20 Best Books About Psychology (2026 Update)

#1 national bestseller #1 international bestsellerwhat does everyone in the modern world need to know? renowned psychologist jordan b. peterson's answer to this most difficult of questions uniquely combines the hard-won truths of ancient tradition with the stunning revelations of cutting-edge scientific research.humorous, surprising and informative, dr. peterson tells us why skateboarding boys and girls must be left alone, what terrible fate awaits those who criticize too easily, and why you should always pet a cat when you meet one on the street.what does the nervous system of the lowly lobster have to tell us about standing up straight (with our shoulders back) and about success in life? why did ancient egyptians worship the capacity to pay careful attention as the highest of gods? what dreadful paths do people tread when they become resentful, arrogant and vengeful? peterson journeys broadly, discussing discipline, freedom, adventure and responsibility, distilling the world's wisdom into 12 practical and profound rules for life. 12 rules for life shatters the modern commonplaces of science, faith and human nature, while transforming and ennobling the mind and spirit of its readers.

A hands-on approach to exploring the human mindtoo often, textbooks turn the noteworthy theories, principles, and experiments of psychology into tedious discourse that even freud would want to repress. psych 101 cuts out the boring details and statistics, and instead, gives you a lesson in psychology that keeps you engaged – and your synapses firing.from personality quizzes and the rorschach blot test to b.f.

Learn about human nature, behavior and how the mind works with the psychology book. – part of the fascinating big ideas series, this book tackles tricky topics and themes in a simple and easy to follow format. learn about psychology in this overview guide to the subject, great for beginners looking to learn and experts wishing to refresh their knowledge alike! the psychology book brings a fresh and vibrant take on the topic through eye-catching graphics and diagrams to immerse yourself in. – the psychology book is the perfect introduction to the science, aimed at adults with an interest in the subject and students wanting to gain more of an overview. here you’ll discover key concepts by psychologists who have significantly enhanced our understanding of the human mind and behavior. learn about everyone who’s contributed to the big ideas in psychology, incorporating the ideas of today’s scientists as well those of the ancient philosophers and pioneers. your psychology questions, simply explained – if you thought it was difficult to learn psychology and its many concepts, the psychology book presents the key ideas in a clear layout. learn about the key personalities of the 19th and 20th centuries whose work has made significant contributions to our understanding of human behavior. fantastic mind maps and step-by-step summaries explain the line of thought clearly for students of psychology and for anyone with a general interest in understanding the human mind. – with millions of copies sold worldwide, the psychology book is part of the award-winning big ideas series from dk. the series uses striking graphics along with engaging writing, making big topics easy to understand.

In this innovative approach to the introductory course, john cacioppo and laura freberg present psychology as a multidisciplinary, integrative science that is relevant for students of all majors. in discovering psychology, 3rd edition, the authors use a familiar chapter structure to provide an easy roadmap for the course, while highlighting connections within psychology as well as between psychology and other disciplines. the writing and features are smart and engaging, and consistently illustrate the benefit of using multiple perspectives within psychology. cacioppo and freberg offer the best science possible, including exciting new research findings likely to expand students' understanding of psychology as a scientific field of study. features and images coordinate with and enhance the text, providing additional opportunities for critical thinking and connecting ideas.important notice: media content referenced within the product description or the product text may not be available in the ebook version.

Discover an empowering new way of understanding your multifaceted mind—and healing the many parts that make you who you are.is there just one “you”? yet dr. richard schwartz’s research now challenges this “mono-mind” theory. “all of us are born with many sub-minds—or parts,” says dr. “these parts are not imaginary or symbolic. they are individuals who exist as an internal family within us—and the key to health and happiness is to honor, understand, and love every part.” dr. schwartz’s internal family systems (ifs) model has been transforming psychology for decades. with no bad parts, you’ll learn why ifs has been so effective in areas such as trauma recovery, addiction therapy, and depression treatment—and how this new understanding of consciousness has the potential to radically change our lives. here you’ll explore: – the ifs revolution—how honoring and communicating with our parts changes our approach to mental wellness – overturning the cultural, scientific, and spiritual assumptions that reinforce an outdated mono-mind model – the ego, the inner critic, the saboteur—making these often-maligned parts into powerful allies – burdens—why our parts become distorted and stuck in childhood traumas and cultural beliefs – how ifs demonstrates human goodness by revealing that there are no bad parts – the self—discover your wise, compassionate essence of goodness that is the source of healing and harmony – exercises for mapping your parts, accessing the self, working with a challenging protector, identifying each part’s triggers, and moreifs is a paradigm-changing model because it gives us a powerful approach for healing ourselves, our culture, and our planet. as dr. schwartz teaches, “our parts can sometimes be disruptive or harmful, but once they’re unburdened, they return to their essential goodness.

