Product Description

In a journey spanning 50 books, hundreds of ideas and over a century, "50 Psychology Classics" looks at some of the most intriguing questions relating to what motivates us, what makes us feel and act in certain ways, how our brains work, and how we create a sense of self. "50 Psychology Classics" explores writings from some iconic figures such as Freud, Adler, Jung, skinner, James, Piaget and Pavolv, but also highlights the work of contemporary thinkers such as Gardner, Gilbert, Goleman and Seligman. We all need a personal theory of what makes people tick. To survive and thrive, we have to know who and what we are, and to be canny about the motivations of others. The common route to this knowledge is life experience, but we can advance our appreciation of the subject more quickly through reading. From the author of the bestselling "50 Self-Help Classics", "50 Success Classics" and "50 Spiritual Classics", which have sold over 100,000 in the English language and have been translated into 17 languages, "50 Psychology Classics" will further your understanding of human nature and yourself. You will find life-changing insights from 50 key books from the following authors: Alfred Adler; Gavin de Becker; Eric Berne; Edward de Bono; Robert Bolton; Nathaniel Branden; Isabel Briggs Myers; Louann Brizendine; David D Burns; Robert Cialdini; Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi; Albert Ellis and Robert Harper; Milton Erickson; Erik Erikson; Hans Eysenck; Susan Forward; Viktor Frankl; Anna Freud; Sigmund Freud; Howard Gardner; Daniel Gilbert; Malcolm Gladwell; Daniel Goleman; John M Gottman; Harry Harlow; Thomas A Harris; Eric Hoffer; Karen Horney; William James; Carl Jung; Eric Kandel; Alfred Kinsey; Melanie Klein; RD Laing; Abraham Maslow; Stanley Milgram; Ivan Pavlov; Fritz Perls; Jean Piaget; Steven Pinker; VS Ramachandran; Carl Rogers; Oliver Sacks; Barry Schwartz; Martin Seligman; Gail Sheehy; BF Skinner; Douglas Stone; William Styron; and, Robert E Thayer.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13422 in Books
• Published on: 2006-11-16
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 324 pages

Review
"At long last a chance for those outside the profession to discover that there is so much more to psychology than just Freud and Jung. 50 Psychology Classics offers a unique opportunity to become acquainted with a dazzling array of the key works in psychological literature almost overnight." --Dr Raj Persaud, Gresham Professor for Public Understanding of Psychiatry "This delightful book provides thoughtful and entertaining summaries of 50 of the most influential books in psychology. It's a 'must read' for students contemplating a career in psychology." --VS Ramachandran, Director, Center for Brain and Cognition, University of California, San Diego "A brilliant synthesis. The author makes complex ideas accessible and practical, without dumbing down the material. I found myself over and over thinking, 'Oh, that's what that guy meant.'" --Douglas Stone, lecturer on law at Harvard Law School and co-author of Difficult Conversations "Butler-Bowdon writes with infectious enthusiasm. He is a true scholar of this type of literature." --USA Today

From the Publisher
With a focus on psychology for non-psychologists,Tom
Butler-Bowdon, in his characteristic and successful style, looks at some of
the most intriguing questions
relating to what motivates us, what makes us feel and act in certain ways,
how our brains work, and how we create a sense of self. Deeper awareness in
these areas can
lead to self-knowledge, a better understanding of human nature, improved
relation- shi
ps and increased effectiveness.

50 Psychology Classics explores important contemporary writings such as
Gladwell's Blinkand Seligman's Authentic Happinessas well as wisdom from
iconic figures such as
Freud, Adler, Jung, Skinner, James, Piaget and Pavlov. In addition there
are fascinating insights from writers and thinkers such as Isabel Briggs
Myers, Eric Hoffer and
William Styron.

50 Psychology Classics examines:
What happiness really is
How intuition can save your life
The secrets of better communication and influencing skills
The science behind successful relationships
Why smart people get swept up in mass movements

Tom Butler-Bowdon explores some of psychology's most famous experiments and
research, such as Stanley Milgram's chilling demonstrations of human
willingness to obey authority,
Harry Harlow's work with baby monkeys revealing the importance of physical
contact to mental health and Alfred Kinsey's pot-stirring revelations about
people's real sex lives.

50 Psychology Classics highlights the often surprising scientific work that
has changed what we believe about our-
selves and what makes people tick.

With insightful commentaries on each classic, biographical information on
the authors plus a guide to further key titles,50 Psychology
Classicsprovides a unique overview of this fascinating sub- ject.

