Flint Memorial Library (North Reading)

Psychology for dummies, by Adam Cash

eng

illustrations

index present

non fiction

Psychology for dummies

1204627087

by Adam Cash

For dummies

Psychology For Dummies takes you on the challenging and thrilling adventure into the astonishing science of why we do the things we do. Along the way you'll find out how psychology helps us improve our relationships, make better decisions, be more effective in our careers, and avoid stress and mental illness in difficult times. In a friendly, jargon-free style, clinical psychologist and teacher Adam Cash uses practical examples to delve deep into the maze of the human mind: from the basic hardware, software, and "wetware" of our brains to the mysteries of consciousness and the murkier reaches of abnormal behavior. He also provides profound insights into our wants and needs, the differences between psychological approaches, and how positive psychology can help you lead the "good life" that fulfills you most

Machine generated contents note: About This Book -- Foolish Assumptions -- Icons Used in This Book -- Beyond the Book -- Where to Go from Here -- pt. 1 GETTING STARTED WITH PSYCHOLOGY -- ch. 1 The Purpose of Psychology -- Whys, Whats, and Hows of People -- A useful metaphor: Building a person -- Why? -- What? -- How? -- Troubleshooting -- Putting It All Back Together Again -- ch. 2 Thinking and Behaving as a Psychologist -- The Core Activities of a Psychologist -- Experimental and research psychologists -- Applied psychologists -- Teachers/educators/professors -- Theoretical and philosophical psychologists -- How Do I Become a Psychologist? -- Getting Started with Metatheory and Frameworks -- Biological -- Behaviorism -- Cognitive -- Sociocultural -- Developmental -- Evolutionary -- Humanistic and existential -- Psychoanalytic/psychodynamic -- Feminism -- Postmodernism -- A Unifying Model? Working with the Biopsychosocial Model -- Feeling out the role of the body --Note continued: Thinking about the role of the mind -- Observing the role of the outside world -- Developing a good theory -- Seeking Truth -- Applying the scientific method -- Researching Matters -- Understanding descriptive research -- Doing experimental research -- Measuring one, measuring all with statistics -- Relating variables: Correlation versus causation -- Being "Good": Ethics in Psychology -- pt. 2 PICKING YOUR BRAIN (AND BODY) -- ch. 3 Brains, Genes, and Behavior -- Believing in Biology -- The Biological "Control Room" -- Cells and Chemicals -- Networking and crossing the divide -- Branching out -- Activating brain change -- The Organization of the Brain -- Forebrain -- Midbrain -- Hindbrain -- Tiptoeing back and forth from the periphery -- Finding Destiny with DNA -- Understanding Psychopharmacology -- Easing depression -- Shushing the voices -- Relaxing -- ch. 4 From Sensation to Perception -- Building Blocks: Our Senses -- The sensing process -- Seeing --Note continued: Hearing -- Touching and feeling pain -- Smelling and tasting -- Balancing and moving -- Finishing the Product: Perception -- Organizing by Principles -- ch. 5 Exploring Consciousness -- Carving Awareness and Being at Its Joints -- Consciousness as an ability, skill, or process of the mind (and the brain) -- Consciousness as a state or type of awareness -- Catching some zzzzs -- Understanding tired brains, slipping minds -- Arriving at Work Naked: Dreams -- Altering Your Consciousness -- Getting high on conscious life -- Being conscious of my mind (meditative states) -- Falling into hypnosis -- pt. 3 THINKING AND FEELING AND ACTING -- ch. 6 Thinking and Speaking -- What's on Your Mind? -- Thinking like a PC -- Turing's challenge -- Computing -- Representing -- Processing -- Modules, Parts, and Processes -- The attention process -- The memory process -- The knowing process -- The reasoning process -- The decision-making/choosing process --Note continued: The problem-solving process -- It's All about Connections -- Bodies and Minds -- Thinking You're Pretty Smart -- Considering the factors of intelligence -- Getting a closer look -- Adding in street smarts -- Excelling with multiple intelligences -- Making the grade -- on a curve -- Figuring Out Language -- Babel-On -- Rules, syntax, and meaning -- ch. 7 Needing, Wanting, Feeling -- What's My Motivation? -- Would you like some adrenaline