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I have mixed feelings about this book. It's fun to be reminded, for example, of the "games people play" (Eric Berne) and, finally, I've learned how to pronounce the last name of flow theorist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi ("Chick-sent-me-hi"). But I don't consider Malcolm Gladwell, however smart and entertaining and interesting he is, to be on a par with Carl Jung and Karen Horney. I only recommend this book if you're looking for a Reader's Digest approach to psychology.
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Praise for
50 Psychology Classics “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 MD PhD, Professor and 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
50 Psychology Classics Who we are, how we think, what we do Insight and inspiration from 50 key books
Tom Butler-Bowdon
First published by Nicholas Brealey Publishing in 2007 Reprinted in 2007 3–5 Spafield Street 100 City Hall Plaza, Suite 501 Clerkenwell, London Boston EC1R 4QB, UK MA 02108, USA Tel: +44 (0)20 7239 0360 Tel: (888) BREALEY Fax: +44 (0)20 7239 0370 Fax: (617) 523 3708 http://www.nicholasbrealey.com http://www.butler-bowdon.com © Tom Butler-Bowdon 2007 The right of Tom Butler-Bowdon to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. ISBN-13: 978-1-85788-386-2 ISBN-10: 1-85788-386-1 Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication Data Butler-Bowdon, Tom, 1967– 50 psychology classics. p. cm. ISBN-13: 978-1-85788-386-2 ISBN-10: 1-85788-386-1 1. Psychological literature. I. Title. II. Title: Fifty psychology classics. BF76.8.B88 2007 150--dc22 2006026586 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording and/or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publishers. This book may not be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise disposed of by way of trade in any form, binding or cover other than that in which it is published, without the prior consent of the publishers. Printed in Finland by WS Bookwell.
For Cherry
Contents 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Acknowledgments Introduction
ix 1
Alfred Adler Understanding Human Nature (1927) Gavin de Becker The Gift of Fear: Survival Signals that Protect Us from Violence (1997) Eric Berne Games People Play: The Psychology of Human Relationships (1964) Robert Bolton People Skills: How to Assert Yourself, Listen to Others, and Resolve Conflicts (1979) Edward de Bono Lateral Thinking: Creativity Step by Step (1970) Nathaniel Branden The Psychology of Self-Esteem (1969) Isabel Briggs Myers Gifts Differing: Understanding Personality Type (1980) Louann Briz