50 Psychology Classicswill further your understanding of human nature and
yourself, help you achieve happiness and mental health, increase
intelligence and achieve
more at work and improve relationships with insight and inspiration from:
* Alfred Adler * Gavin de Becker * Eric Berne * Edward de Bono * Robert
Bolton
* Nathaniel Branden * Isabel Briggs Myers * Louann Brizendine
* David D Burns * Robert Cialdini * Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
* Albert Ellis & Robert Harper * Milton Erickson * Erik Erikson *
Hans Eysenck * Susan Forward * Viktor Frankl * Anna Freud
* Sigmund Freud * Howard Gardner * Daniel Gilbert * Malcolm Gladwell
* Daniel Goleman * John M Gottman * Harry Harlow
* Thomas A Harris * Eric Hoffer * Karen Horney * William James * Carl Jung

* Eric Kandel * Alfred Kinsey * Melanie Klein * RD Laing * Abraham Maslow
* Stanley Milgram * Ivan Pavlov * Fritz Perls * Jean Piaget * Steven Pinker

* VS Ramachandran * Carl Rogers * Oliver Sacks * Barry Schwartz
* Martin Seligman * Gail Sheehy * BF Skinner * Douglas Stone * William
Styron *
Robert E Thayer

About the Author
Tom Butler-Bowdon is now recognized as an expert on the personal development literature. His 50 Classics series has been hailed as the definitive guide to 'the literature of possibility', and has won numerous awards including the Benjamin Franklin Self-Help Award and the Foreword Magazine's Book of the Year Award. A graduate of the London School of Economics and the University of Sydney, he lives and works in both the UK and Australia, and runs a self-help/success website.He is the author of the bestselling 50 Self-Help Classics, 50 Success Classics and 50 Spiritual Classics which have sold over 100,000 in the English language and have been translated into 17 languages.

Customer Reviews

Another life changing book from Tom Butler-Bowdon...
It is difficult to over estimate the beneficial effects that the books of Tom Butler-Bowdon have had on my life. This is his fourth in the series, though you can read it without having read 50 Self Help Classics, 50 Success Classics and 50 Spirituality Classics - though I would recommend them all.

50 Psychology Classics contains 50 gateways into books you might never otherwise read. Butler-Bowdon describes the key texts by each author in a style that is calm, yet never dry. He does not shy away from telling you which books are easy reads and which ones will tax you. There are many books that I want to investigate having read about them in 50 Psychology Classics. There's much more to psychology than Freud and Jung, though this book taught me a thing or two about them too.

In some instances I am just grateful for the deepening of my knowledge. Most people know about the experiments that Pavlov conducted with dogs and bell ringing. But having read Chapter 37: Ivan Pavlov's Conditional Reflexes: An Investigation of the Physiological Activity of the Cerebal Cortex, I know about the experiments in greater - and at one point gruesome - detail. It never occurred to me to ask, for example, how Pavlov measured the saliva created by the ringing of the bell.

Having had an interest in psychology for many years I realise that I have absorbed many of the ideas described, yet Butler-Bowdon does a sterling job of putting each of these ideas into context. I have a greater understanding of where these theories came from - and how they are related. There is such a wealth of information contained in this book I know that I will return to it again and again. It particularly rewards re-reading when you've read the classic book described. I also know that I'll end up buying extra copies of these to give to friends who want to think a little deeper about life, but who might be unsure which books to read next.

A Superb Overview & Introduction to Psychology
Remarkable! Tom's previous books in this series -on self-help, personal success literature, and spiritual classics- deserve to be considered classics in their own right. This latest volume expands the concept to encompass the field of psychology in a way that I'm sure will be indispensable not only to those with an amateur interest but to students of psychology, therapy, and the human sciences in general. It takes tremendous skill to encapsulate the essence of a whole genre in a bite-sized format of this kind but Tom has succeeded admirably and in a way that re-invigorates the source material.

I can't recommend this book highly enough to anyone with an interest in the study of psychology; there seems no better way of gaining an introduction to the wealth of literature available in the field. I'm sure any serious student will find this becomes a well-thumbed and lasting reference, an invaluable starting point for their forays into research.

[...]

Excellent comprehensive overview of psychology
Following on from Tom Butler-Bowdon's previous volumes in the "50 Classics" series, this first class collection of summaries of key psychology books and authors continues in the same broad, accessible, but also in-depth, style.

As the sub-title says, psychology is all about who we are, how we think, what we do. In other words, what it means to be human. Topics covered include the unconscious mind, happiness and mental health, the study of personality, motivation, love, creativity and relationships.

With key "in a nutshell" comments, the author cuts to the essential message of each writer, while addressing more complex subtleties in the accompanying text. As with Tom's other books, there is a very wide range of carefully chosen authors. I had come across several here in an academic context, but in general the emphasis is on popular psychology, "Psychology for nonpsychologists" as the jacket puts it. The range includes RD Laing, Oliver Sacks, Fritz Perls, Ivan Pavlov, Eric Berne, to pick a few random names. The founding fathers such as William James and Sigmund Freud are covered, alongside over a century's worth of contributions right up to Malcolm Gladwell with his 2005 bestseller on the importance of first impressions and split-second judgment.

There is a huge amount of psychological and self-development literature available these days. It can be difficult to know where to begin but each volume in the "50 Classics" is an excellent starting point. "50 Psychology Classics" is another winner in the series and I wholeheartedly recommend it!