Abnormal Psychology: A Discovery Approach [Hardcover]

Steven Schwartz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 7, 2000 | ISBN-10: 1559342668 | ISBN-13: 978-1559342667 | Edition: 1

This comprehensive introduction to abnormal psychology bridges the gap between research and application by balancing theory and research with the clinical experience. The text thoroughly integrates in-depth clinical examples that include primary source documents, allowing students to discover for themselves the complexities of the possible causes, diagnoses, treatments and preventions of various psychological disorders. Each chapter is built around a case study (not just a snapshot or vignette as in most texts) that is carried throughout the chapter. Each case includes primary source materials (e.g. medical reports and police reports) which help guide students to a complete understanding of possible diagnoses, treatments, preventions, and outcomes. The text takes a biopsychosocial approach and completely integrates history, ethics, and legal issues as well as topics concerning gender, culture, and ethnic issues.

Author Biography: Steven Schwartz received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Syracuse University in New York. He has been a visiting professor at Harvard and Stanford Universities, has taught clinical psychology in the graduate program at the University of Western Australia and the University of Queensland, and he is the current President of Murdoch University in Perth, Western Australia. Throughout his academic career, Dr. Schwartz has received distinguished fellowships and prizes from such organizations as the National Institutes of Health, the Red Cross, the Brain Research Foundation, the World Health Organization, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the American Psychological Association, the Royal Society of London, the Australian Academy of Science, and the Australian Government.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 718 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages; 1 edition (January 7, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1559342668
• ISBN-13: 978-1559342667
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.8 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #542,397 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent introductory text for psychology students., June 5, 2000

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Abnormal Psychology: A Discovery Approach (Hardcover)

Abnormal Psychology: A Discovery Approach is a complete, comprehensive, integrated introduction that includes case studies and primary documents illustrating suicidal ideation, anxiety disorder, anorexia/eating disorders, stress, violence, substance abuse, dissociative disorders, mood disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, intellectual and cognitive disorders, childhood and adolescent disorders, and sexual disorders. Abnormal Psychology covers the history of this aspect medical history, ethics, and legal issues, the integration of gender, culture and ethnicity, the DSM-IV, research methods, treatments, and more. Abnormal Psychology is a highly recommended introductory text for students of psychology.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Undergraduate Abnormal Psychology, May 10, 2003

By 

John Vickery (Memphis, TN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Abnormal Psychology: A Discovery Approach (Hardcover)

This was my textbook for an upper level undergraduate psychology class. It is intended for use in a survey course in abnormal psychology. It begins with a case history which is referred to as the book progresses. An overview of the four main psychological paradigms comes next. The subsequent chapters examine topics in abnormal psychology under these paradigms. There is also a chapter on psychological assessment, testing, and classification. The subjects that the book covers range across anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, personality disorders, dissociative disorders, sexual dysfunctions, etc. The DSM-IV classification criteria are given for the discussed disorders. For the most part, each chapter uses case studies to exemplify its points. I found this to help ground what I was reading in real life scenarios. Aside from this, there are several side notes and highlights in the text which round out the picture. It is not difficult to read through, and I did not feel that anything was left out. An undergraduate introductory psychology class is a help and should be a prerequisite for reading the book, but one can manage without it. There are also several color photos and charts interspersed throughout the book. This keeps the reader from becoming too bogged down in black and white text. Also, each chapter is divided and subdivided neatly into headings which make for an easier read if one must take a break and provide for easier reference. While the book will not allow the reader the ability to immediately practice psychology, I found it to serve quite well as an undergraduate textbook.