Readings in Personality Psychology
John D. Mayer, University of New Hampshire

ISBN-10: 0205430988
ISBN-13: 9780205430987

Publisher: Allyn & Bacon
Copyright: 2007
Format: Paper; 224 pp
Published: 07/27/2006

Suggested retail price: $49.60
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A new, diverse collection of source materials for personality psychology that provide context and instruction to students.

 

Readings in Personality Psychology is designed to strengthen students’ understanding of personality psychology. Students are exposed to a variety of relevant readings and are provided with pedagogical features that will help them better understand and more fully appreciate the readings included.

 

This text has sixteen chapters of key readings from a diversity of sources. Included in the readings are contemporary theoretical articles, historical theoretical articles, reviews of important books and tests, and humorous writings.

  • An Introduction to the Type of Reading: An introduction to the type of reading and an overview of the sources in the field.
  • The Significance of Reading: Explanation of why this reading was chosen.
  • The Watch List: Specific section-by-section preparation for reading the article including;  vocabulary, background on psychological tests mentioned, and historical context.
  • Concluding Comments: Brief comments are provided at the end of the selection to help students reflect on what they’ve just read.
  • Study Questions: Review questions follow the readings.

A Systems Organization

 

INTRODUCTORY ISSUES

1. Reading Personality Psychology: Frequently Asked Questions

What Does It Mean to Read Personality Psychology?

Why Read Primary and Secondary Source Material?

Concluding Comments

2. Teaching Personality Psychology: The Professors’ Debate

Reading a Professional Newsletter

Teaching Personality (Brief comments by) M. Leary, J.D. Mayer, R. Hogan, R. Wheeler, R. Osborne, R. Baumeister, and D. Tice

Concluding Comments

3. Thinking Big about Personality Psychology

Encountering the Big Picture

What Do We Know When We Know a Person? D.P. Mcadams

Concluding Comments

4. The Proper Use of Psychological Tests: An Expert Speaks

An Expert’s Expert

What Counselors Should Know about the Use and Interpretation

Psychological Tests A. Anastasi                     

Concluding Comments

PARTS OF PERSONALITY

5. Exploring Parts of Personality with a Quasi-Experimental Design

Reading an Empirical Research Report

Sensations Seeking and the Need for Achievement among Study-Abroad Students M. Schroth

Concluding Comments

6. Exploring Parts of Personality with a Field Study

Reading about Field Study

Study Habits and Eyesenck’s Theory of Extraversion-Introversion J. B. Campbell & C. Hawley

Concluding Comments

7. Reading Programmatic Research: Studies about the Self

Reading Programmatic Research

Possible Selves H. Markus And P. Nuris

Concluding Comments

8. How Good Is the Measure of the Parts?

Reading a Test Review

Review of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children J.P. Braden

Concluding Comments

9. Some Funny Stuff

On Professional Humor

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory A. Rosen;

A Brief Report on Clinical Aspects of Procrastination K. Alberding, D. Antonuccio, & B.H. Tearnan

Concluding Comments

PERSONALITY ORGANIZATION

10. Reading Freud on Psychodynamics

Reading Freud and The Early-20th Century Grand Theorists

Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis ( From Lectures II, III and IV) S. Freud

Concluding Comments

11. Personality Dynamics in a Clinical Case Study

Reading a Case Study

Possibly False Confession in a Military Court-Martial: A Case Study S. A. Talmadge

Concluding Comments

12. Dynamics of Self-Control

Studying Personality Processes (Quasi-) Experimentally

Defensive Self-Deception and Social Adaptation among Optimists J. Norem

Concluding Comments

13. Changing Personality

Reading a Summary of Studies

Writing about Emotional Experiences as a Therapeutic Process J. W. Pennebaker

Concluding Comments

PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT

14. Studying Personality across Time

Reading Longitudinal Research

Transactional Links between Personality and Adaptation for Childhood through Adulthood R. Shiner and A. Masten

Concluding Comments

15. Reviewing a Book on Personality Developments

Using Book Reviews

Peering into the Nature-Nuture Debate W. Williams; Parents and Personality R. Plomin

Concluding Comments

16. A Stage Theory of Development

Help from a Grand Theorist

Eight Ages of Man E. Erikson

Concluding Comments

17. Re-Envisioning Development: Updating the Greats

Reading Back to the Future

Emerging Adulthood: A Theory of Development for the Late Teens through the Twenties J. J. Arnett

Concluding Comments

Editor’s References

Reading in the sciences is becoming an increasingly challenging affair.  Readings in Personality Psychology offers welcome help.  The book includes a diverse collection of source materials in personality psychology and provides support for students about how to read them.  

 

Readings In Personality Psychology is a book of readings for the undergraduate course in personality psychology. In addition to source readings, the book includes (new) original content that provides support, context, and instruction to students about how to read in the field.  The book's first chapter describes a rationale for reading in the discipline and discusses some of the major issues and challenges in doing so.  Each subsequent chapter describes a different sort of reading (e.g., original research report, theoretical review, book review, etc.) and the special challenges involved in reading and studying them. 

 

The primary Table of Contents organizes readings according to a systems approach: (a) introduction, (b) parts of personality, (c) personality organization, and (d) personality development.  The alternate Table of Contents organizes the readings according to major theoretical perspectives of the field: (a) introductory issues; (b) biological bases, dispositions, and traits; (c) psychodynamics and social cognition; and (d) humanistic and developmental approaches.

 

Readings include:

  •          Classics, such as a selection from Freud's Introductory Lectures
  •          Contemporary selections such as Arnett's Emerging Adulthood and McAdams'  What Do We Know When We Know a Person?
  •          Student-relevant articles such as, Study Habits and Eysenck's Theory of Extraversion-Introversion,
  •          Provocative case studies such as Possible False Confession in a Military Court Martial
  •          Review articles such as Markus & Nurius' Possible Selves
  •          Original essays introducing each chapter such as Reading an Empirical Research Report

View a Sample Chapter PDF:

For Personality Psychology


For Theories of Personality


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