Psychology: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) [Paperback]

Gillian Butler (Author), Freda McManus (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 2000 | ISBN-10: 0192853813 | ISBN-13: 978-0192853813

Psychology is part of everyone's experience: it influences the way we think about everything from education and intelligence to relationships and emotions, advertising, and criminality. People readily behave as amateur psychologists, offering explanations for what we think, feel, and do. But what exactly are psychologists trying to help us understand? What scientific grounding do they have for their approach?

In Psychology: A Very Short Introduction, Dr. Gillian Butler and Dr. Freda McManus provide an understanding of some of psychology's leading ideas and their practical relevance. The authors answer some of the most frequently asked questions about psychology including: What is psychology? How do we use what is in the mind? How does psychology work? How do we influence each other? What can or can't a psychologist do for you? Psychology is a large part of our everyday experience, and this elemental guide is a stimulating introduction for anyone interested in understanding the human mind.

About the Series: Combining authority with wit, accessibility, and style, Very Short Introductions offer an introduction to some of life's most interesting topics. Written by experts for the newcomer, they demonstrate the finest contemporary thinking about the central problems and issues in hundreds of key topics, from philosophy to Freud, quantum theory to Islam.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Gillian Butler now works as a Consultant Clinical Psychologist at the Warneford Hospital, Oxford, having previously spent nearly ten years doing research in the Department of Psychiatry at Oxford University. She is co-author (with Tony Hope) of Manage Your Mind: The Mental Fitness Guide. Freda McManus is a Research Cognitive Therapist in the Department of Psychiatry at Oxford University. She works on the development and evaluation of psychological treatments for anxiety disorders.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (June 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0192853813
• ISBN-13: 978-0192853813
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #507,151 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A broad scope and a straightforward approach, June 26, 2005

By 

Peter Reeve (Thousand Oaks, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Psychology: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) (Paperback)

A sleeves-rolled-up, business-like, straightforward survey of the field. Psychoanalysis is given short shrift. Freud gets a brief mention, but Jung, Adler and Reich get none at all. Not surprisingly, parapsychology, hypnotherapy and other fringe theories and therapies are also totally ignored. This is mainstream, orthodox psychology as taught at undergraduate level, the tradition that began with William James and is current in the profession.

The authors go for breadth rather than depth and manage to cover a surprising array of topics, and do so in a reliable and authoritative manner. They do slip up a couple of times, for example when mentioning linguistic relativity and reiterating the old myth about the plethora of Eskimo words for 'snow'. They wisely stay well away from the philosophical dimensions of the subject, such as the nature of consciousness. They simply use 'consciousness', 'awareness' and 'mindfulness' as if their meanings were transparent, which is fair enough in a book of this nature.

In these Very Short Introductions, space is at a premium and the few illustrations should be carefully chosen. Here we have a picture of a happy couple standing atop a hill, supposedly to illustrate the difficulty of distinguishing drives from goals. Would I be right in assuming it is actually a picture of one of the authors with a friend? A touch of irritating self-indulgence.

So, not the best entry in this series, but if you are looking for a current introduction to mainstream psychology and psychiatry, readable and informative, this is an excellent choice.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent introduction to a fascinating subject, February 10, 2004

By 

alexliamw (New Haven, CT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Psychology: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) (Paperback)

This is the second book I've read it the Very Short Introduction series and it has proved to be a continued success. This is a subject that has interested me for a few years but I've never got around to finding out about properly; now I know the basics and am very interested to learn more. It is superbly written in an accessible style with witty and thought-provoking examples and simple format and balanced writing that puts forward various competing theories as well as the facts.

Although it does not go into detail of theories of specific psychologists, there are whole volumes in the series of Freud and Jung, which I intend to purchase soon. This book has really opened up my mind to a fascinating topic and I am now considering studying it further. The two authors benefit from a combination of real expertise with the ability to speak to a novice. Whole-heartedly reccomended.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Refresher, July 24, 2008

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Well Read Post Grad "Lerin" (East Coast) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Psychology: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) (Paperback)

The other reviews of this book mention its benefits for those looking to fulfill their curiosity of the subject, but this small book is also a great refresher for people who have previously studied Psychology. As a teacher, I just found out I will be teaching Psychology as an elective course. I couldn't be more excited, but it has been a few years since I took courses, both at the high school and college level. This was a great, quick overview of the field that got my mind back in focus. I would highly recommend this to others.