Psychology?

[ratherGroggy]

I know the title encompasses a very large subject, but what the hell.

Are there any members here interested in the field of Psychology? I haven't taken a Psych class (taking an AP Psychology class next year), but I am looking for some books to read. So if you fit into this niche, can you list any good reading materials?

I just finished Sigmund Frued's Interpretation of Dreams, there was a good amount of time before I had total trouble figuring out what he was talking about--but I eventually got through it.

[Straight Hate]

The best I can do is recommend Carl Jung's Modern Man In Search of a Soul (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0156612062/qid=1080459308/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-0713375-6811307?v=glance&s=books).

I enjoyed it, though I'm the last one who'd be justified in noting its relevence

[catalyst]

I am going to move this to S&S.

Catalyst
Moderator

[kwigibo]

Well, I'm a Psych student. I can tell you for a start not to worry about Freud, you won't find many strict freudians in modern psychology, he's treated mostly as historical curiosity, with only slightly more relevance than Aristotle has to modern chemistry.

As to what to read, most of the interesting stuff is in the journals, I can't really think of any popularised psychology literature worth your time (as an introduction) other than general psychology text books.

[Bob K]

ratherGroggy:

Here is a strategy for learning what is psychology and for finding interesting issues in psychology:

1. Get an outline of psychology, an introduction to psychology, a dictionary of psychology, or a book about psychology.

Suggestions:

Dictionary of Psychology, J. P. Chaplin, Laurel Edition, Dell Publishing, Inc., 1 Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, New York, NY 10017, 1976.

Dictionary of Psychology, Arthur S. Reber, Viking Penguin Inc., 40 West 23rd Street, New York, NY 10010, 1985.

Introduction to Psychology, Ann L. Weber, Harper-Collins Publishers, 10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022, 1991.

Teach Yourself Psychology, Nicky Hayes, Teach Yourself Books, NTC Publishing Group, 4255 West Touhy Avenue, Lincolnwood (Chicago), IL 60646, 1999.

The Story of Psychology, Morton M. Hunt, Doubleday, Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc., 1540 Broadway, New York, NY 10036, 1993.

How to Think Straight About Psychology, Keith E. Stanovich, Scott Foresman and Company, Glenview, IL, 1988.

2. Read through tables of contents and/or indexes to find subjects which are interesting to you, and read those articles/chapters/etc.

Get an overview of psychology, as a field of study, as a science.

Psychology traditionally has been defined as

1. The science of the mind;
2. The science of behavior.

Cognitive psychology includes theories of human psychological problems and mental successes (the resolution of psychological problems).

Humanistic Psychotherapy, Dr. Albert Ellis, The Institute for Rational Living, Inc., McGraw-Hill Paperbacks, 1973.

See http://www.rebt.org for information inre Dr. Ellis and the Institute for Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy.

Cognitive Therapy and the Emotional Disorders, Dr. Aaron T. Beck, Meridian Books, The New American Library, Inc., 1301 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019, 1979.

What You Can Change ... And What You Can't: The Complete Guide to Successful Self-Improvement, Dr. Martin E. P. Seligman, First Ballantine Books Edition, Ballantine Books, Random House, Inc. New York, 1995.

My own cognitive theory of psychology, Operational Psychology, is presented on my website:

Website: http://www.bobkwebsite.com

http://www.bobkwebsite.com/#Psychology

http://www.bobkwebsite.com/oppsych1.html

Be sure that you understand what are operational definitions:

See Dictionary of Psychology, Arthur S. Reber,

... and

http://www.bobkwebsite.com/opdefs.html

Be also sure that you understand what is the Code of Science:

http://www.bobkwebsite.com/thecodeofscience.html

Regards,
Bob K.

[ratherGroggy]

Thanks very much for the replies, I'll try and follow your steps Bob K; thanks for the detailed listing.

Sorry for having this in the wrong forum to begin with. :banghead:

[EDIT]
Wow, great website Bob; that'll be going in my favorites list. :D

[Corey Hammer]

I know the title encompasses a very large subject, but what the hell.

Are there any members here interested in the field of Psychology? I haven't taken a Psych class (taking an AP Psychology class next year), but I am looking for some books to read. So if you fit into this niche, can you list any good reading materials?

I just finished Sigmund Frued's Interpretation of Dreams, there was a good amount of time before I had total trouble figuring out what he was talking about--but I eventually got through it.

Excepting historical context, Freud is mostly irrelevant to the current field. I'd just stay away from Jung, unless you're interested in philosophy. I'd start off by trying to find a book on the history of psychology (from Plato and Descartes all the way to the current era). Though expensive, the current state of the field is best described in "Psychology" by Bernstein et al. It's on it's 6th edition or you can get the "Essentials of Psychology" by Bernstein. It's a condensed and abridged version of the "Psychology" text. I've used both in teaching Intro Psych. If you want to get an idea of the current research directions in social psychology, the journal, "Journal of Personality and Social Psychology," is the premier journal for the field.

[Clutch]

Excepting historical context, Freud is mostly irrelevant to the current field. I'd just stay away from Jung, unless you're interested in philosophy. I'd start off by trying to find a book on the history of psychology (from Plato and Descartes all the way to the current era). Though expensive, the current state of the field is best described in "Psychology" by Bernstein et al. It's on it's 6th edition or you can get the "Essentials of Psychology" by Bernstein. It's a condensed and abridged version of the "Psychology" text. I've used both in teaching Intro Psych. If you want to get an idea of the current research directions in social psychology, the journal, "Journal of Personality and Social Psychology," is the premier journal for the field.

Groggy, CH has given you the best advice.