Are you truly in danger or has your brain simply "tricked" you into thinking you are? in the worry trick, psychologist and anxiety expert david carbonell shows how anxiety hijacks the brain and offers effective techniques to help you break the cycle of worry, once and for all.anxiety is a powerful force. it makes us question ourselves and our decisions, causes us to worry about the future, and fills our days with dread and emotional turbulence. based in acceptance and commitment therapy (act) and cognitive behavioral therapy (cbt), this book is designed to help you break the cycle of worry.worry convinces us there's danger, and then tricks us into getting into fight, flight, or freeze mode–even when there is no danger. the techniques in this book, rather than encouraging you to avoid or try to resist anxiety, shows you how to see the trick that underlies your anxious thoughts, and how avoidance can backfire and make anxiety worse.if you're ready to start observing your anxious feelings with distance and clarity–rather than getting tricked once again–this book will show you how.

50 great myths of popular psychology uses popular myths as a vehicle for helping students and laypersons to distinguish science from pseudoscience. uses common myths as a vehicle for exploring how to distinguish factual from fictional claims in popular psychology explores topics that readers will relate to, but often misunderstand, such as 'opposites attract', 'people use only 10% of their brains', and 'handwriting reveals your personality' provides a 'mythbusting kit' for evaluating folk psychology claims in everyday life teaches essential critical thinking skills through detailed discussions of each myth includes over 200 additional psychological myths for readers to explorecontains an appendix of useful web sites for examining psychological myths features a postscript of remarkable psychological findings that sound like myths but that are true engaging and accessible writing style that appeals to students and lay readers alike

What is our connection with other life forms? what are the mechanisms of mind that define what it means to be a human being? evolutionary psychology is a revolutionary new science, a true synthesis of modern principles of psychology and evolutionary biology. since the publication of the award-winning first edition of evolutionary psychology, there has been an explosion of research within the field. buss examines human behavior from an evolutionary perspective, providing students with the conceptual tools needed to study evolutionary psychology and apply them to empirical research on the human mind. this edition contains expanded coverage of cultural evolution, with a new section on culture-gene co-evolution, additional studies discussing interbreeding between modern humans and neanderthals, expanded discussions of evolutionary hypotheses that have been empirically disconfirmed, and much more! evolutionary psychology features a wealth of student-friendly pedagogy including critical-thinking questions and case study boxes designed to show how to apply evolutionary psychology to real-life situations. it is also accompanied by a thoroughly updated companion website featuring powerpoints for each chapter, test bank questions, and links to web resources and videos. evolutionary psychology is an invaluable resource for undergraduates studying psychology, biology and anthropology.

Psychologist mihaly csikszentmihalyi's famous investigations of "optimal experience" have revealed that what makes an experience genuinely satisfying is a state of consciousness called flow. during flow, people typically experience deep enjoyment, creativity, and a total involvement with life. in this new edition of his groundbreaking classic work, csikszentmihalyi demonstrates the ways this positive state can be controlled, not just left to chance.

What is our connection with other life forms? what are the mechanisms of mind that define what it means to be a human being? evolutionary psychology is a revolutionary new science, a true synthesis of modern principles of psychology and evolutionary biology. since the publication of the award-winning first edition of evolutionary psychology, there has been an explosion of research within the field. buss examines human behavior from an evolutionary perspective, providing students with the conceptual tools needed to study evolutionary psychology and apply them to empirical research on the human mind. this edition contains expanded coverage of cultural evolution, with a new section on culture-gene co-evolution, additional studies discussing interbreeding between modern humans and neanderthals, expanded discussions of evolutionary hypotheses that have been empirically disconfirmed, and much more! evolutionary psychology features a wealth of student-friendly pedagogy including critical-thinking questions and case study boxes designed to show how to apply evolutionary psychology to real-life situations. it is also accompanied by a thoroughly updated companion website featuring powerpoints for each chapter, test bank questions, and links to web resources and videos. evolutionary psychology is an invaluable resource for undergraduates studying psychology, biology and anthropology.

