Customer Reviews

A Brief History of Modern Psychology

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Reading this for my History of Psych class was actually enjoyable. Ludy Benjamin writes well, in clear terms, and has a sense of humor. Hated the class - LOVED this book. I wish he would write on some other topics in psychology as well.

At just a little over 200 pages, this is indeed brief. Nevertheless, it does a good job of organizing the material. It starts at the beginning of the birth of "true" psychology with Wundt while touching upon the pseudosciences of phrenology and physiognomy. It does a good job of explaining the evolution of the science throughout the book and focuses on specific areas in each chapter. However, I would have liked it if the author had delved into psychoanalysis just a bit more, owing to the fact that the field has influenced pop psychology more than any other field and therefore most people reading this book have that kind of background.

Overall, this is a good read, but probably not worth the purchase price for its really just being an overview. You might do better paying a little extra for an old edition of a textbook and reading that, because it covers about the same material, only more indepth.

THIS IS A FINE SHORT BOOK ON RECENT PSYCHOLOGY. IT IS WELL WRITTEN AND EASILY READ. BENJAMIN HITS UPON THE MAIN POINTS AND AREAS OF PSYCHOLOGY IN THE "MODERN" ERA. THE SECTION EXPLAINING FREUD'S THEORIES AND THE LATER PART OF THE BOOK DEALING WITH BEHAVIOR, COGNITION, AND AREAS OF APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY ARE VERY WELL DONE. I AM A SCHOOL PSYCHOMETRIST AND I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK FOR ANYONE WANTING A SHORT TAKE ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY IN THE PAST 150 YEARS OR SO.

It's a good start. You can get a good start on a graduate level course with this book or use it as a primary text for undergraduates.

This book came in better condition than i expected and saved me lots of money! thanks!