After more than a century of extraordinary growth and development, the science of psychology at last has a reference source that defines the study of mind and behavior. Here in eight superbly organized volumes is the definitive guide to every area of psychological theory, research, and practice. The product of a unique collaboration between APA and Oxford University Press, the Encyclopedia of Psychology is a state-of-the-art synthesis of classic and contemporary knowledge.
International in scope, the Encyclopedia of Psychology will be the first place to turn to for authoritative information on every area of the field — and for answers to literally thousands of questions about concepts, methods, theories, findings, major figures, schools of thought, and emerging areas of interest. Organized alphabetically, the articles range from 500 to 7,000 words in length. Multi-article entries cover major topics in depth, and the 400 biographies constitute a mini-encyclopedia in itself. An extensive system of cross-references and blind entries facilitate research from article to article and clarify links within the field. An exhaustive index makes topic location quick and easy.
The Encyclopedia of Psychology serves a remarkable variety of readers: students and their teachers in every area of psychology as well as in such related fields as sociology, social work, nursing, and allied health; researchers in the cognitive sciences and neurosciences; and clinicians and other mental health and human service professionals. It will be the definitive information, research, and reference source for many years to come.
Table of contentsPsychology as a Discipline
Here's the core of the Encyclopedia — a carefully plotted, interconnected survey of concepts, theories, models, and fields. Readers will find a clearly written overview of the History and Philosophy of Psychology and comprehensive coverage of dozens of fields within psychology, from Animal Learning and Behavior to Sport Psychology, in articles that present the history of each field, its distinctive methods, perspectives, tools, and contributions.
There is also separate coverage of the major theories and models of psychology. Authoritative, balanced introductions review everything from Agency and Control Theory to Work Adjustment Theory. The Encyclopedia is a valuable professional resource as well, with up-to-date coverage of essential issues in training, ethics, and practice.
Biographies
The influential figures of psychology are fully represented in close to 400 biographies that span thousands of years and many different areas of achievement. Luminaries such as Sigmund Freud, Erik Erikson, and B. F. Skinner are covered, as well as the essential contributions of lesser-known figures, such as Gustav Theodor Fechner and Edmund Husserl. Many of the great minds that are often associated with other areas — Friedrich Nietzsche, René Descartes, and David Hume to name are few-but whose thinking has had extraordinary influence on how the self is understood are given unique coverage in the Encyclopedia.
Research Design and Statistics, Testing, and Assessment
From the diverse strategies of Qualitative Research to the techniques of Nonparametric Statistics and every other important quantitative method, the Encyclopedia is a primer on the fundamental tools of the behavioral scientists, covering in-depth such topics as the basic requirements for test construction and validation, leading methods of data analysis such as Factor Analysis, and much more, including the uses and limits of every major psychological test.
On Body and Mind, Brain and Behavior
How we think, feel, learn, remember, and communicate has always been a central concern of psychology. Close to 200 articles synthesize what we know about biological and cognitive processes. The articles bring together a remarkable body of knowledge about the body's basic systems, sensory processes, and projection, learning, memory, states of consciousness, thinking, language, communications, and emotion.
How do Cognitive Maps make sense of the world? What does Psycholinguistics investigate? What is the psychology of Joy? The biology of Taste? The dynamics of — and debates about — Repressed Memory? The Encyclopedia has the answers.
The Personal, Interpersonal, and the Social
Questions of identity — Who am I? What shapes me?-resonate through today's society as never before. The Encyclopedia's extensive coverage of personality and social psychology traces the connections between the self and its world, from foundation articles on Self-Esteem to surveys of dynamics that connect individuals and groups.
Here are 24 in-depth articles on Intelligence; extensive coverage of Sex and Gender; and expert surveys of every aspect of life in a social world-from the dynamics of Love and Friendship to the sources of Racism, Sexism, and Homophobia.
Development Across the Lifespan
What it means to be human through the stages of our lives is treated in articles on the psychology of Infancy and Early Childhood through to Adolescence, Adulthood, and Aging. Along the way, separate articles examine the passages we make in life from the psychology of Early Learning through to the stages of Death and Dying.
Institutions and Environments: Family, School, and Work
The Encyclopedia moves from the individual to the structures of daily life in a rich selection of articles on the psychology of the family, from Birth Order to Parent–Child Relationship; schooling and education; work, employment, and careers; neighborhoods and communities; machines and technology.
Cultural and Cross-Cultural Psychology
Twenty-seven entries comprise the Encyclopedia's coverage of the impact of culture on human identity and behavior-and the cultural contexts of psychological theory and practice in a diverse world.
Introductions to such core concepts as Acculturation, Alienation, Cultural Pluralism, and Ethnic and Racial Identity are complemented by surveys of ethnocultural groups and traditions-from African American Psychology to the psychological concerns of such groups as Migrants and Refugees.
Mental Health and Mental Disorders
Comprehensive coverage of adjustment and clinical dysfunction touches on three major areas: a broad range of behavioral and mental disorders, including Alcoholism, Panic Disorders, and Schizophrenia; physical illnesses and conditions, from Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome to the psychological implications of Vision Impairment; and social problems, from Child Abuse and Neglect to Sexual Harassment.
Throughout, the articles skillfully blend history, theory, research, and clinical findings, with an eye to current and future developments in research and treatment.
Health and Wellness
The Encyclopedia surveys the full range of psychological interventions, from preventive measures such as Headstart to psychosocial interventions (from Family Therapy to Genetic Counseling), pharmacological and other biological treatments to institutional care. Overviews of basic topics (Psychotherapy, for example) and critical assessments of each modality help readers understand the strengths and weaknesses of each approach.
Psychology and the Larger World
An important focus of the Encyclopedia is the relationship of psychology to other facets of the human enterprise. Discover the uses of psychological knowledge in such arenas as the law, politics, the military, religion, and the arts-from the psychology of Political Leadership to the interplay of psychology and Religious Symbol, Myth, and Ritual across many cultures and traditions.
Alan E. Kazdin, PhD, is professor and chair of the Department of Psychology at Yale University, and director of the Yale Child Conduct Clinic; his research is in developmental psychopathology and focuses on questions related to diagnosis, assessment, and treatment of childhood disorders.
Dr. Kazdin is author or co-author of more than 500 publications, including books on research design, psychopathology, clinical psychology, and therapy.
Edward B. Blanchard, PhD
University at Albany, State University of New York
Richard R. Bootzin, PhD
University of Arizona
Gordon Bower, PhD
Stanford University
Jane Close Conoley, PhD
Texas A&M University
Kay Deaux, PhD
Graduate Center, City University of New York
Ronald E. Fox, PhD
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Lenore W. Harmon, PhD
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
William C. Howell, PhD
Science Directorate, American Psychological Association
Anthony J. Marsella, PhD
University of Hawai'i at Manoa
Richard H. Price, PhD
University of Michigan
Henry L. Roediger, III, PhD
Washington University, St. Louis
Robert Rosenthal, PhD
University of California, Los Angeles
Neal W. Schmitt, PhD
Michigan State University
Jerome L. Singer, PhD
Yale University
Larry R. Squire, PhD
Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Diego
Carolyn Zahn-Waxler, PhD
National Institute of Mental Health