This successful text puts "personality" back into the personality course, integrating the classic insights of the personality theorists with modern research in a manner that will fascinate and captive students. Organized around eight basic aspects of personality-psychoanalytic, ego, biological, behaviorist, cognitive, trait, humanistic, and situational/interactionist-the text both explains the classic theories and also explores how the information applies to the student reader. The text presents a balanced, critical, yet optimistic approach. Personality encourages critical thinking about human nature. While holding the highest scientific standards, the text uses unique and provocative pedagogical devices (see below) to capture students' interest and bring the field of personality to life. It has been hailed as the best-written and most relevant personality textbook in the field.
Howard S. Friedman is Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of California in Riverside, California. For three decades, Professor Friedman has studied personality predictors of longevity, developing a scientific understanding of the "disease-prone personality" and the "self-healing personality." His latest book is "The Longevity Project: Surprising Discoveries for Health and Long Life from the Landmark Eight-Decade Study."
His scientific work on health and longevity has drawn wide attention in the scientific community and has been featured in popular media worldwide. In 2008, the Association for Psychological Science (APS) awarded him the James McKeen Cattell Fellow award, citing his research and ideas that are "changing how we think about the nature of health." Dr. Friedman is also the recipient of the career award for "Outstanding Contributions to Health Psychology" from the American Psychological Association (Div. 38). Professor Friedman is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS); the American Psychological Association (APA); and the Society of Behavioral Medicine.
Dr. Friedman is the Editor of the scientific journal called the Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. His research on nonverbal expressiveness and personal charisma has been widely applied in health promotion, leadership training, medical education, and viral marketing. The winner of several teaching awards, Friedman writes his books in an easy-read style, with the earnest learner in mind. A magna cum laude graduate of Yale University, Friedman received his doctorate from Harvard University, where he was a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellow.
