Psychology For Dummies

Understand why you feel and act the way you do Psychology For Dummies is a fun, user-friendly guide to the basics of human behavior and mental processes. In plain English and using lots of everyday examples psychologist Dr. Adam Cash cuts through the jargon to explain what psychology is all about and what it tells you about why you do the things you do. With this book as your guide, you'll: gain profound insights into human nature; understand yourself better; make sense of individual and group behaviors; explore different approaches in psychology; recognize problems in yourself and others; make informed choices when seeking psychological counseling; and much more. * Shows you how understanding human psychology can help you make better decisions, avoid things that cause stress, manage your time to a greater degree, and set goals * Helps you make informed choices when seeking psychological counseling * Serves as an invaluable supplement to classroom learning From Freud to forensics, anorexia to xenophobia, Psychology For Dummies takes you on a fascinating journey of self discovery.Table of ContentsIntroduction 1 Part I: Getting Started with Psychology 5 Chapter 1: Seeing the Purpose of Psychology 7 Chapter 2: Making Sense of What People Do: Psychology Essentials 13 Part II: Picking Your Brain (And Body) 31 Chapter 3: Hardware, Software, and Wetware 33 Chapter 4: Conscious Beings 51 Chapter 5: Getting Sensitive 61 Part III: Thinking and Feeling and Acting 75 Chapter 6: Thinking and Speaking 77 Chapter 7: How Does That Make You Feel? 103 Chapter 8: Barking up the Learning Tree: Dogs, Cats, and Rats 123 Part IV: Me, You, and Everything in Between 143 Chapter 9: Developing an Award-Winning Personality 145 Chapter 10: Catching the First Boat off Isolation Island 173 Chapter 11: Conforming Like a Contortionist: Social Psychology 199 Chapter 12: Growing Up with Psychology 221 Chapter 13: Modern Abnormal Psychology 241 Part V: Building a Better You 263 Chapter 14: Assessing the Problem and Testing the Psyche 265 Chapter 15: Getting Comfy on the Couch 279 Chapter 16: Changing Behavior, Changing Thinking 291 Chapter 17: Being a Person Is Tough: Client-Centered and Existential Therapies 311 Chapter 18: Stress, Illness, Growth, and Strength 325 Part VI: The Part of Tens 343 Chapter 19: Ten Tips for Maintaining Psychological Health 345 Chapter 20: Ten Great Psychological Movies 351 Index 357Author BiographyAdam Cash, PsyD, is Clinical Director of Specialized Psychology Solutions, a child psychology clinic specializing in behavior, learning, development, and autism spectrum disorders. He has taught at the community college and university levels and also worked as a forensic psychologist.