-dependency in therapy and about professional ethics.
Milgram, S. (1974). Obedience to authority: An experimental view. New York: Harper Torchbooks.
- This highly readable account of Milgram’s classic experiments includes implications of those studies for understanding human behavior. An appendix includes ethical issues raised by the experiments.
Milgram, S. (1992). The individual in a social world: Essays and experiments.
New York: McGraw-Hill.
- This collection of major experiments and essays includes Milgram’s famous obedience study.
Miller, D . (2005). An Invitation to social psychology: Expressing and c ensoring t he s elf . Belmont: CA: Thomson-Wadsworth.
- This brief seven-chapter text introduces students to social psychology by focusing on the field's most interesting studies and real-world applications.
Miller, D. (1994). Women who hurt themselves: A book of hope and understanding. New York: Basic Books.
- A psychologist explores “women at war with themselves,” including cases of self-mutilation, cosmetic surgery, and eating disorders, among others.
Neziroglu, F., & Yaryura-Tobias, J. A. (1995). Over and over again: Understanding obsessive compulsive disorder (Rev. ed.). New York : Lexington.
- This book discusses diagnosis, causes, and treatment of obsessive/compulsive disorders, including many case studies and answers to common questions.
Papolos, D., & Papolos, J. (1997). Overcoming depression (3 rd ed..). New York: HarperTrade.
- This is an excellent, widely recommended practical guide to the diagnosis and treatment of depression and manic-depression (bipolar disorder).
Peck, M. S. (2002). The road less traveled: A new psychology of love, traditional values, and spiritual growth (25 th anniversary ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster.
- This all-time best-selling book discusses the centrality of spirituality in many peoples’ lives as well as the importance of confronting adversity, integrity, and self-discipline.
Pharr , S. (1998). Homophobia: A weapon of sexism. Inverness, CA : Chardon Press.
- This book explores the connections between homophobia and sexism in society. As such, it provides an excellent demonstration of the intersection among multiple forms of oppression. It is very readable and even contains a few illustrations.
Pratkanis, A. R., & Aronson, E. (2001). Age of propaganda: The everyday use and abuse of persuasion (Rev. ed.). New York: Freeman.
- Age of Propaganda sets out to “understand how [persuasion] influences our behavior, how we can protect ourselves from unwanted propaganda, and how we can ultimately come to use persuasion wisely.” Many real-life examples are included.
Rapoport , J. L. (1989). The boy who couldn’t stop washing. New York: Penguin.
- This book contains fascinating and useful case studies of obsessive compulsive disorders, including diagnosis and treatment.
Reynolds, Al. L., & Pope, R. L. (1991). The complexities of diversity: Exploring multiple oppressions. Journal of Counseling and Development, 70, 174-180.
- This brief article discusses the intersection of sexual orientation (including bisexuality) with race, ethnicity, class, and gender. It makes an important point about the overlapping of different kinds of diversity and the importance of considering integrated identities. Although written for counselors, the article is easy to understand and widely applicable.
Robertson, R. (1992). Beginner’s guide to Jungian psychology. York
Beach, ME: Nicholas-Hays.
- This is a highly readable and lively account of the basic concepts of Jungian psychology.
Rodin, J. (1992). Body traps: Breaking the binds that keep you from feeling good about your body. New York: Morrow.
- Rodin examines the American preoccupation with appearance, good looks, and fitness and demonstrates the psychological effects of this preoccupation. The book includes self-tests and specific practical advice.
Rogers, C. R. (1995). On becoming a person. New York: Houghton Mifflin.
- This classic book explores person-centered psychotherapy.
Ryan, C., & Futterman, D. (1998). Lesbian and gay youth: Care & counseling. New York : Columbia University Press.
- This book is a comprehensive guide to the health and mental health needs of lesbian and gay youth. The sidebars and appendices give the reader important information at a glance. A valuable resource.
Schiller, L. (1994). The quiet room: A journey out of the torment of madness. New York: Warner.
- The gripping story of descent into schizophrenia starting at the age of 18 and eventual recovery, much in the tradition of I Never Promised You a Rose Garden.
Schreiber, F. R. (1973). Sybil. New York: Warner.
- This famous book (made into a movie) presents a case of multiple personality disorder involving 16 selves.
Segall, M., Dasen, P., Berry, J., & Poortinga, Y. (1999). Human behavior in global psychology (2nd ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
- This book addresses a wide range of issues from the cross-cultural perspective.
Smith, M. (1985). When I say no, I feel guilty: How to cope—using the skills of systematic assertive therapy. New York: Bantam Books.
- The author deals with assertiveness, particularly how to say “no” without feeling guilty; includes specific advice and many examples.
Styron, W. (1990). Darkness visible: A memoir of madness. New York: Random House.
- This is the best-selling autobiographical account of the author’s severe depression and eventual recovery.
Terr, L. (1990 ). Too scared to cry: Psychic trauma in childhood. New York: Basic Books.
- This is a profoundly moving account of the effect of severe trauma on children; includes numerous studies.
Torrey, E. F. (1988). Nowhere to go: The tragic odyssey of the homeless mentally ill. New York: Harper & Row.
- This is a “scathing indictment” of deinstitutionalization and resulting problems for the homeless mentally ill; describes how the problem arose and what should be done about it.
Torrey, F. F. (1995). Surviving schizophrenia: A manual for families (3rd ed.). New York: HarperCollins.
- This classic reference on the nature, causes, symptoms, and treatment of schizophrenia includes material on living and coping with schizophrenia in the family.
Trickett, E. J., Watts, R. J., Birman, D. (Eds.). (1994). Human diversity: Perspective on people in context. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
- This book draws upon both differences and similarities across various groups with a recurring theme for understanding a common cause rooted in historical, cultural, and sociopolitical contexts. Leading scholars share their paradigm and conceptual frameworks on various aspects of human diversity.
Weinberg, G. (1995). Invisible masters: Compulsions and the fear that drives them. New York: Plume.
- This book presents four case studies of obsessions and compulsions, which illustrate the sources, effects, and treatment of these disorders.
Zimbardo, P. G., & Leippe, M. R. (1991). The psychology of attitude change and social influence. New York: McGraw-Hill.
- This book discusses conformity, cognitive dissonance, influence through communication, resisting influence, subliminal influence, law, and health. It is filled with current and historical real-life examples, from religious cults to terrorism to selling cigarettes.
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