Personality: Theory and Research

Authoritative resource exploring the fundamental theories and concepts in the field of personality psychology

In Personality, psychodynamic, social-cognitive, phenomenological, and trait-theoretic perspectives are presented in an unbiased--yet critical--fashion that encourages students to compare theories, evaluate evidence, analyze data, and form their own conclusions. Thorough historical coverage of the subject is balanced with discussions of the current state of the field, providing a solid understanding of theory and methods as relevant to practice today.

The text provides a comparative learning framework that capitalizes on student intuition to encourage critical thinking and self-exploration and highlights the contributions of neuroscience in advancing all aspects of personality theory and research. Complex ideas are presented in an accessible, easy-to-follow style that directly engages students without oversimplifying critical points. To aid in reader comprehension, the text incorporates case studies to illustrate general concepts through specific examples. As a practical resource, the well qualified author emphasizes major theories over those with little relevance to the modern field.

Some of the theories and topics explored in Personality include:

• Personality theory from everyday observation to systematic theories, including defining personality, why study personality, and three goals for the personality theorist
• The scientific study of people, including the data of personality psychology and contemporary developments in personality research
• Freud's psychoanalytic theory, including its applications, related theoretical conceptions, and related contemporary research, plus information on psychopathology
• Biological foundations of personality, including genes' relationship with personality and neuroscientific investigations of "higher-level" psychological functions
• Augmented coverage of personality and culture.
• Augmented coverage of personality and the brain.
• Flexible organization and revised exposition: Following the first two introductory chapters, remaining chapters may be read in any order without the reading feeling disjointed or lacking in continuity.
• Ancillary resources and references authored by Dr. Tracy Caldwell (which accompany the book on the instructor companion site) are significantly updated and include a new series of Case Simulations by Caldwell with accompanying questions designed to engage students through application of theory in real-world contexts.

With an effective pedagogical structure that enhances student interest while strengthening objectivity and critical-thinking skills, Personality is suitable for introductory coursework and also serves as a valuable resource for advanced studies and as a reference for professionals in psychology and related fields.