Personality and Individual Differences

Dr Bere Mahoney is a Chartered Psychologist and Chartered Scientist with over 10 years experience of lecturing on individual differences at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. She has been involved in the design and redesign of undergraduate university courses to ensure coverage of core areas and benchmark knowledge and skills for psychology at a number of UK universities, and acts as external examiner for a number undergraduate psychology programmes in the UK. She has published research on individual differences in social perceptions of criminality, and ageing, in addition to work on psychology undergraduates beliefs about the subject, its goals and ways of studying. Current research projects include the links between individual differences, disordered eating and fear of aging, the characteristics of victims of carious crime types, and lay theories of urban regeneration and well-being.

The book is an excellent reference point and contains some really useful information, particularly the chapter on the use of intellectual ability tests which is also relevant to cognitive psychology. The book is very well presented and makes good use of diagrams and pictures to break up the text and provide examples. I also particularly like the structure of each chapter and the use of learning outcomes, critical thinking activities and assignments.

• AcknowledgementsSeries editor′s introductionIndividual differences: aims, methods and ethicsPersonalityPersonality and physical healthAtypical personality traits and mental healthCultural and sex differences in personalityThe structure and determinants of intelligenceThe use of intellectual ability testsMotivationConclusions: the future of individual differences psychologyGlossaryReferencesIndex