Understand psychology's big ideas, from psychoanalysis to cognition." what do dreams mean?" "how do i fit in?" you can learn more about some of the possible answers to these and many other questions in the world of psychology. heads up psychology introduces you to freud, maslow, pavlov and other psychologists, using questions and answers to show how psychology is related to real life.psychology is all around us, influencing emotions, motivation and personality. want the big ideas broken down and explained? heads up psychology makes it easy to engage with psychology's big concepts, including psychoanalysis, intelligence and mental disorders. this introduction to psychology clearly explains psychological theories to answer the questions that you care about in everyday life, such as "why do good people do bad things?" heads up psychology also includes 'real world' features explaining the influence of psychology in all areas of life and 'case study' panels that describe ground-breaking experiments.heads up psychology is perfect for anyone looking for the real-life relevance of psychology. 2014 dorling kindersley ltd 2026 dk audio

The psychology of judgment and decision making offers a comprehensive introduction to the field with a strong focus on the social aspects of decision making processes. winner of the prestigious william james book award, the psychology of judgment and decision making is an informative and engaging introduction to the field written in a style that is equally accessible to the introductory psychology student, the lay person, or the professional. a unique feature of this volume is the reader survey which readers are to complete before beginning the book. the questions in the reader survey are drawn from many of the studies discussed throughout the book, allowing readers to compare their answers with the responses given by people in the original studies.

In an emotionally revealing way john bradshaw shows us how toxic shame is the core problem in our compulsions, co-dependencies, addictions and the drive to super-achieve. the result is a breakdown in the family system and our inability to go forward with our lives. drawing from his 22 years of experience as a counselor, bradshaw offers us the techniques to heal this shame. using affirmations, visualizations, "inner voice" and "feeling" work plus guided meditations and other useful healing techniques, he releases the shame that binds us to the past. this important book breaks new ground in the core issues of societal and personal breakdown, offering techniques of recovery vital to all of us.

If you want to know your freud from your jung and your milgram from your maslow, strap in for this whirlwind tour of the highlights of psychology. including accessible primers on: the early thinkers who contributed to psychological ideas and the birth of modern psychology famous (and often controversial) experiments and their repercussions what psychology can teach us about memory, language, conformity, reasoning and emotions the ethics of psychological studies recent developments in the modern fields of evolutionary and cyber psychology.

The leading textbook in sport and exercise psychology is back in a revised seventh edition, and it again raises the bar with its engaging introduction to the field. foundations of sport and exercise psychology, seventh edition with web study guide, offers both students and new practitioners a comprehensive view of sport and exercise psychology, drawing connections between research and practice and capturing the excitement of the world of sport and exercise. internationally respected authors robert weinberg and daniel gould continue to gather and incorporate feedback from teachers and students with each edition, building a text that addresses emerging trends and remains relevant and up to date. in-depth learning aids have been refreshed, including chapter objectives and summaries, sidebars, key terms, key points, and discussion questions to help students think more critically about applying the material. other updates to the seventh edition include the following: – a new chapter on diversity and inclusion addressing topics related to gender, ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, and disability – new content on popular and emerging areas such as grit, mindfulness, organizational sport psychology, and technology in sport psychology – additional modern-day practical examples and anecdotes to better illustrate concepts – updated references, including more contemporary sources foundations of sport and exercise psychology provides students with a unique learning experience–taking them on a journey through the field's origins, key concepts, research development, and career options available in the field. after this introduction to the field, the text shifts focus to personal factors that affect performance and behavior in sport, physical education, and exercise settings. it augments those concepts by factoring in situational circumstances that influence behavior, group interaction and processes, and the use of psychological techniques to help people perform more effectively. students will gain critical insights into the role psychological factors play in health and exercise and the psychological consequences of participation in sport and physical activity, including children's psychological development through sport participation, aggression in sport, and moral development and good sporting behavior in sport and physical activity contexts. the updated web study guide serves as an important learning tool to support the educational journey. with more than 100 engaging activities, it allows students to apply the concepts from the text by completing activities for each chapter: – use actual sport and exercise psychology instruments to assess their skills – determine how to respond to real-life scenarios (with short answers or essays) – review research studies and experiments – search the internet for relevant information – apply and test their understanding of principles and concepts of sport and exercise psychology many of the study guide activities offer compelling audio and video clips that reveal how sport psychology consultants communicate with athletes and coaches to improve athletic experiences. these clips feature esteemed experts from the field discussing concepts that they have studied and refined during their professional careers. to further emphasize practical application, the activities can be integrated throughout a full semester, turning course units into a unified whole that builds upon itself for greater understanding of the field. in addition to the web study guide, instructors will have access to a full suite of ancillaries: an instructor guide, test package, chapter quizzes, and presentation package plus image bank. plus instructors have access to a special instructor video library featuring more than 120 video clips.

