Psychology and You

Julia C. Berryman is a Chartered Psychologist, and Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Leicester.Elizabeth M. Ockleford is at the Department of Health Sciences and is Honorary Lecturer in Psychology, University of Leicester, and Associate Lecturer at the Open University. She is a Chartered Psychologist.Kevin Howells is a Chartered Clinical and Forensic Psychologist, and Professor in the School of Community Health Sciences at the University of Nottingham.David J. Hargreaves is Professor of Education at Roehampton University.Diane J. Wildbur is a Chartered Psychologist, and Lecturer in Psychology at De Montfort University, Leicester.

Reviews of previous editions:"an excellent bridge between lay or media interest in psychology, and the more conventional introductory text" Psychology News "an ideal text for adult learners either in a classroom situation or as independent learners" Australian Journal of Psychology "[the authors] present their subject in a readable and engaging style and show a happy knack of identifying the real issues that intrigue people about personal experience" Times Higher Education Supplement Reviews of this new edition: "Subtitled ‘informal’ it is nevertheless impressively informative. With lucid explanations this book is accessible to all; novice or experienced reader; for those with casual interest in the subject or for others seeking an overview to a specific area of psychology … What a wonderful book!"Journal of Biological Education "This is an excellent first encounter with the discipline of psychology. It provides an authoritative and well written introduction to a range of topics, making them at once accessible to the novice while retaining the scientific basis of psychology" Dr Tony Cassidy, De Montfort University, UK "This book is a superb introduction to the many-faceted subject of psychology, the most convincing I have come across. It manages, as promised in the subtitle, to be informal, by adopting an engaging narrative, uncluttered by obfuscating technical jargon or redundant referencing. Not only is “Psychology and You” a mine of information about one of the world’s most exciting disciplines, it is also great fun to read", Martin Herbert, University of Exeter "An exceptional book, which covers a vast range of psychological topics in an easily accessible manner. Clear and engaging, it is a must for any psychology student", Rhona Neville, Huddersfield University

• Note on References xiiList of Exercises xiiiList of Figures xivList of Tables xviPreface and Acknowledgements to the Third Edition xvii1: Introduction: Beginning to Understand You 1What is psychology? 2Psychology and common sense 4The psychologist’s approach 7Are psychologists devious experimenters? 8The psychological experiment 8What we expect affects what we see 10Experiments are not enough 102: Body Language 13Does body language come naturally? 14Facial expressions 14Gestures and postures 21Odours as body language 24Touching 25Lies and deceit 26Improving body language 273: Your Personality 29Everyone has personality 30It depends on your point of view 30The trait approach 31Eysenck’s theory: three critical dimensions 32From description to explanation 33Am I me or am I the situation? The problem of consistency 36Cognitive perspectives: it depends on how you look at it 38Personal construct theory 38Attribution: answering the question ‘why?’ 43Attributions and psychological distress 44Methods for assessing personality 464: Your Sex: on Being Male Or Female 48Sex or gender? 49Biological influences 49Hormones and behaviour 49Sex and gender identity 51From birth to maturity 55Are gender differences changing? 56Gender differences in school and afterwards 595: You and Others 62Social roles 63What we do and what we think 64Stereotypes and prejudice 65How do others influence us? 69Conformity 70Obedience and authority 73Violence and the mass media 74The power of social influence 776: Your Emotions 79Love and attachment 81The nature of infant love 82Adult attachment and love 83The nature of adult love 84Types and styles of love 87Anger and aggression 88Aggression hot and cold 89The nature of anger 90What is a provocation? 91Features of anger 92Can we treat anger? 957: Your Brain 97What’s in your head? 98How do we know which bits of brain do what? 102Cells in the central nervous system 104Two hemispheres, one brain 108Feeling emotional 109Consciousness 110Repairing damage 1128: Your Health 113Psychology, health and illness 114Being healthy 115Preventing illness 116Becoming ill 119Being treated 1239: Your Development Across the Lifespan 126Studying development 127Development in infancy 128‘Theory of mind’: perceiving emotions in others 132Language development 133Social cognition in schoolchildren 137Adolescence and adulthood 14010: Psychological Problems 144Anxiety and related problems 145The complex nature of fear and anxiety 147Sources of phobias and anxiety 147The treatment of fear and anxiety 149Social anxiety 150Schizophrenia 151Personality disorders 152Keeping critical about methods of classification: some limitations of diagnostic systems for personality disorder 15511: Your View of the World: Perception and Thinking 159Perception is more than sensation 160Attention affects perception 164Memory mechanisms 166Thinking and the nature of thoughts 169Differences in thinking and creativity 17212: Learning About Your World 174Learning by linking 175Learning by consequences 178Learning what to expect 180Learning from others 182Consciousness, intelligence and learning 18313: You and other Animals 189Can other animals think? 190Intelligence, tool-use and culture 192Is language unique to humans? 194Sensory sensitivity in other animals 195Awareness and consciousness 196Human uses of other animals 198People with other animals 19914: What Psychologists Can Do – for You? 202Becoming a psychologist 203Teachers and researchers 203Clinical and counselling psychologists 204Health psychologists 206Educational psychologists 207Forensic psychologists 209Occupational psychologists 211Sport and exercise psychologists 211Psychologists in other areas 212Glossary 214References 224Index 237