As someone who knows something about psychology, I hereby advise caution about BobK's idiosyncratic suggestions and links. For example, I know and have worked with many, many cognitive psychologists in a range of universities; none would recognize BobK's definitions as sharing much more than the word "cognitive" with their own work.

This doesn't mean that his focus and definitions are straight-up wrong; psychology is a very broad field, and there's room for darned near everything. But if you want to know how the field currently stands with respect to university-level research and teaching, I suggest following Corey's advice, and just reading an introductory survey text from a Psych class. Another good general introductory text is David Myers' Psychology.

[Matrioshka_Brain]

Well, I'm a psych student (in the high school sense). Don't take Freud or Jung to seriously.

On Freud and Carl Jung:

http://www.skepdic.com/psychoan.html
http://www.skepdic.com/jung.html

Repressed memories do in a way exist, they've found,

http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx?articleID=2004-01-08-5

but the aformentioned dynamic duo and their ideas are not to be confused with science. Not empyrical.

[Bob K]

As someone who knows something about psychology, I hereby advise caution about Bob K's idiosyncratic suggestions and links. For example, I know and have worked with many, many cognitive psychologists in a range of universities; none would recognize Bob K's definitions as sharing much more than the word "cognitive" with their own work.

This doesn't mean that his focus and definitions are straight-up wrong; psychology is a very broad field, and there's room for darned near everything. ...

You are obviously a graduate of the Joint Academy of Confused Knowledge, Obfuscation, and Fictitious Facts, or you would know that in the field of clinical psychology one of the forms of psychotherapy is cognitive psychotherapy--dealing with faulty thinking.

From http://www.encyclopedia.com

Definition/description of cognitive psychology:

http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/c1/cognitiv.asp

Definition/description of psychotherapy:

http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/p1/psychoth.asp

Psychotherapy ... Cognitive therapies try to show the client that certain, usually negative, thoughts are irrational, with the goal of restructuring such thoughts into positive, constructive ideas. Such methods include Albert Ellis's rational-emotive therapy, where the therapist argues with the client about his negative ideas; and Aaron Beck's cognitive restructuring therapy, in which the therapist works with the client to set attainable goals. ...

An Altavista search inre: "cognitive psychotherapy" produced thus:

http://www.altavista.com/web/results?q=%22cognitive+psychotherapy%22&kgs=1&kls=0

Operational Psychology deals with thought processes and is therefore a cognitive psychology/psychotherapy.

See http://www.bobkwebsite.com/#Operational_Psychology for Psychology for more information inre: Operational Psychology.

[Scorpion]

I'd just stay away from Jung, unless you're interested in philosophy.

I'm seriously worried about your idea of philosophy :D

-S-

[Gurdur]

Speaking as someone actually professionally trained in one sub-field of psych, Bob K.'s links are perfectly in order, and should be of great help.
And emptily flaming Bob K. for providing the info is hardly productive nor sensible.

Psychology is a huge field; it covers many, many sub-disciplines, and it's alos one of the most cross-disciplinary fields ever; you will find psychology popping up in everything from medicine to linguistics to animal behavioural studies to gawd knows what.

Psychotherapy is possibly a good field to actually stay away from, till one has done basics in psychology; there's quite a bit to be learnt from pure rats and stats, whilst Freud and Jung are mostly only pretty words.
Start off with very basic psych -- operant conditioning and the like, history of behaviourism; then get into the heavy cognitivism stuff. You'll find many different psych fields, like Organizational Psychology, Physiopsychology, Cognitive, yada yada yada.

BTW, Grizzly on this board is a psych prof, and knows his stuff well --- get in touch with him.

[Clutch]

You are obviously a graduate of the Joint Academy of Confused Knowledge, Obfuscation, and Fictitious Facts, or you would know that in the field of clinical psychology one of the forms of psychotherapy is cognitive psychotherapy--dealing with faulty thinking.

Calm down, Bob; I did not attack you personally, and it is out of line for you to do so now. As I said, your definitions are not necessarily false, but are idiosyncratic -- viz, that your links to psychotherapy should not be taken as representative of Cognitive Psychology, for example, since much of the university-level research in Cognitive Psychology has little or nothing to do with any particular school of psychotherapy.

Which is why I counselled that Groggy read good introductory texts rather than relying on specific links -- especially those you've written yourself, since you are not an authority on, e.g., "the code of science". This is perfectly consistent with taking your views into account, obviously.

[Clutch]

Speaking as someone actually professionally trained in one sub-field of psych, Bob K.'s links are perfectly in order, and should be of great help. And emptily flaming Bob K. for providing the info is hardly productive nor sensible.

BobK linked to his personal theory of "the code of science". He linked to his personal theory of "Operational Psychology", derived from his "code of science". You give no reason to suppose it unreasonable to "advise caution", as I did, about such views.

I reiterate: Groggy, or any newcomer to psychology, should (i) read widely used introductory university texts, in the first instance, and (ii) exercise caution towards the ideas expressed in BobK's websites, which are indeed idiosyncratic. Only someone desperate to find offense could characterize this as a flame.

[Gurdur]

Perhaps it would be possible, Clutch, for you to also give information about psychology without your completely unnecessary and erroneously exaggerated baiting of others.

[Clutch]

Perhaps it would be possible, Clutch, for you to also give information about psychology without your completely unnecessary and erroneously exaggerated baiting of others.

I am fully prepared to grant that, in your opinion, it was unnecessary for me to point out to Groggy that his enthusiasm for BobK's links should be tempered with caution.

As for the charges of error, exaggeration, or bad motives, you give no argument, so there is nothing to rebut. It is unsurprising that no evidence exists for these claims, of course, since they are false. I merely note the irony of your one-liner post, in light of your complaint about empty flames.

[Demosthenes]

Guys...let's keep it on the topic. Please refrain from any inflammatory comments.