The definite account of psychologist jean piaget's work jean piaget's influence on psychology has been profound. his pathbreaking investigations and theories of cognitive development have set child psychology moving in entirely new directions. his bold speculations have provided the inspiration for the work of others. his studies have been the subject of many books and countless articles. and, significantly, his influence has spread to other disciplines and is having an ever-growing impact on the general culture at large.here jean piaget, with the assistance of his long-time collaborator bärbel inhelder, offers a definitive presentation of the developmental psychology he has elaborated over the last forty years. this comprehensive synthesis traces each stage of the child's cognitive development, over the entire period of childhood, from infancy to adolescence.

Real world psychology balances comprehensive coverage of the key concepts in introductory psychology with a concise presentation style and engages students with current and interesting research that explores these concepts in real-life contexts. real world psychology features the incomparable author team of karen huffman (palomar college) and catherine sanderson (amherst college) who create an outstanding text that is appealing to students and instructors at a wide range of academic institutions. the new edition has been thoroughly updated and features a new focus on scientific thinking and practical applications underscoring the fact that connecting the principles of psychological science to everyday life is critical to student engagement, and ultimately key to their success – not only in the introductory psychology course, but in whatever their chosen field of study and in everyday life. students will leave the course with an appreciation of how a basic, yet scientific understanding of human behavior can benefit them in their studies, in their personal lives, and in their professional endeavors.

Survivor has proven to be one of the most popular shows to ever hit television screens. from why macho alpha males rarely win to stress and body image, from situational ethics to the dreaded rob cestaries factor, psychology of survivor is a broad look at cutting-edge psychological issues through the lens of survivor. 56" w x 9" h.

What could be more fascinating than the workings of the human mind? this stunningly illustrated new volume in the successful sterling milestones series chronicles the history of psychology through 250 landmark events, theories, publications, experiments, and discoveries. beginning with ancient philosophies of well-being, it touches on such controversial topics as phrenology, sexual taboos, electroshock therapy, multiple personality disorder, and the nature of evil.

New book protect yourself by learning how to trust — and act on — your instincts with the "empowering" #1 bestseller from personal safety expert gavin de becker (boston globe). a carjacker lurking in a shopping mall parking lot. an abusive husband pounding on the door. a disgruntled employee brandishing a gun. these days, no one is safe from the specter of violence. but according to gavin de becker, everyone can feel safer, act safer, be safer — if they learn how to listen to their own sixth sense about danger. de becker has made a career of protecting people and predicting violent behavior. his firm handles security for many of the leading figures in hollywood and silicon valley, and his computerized risk-assessment system helps analyze threats to members of congress and the supreme court. now, in this unprecedented guide, de becker shares his expertise with everyone. covering all the dangerous situations people typically face — street crime, domestic abuse, violence in the workplace — de becker provides real-life examples and offers specific advice on restraining orders, self-defense, and more. but the key to self-protection, he demonstrates, is learning how to trust our own intuitions. for everyone who's ever felt threatened, this book is essential reading.