Personality: Theory and Research [Paperback]

Lawrence A. Pervin (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471571709 | ISBN-13: 978-0471571704 | Publication Date: January 1993 | Edition: 6th

An in-depth, unbiased presentation of important theories of personality. Emphasizes and delineates the connection between theory and research. Provides case histories which concretely illustrate corresponding abstract concepts. Discusses each major theory while analyzing its strengths and weaknesses. Updated to present cutting-edge developments in its field and to broaden the scope of research to include important aspects of human emotion and motivation.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Though revised often and deeply over the past 40 years, say Cervone (U. of Illinois-Chicago) and Pervin (emeritus, Rutgers U.), the psychology textbook still presents the major theoretical perspectives on personality, integrates theory with research and case material, and provides the basis for comparing the theories." (Book News Inc, November 2010) --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From the Back Cover

A respected classic, revised with a new emphasis on biology!

Through seven best-selling previous editions, Lawrence Pervin and Oliver John's PERSONALITY has helped countless readers unravel the mysteries of  human personality. Both scholarly and accessible, this comprehensive, unbiased text presents the major theories of personality and integrates them with the latest research, analyzes the strengths and limitations of each approach, and illustrates each theory with cases, including a single case considered from all theoretical viewpoints.

Now in a new, fully updated and revised English Edition, this classic text contains a new Chaptet 9, Biological Foundations of Personality. This timely new chapter relates cutting-edge developments in evolutionary theory, genetics, and neuroscience to the field of personality.

Features of the Eighth Editions:

•  New boxes throughout the text illustrate how concepts can be applied to issues force in daily life.
• Chapter-opening anecdotes capture, in vivid language, a core assumption or theme of the chapter.
• "Questions to be Addressed" at the beginning of each chapter focus in general issues that will be discussed.
• Throughout the discussions, readers are encouraged to weigh the evidence and come to their own considerations.
• Compares theories in terms of the issues being addressed.
• Addresses the contributions from both clinical case studies and empirical research.
• Discusses the value of alternative theoretical approaches to the field.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 563 pages
• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc; 6th edition (January 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471571709
• ISBN-13: 978-0471571704
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #275,580 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Integrated Approach to Personality., April 2, 2002

By 

Srebrenica Forever (Sweden) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Personality: Theory and Research (Hardcover)

This extraordinarily well-written book encompasses an integrated approach to personality and its complexity. Needless to say, the field of personality is extremely intricate and dynamic. However, Pervin manages to provide a comprehensive yet lucid account of the most important approaches to personality. The strength of this book is that it integrates all the major perspectives. What is more, every chapter features key words, summaries and most importantly contributions and criticisms of each theory. The book is well structured and written in a way that captures the reader's attention. Thus, it is interesting, informative and extremely useful. Moreover, every theory gives its explanation to psychopathology and its possible causes. It should however be pointed out that this book is intended primarily for academic purposes. Nevertheless, I strongly recommend this book to all people who want to gain an insight into psychology at its best! After all, I think it is momentous to gain an insight into why some people develop maladaptive behavioral patterns and show systematic errors in thinking. Finally, this book attempts to answer the most difficult question pertaining to this dynamic field, namely: what factors contribute to the development of personality? Pervin clearly shows that interplay between biological and environmental determinants is necessary to provide an adequate explanation of personality. In my view, a theory that fails to intertwine both biological predispositions and environmental determinants with respect to personality is a flawed theory. Furthermore, a theory that cannot be disproved is a poor theory. In conclusion, this is truly an excellent book that integrates both descriptive and explanatory elements.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Personality Theory Book, October 10, 2010

By 

Say Something - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Personality: Theory and Research (Hardcover)

This book is concise, easy to follow difficult concepts, very current, well-rounded views of theories, each chapter layout is excellent (not only to the point but also offers cohesiveness throughout each chapter), great chapter outlines that are solid, great summary reviews, and a good case study to follow throughout the different theories. I would recommend it to anyone studying personality.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Psych book, January 4, 2012

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vicking1872 - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Personality: Theory and Research (Paperback)

book is in great condition & was delivered quickly. MY issue is that when I clicked on the ad on Amazon it showed me a picture of the 11th edition but said the book I was looking for would be the one sent. I was looking for the 10th edition, I received the 6th. I can still work with it but not as well as I could with the 10th.