with that bear? -- Feeling needy -- Knowing who's the boss -- Arousing interest in prime rib -- Getting cheaper long distance is rewarding -- Facing your opponent-process theory -- Believing in yourself -- Pleasure and pain -- Escaping psychological pain -- Launching Countless Bad Poems: Emotions -- Watch out for that sabertooth! -- Your brain on emotion -- Which comes first, the body or the mind? -- Expressing yourself -- Acknowledging anger -- Being happy --Note continued: Discovering your smart heart: Emotional intelligence and styles -- Being in Control -- ch. 8 Barking up the Learning Tree: Dogs, Cats, and Rats -- Learning to Behave -- Drooling like Pavlov's Dogs -- Conditioning responses and stimuli -- Becoming extinct -- Classic generalizing and discriminating -- Conditioning rules! -- Battling theories: Why does conditioning work? -- Studying Thorndike's Cats -- Reinforcing the Rat Case -- Finding the right reinforcer -- Using punishment -- Scheduling and timing reinforcement -- Stimulus Control and Operant Generalization -- Operant Discrimination -- pt. 4 ME, YOU, AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN -- ch. 9 Myself and I -- Getting to the Magic Numbers -- They Made Me This Way -- Representing Ourselves -- Schemas -- Scripts -- It Depends on the Situation -- Feeling Self-Conscious -- Becoming aware of your body -- Keeping it private -- Showing it off -- Identifying Yourself -- Forging a personal identity --Note continued: Carving out a social identity -- Mustering up some self-esteem -- ch. 10 Connecting -- Getting Attached -- Realizing even monkeys get the blues -- Attaching with style -- Cavorting with Family and Friends -- Parenting with panache -- Embracing your rival: Siblings -- Getting chummy: Bridge building -- Attraction, Romance, and Love -- How we choose the ones we love -- Love's expanse -- Connecting to Thoughts and Action -- Explaining others with person perception -- Minding "you" with theory of mind -- Dancing with others: Embodied social cognition theories -- Communication Skills -- Asking questions -- Explaining -- Listening -- Asserting yourself -- ch. 11 Getting Along ... or Not -- Playing Your Part -- Ganging Up in a Group -- Conforming -- Doing better with help -- Kicking back -- Remaining anonymous -- Thinking as one -- Persuading -- Credibility of communicator -- Delivery approach -- Audience engagement -- Age of audience -- Being Mean --Note continued: Acting naturally -- Being frustrated -- Doing what's learned -- Lending a Helping Hand -- Why help? -- When to help? -- Who gives and receives help? -- Birds of a Feather ... or Not -- Examining isms -- Understanding discrimination -- Making contact -- ch. 12 Growing Up with Psychology -- Beginning with Conception and Birth -- Xs and Ys get together -- Uniting and dividing all in one night -- Going from Diapers to Drool -- Survival instincts -- Motoring about -- Flexing their muscles -- Scheduling time for schemata -- Getting your sensorimotor running -- Learning within the lines -- Saying what you think -- Blooming social butterflies -- Getting on the Big Yellow Bus -- Mastering the crayon -- Being preoperational doesn't mean you're having surgery -- In the zone -- Becoming even more social -- Agonizing over Adolescence -- Pining over puberty -- Moving away from parents -- Existing as a Grown-Up -- Looking at you -- Connecting and working --Note continued: Aging and Geropsychology -- ch. 13 Psychology in the Digital Age -- Love and Robots -- Talk to the box -- Me and my friends -- That perfect someone -- Digitized (d)evolution -- The Dark Side of the Digital World -- Say that to my face -- Hooked on the Internet -- Bullying moves from the schoolyard to the desktop -- Can Technology Make Us Better at Being Human? -- pt. 5 ADAPTING AND STRUGGLING -- ch. 14 Coping When Life Gets Rough -- Stressing Out -- Ways to think about stress -- The causes of stress -- The impact of stress -- Crisis: Accumulated or overwhelming stress -- Posttraumatic stress disorder -- The stress of loss -- Coping Is No Gamble -- Learning how to cope -- Finding resources -- ch. 15 Modern Abnormal Psychology -- What Is" Abnormal" Anyway? -- Who decides what's normal? -- Ryff's Psychological Well-Being Model -- Defining Mental Disorders -- Psychotic Disorders: Grasping for Reality -- Schizophrenia -- Other types of psychoses --Note continued: Feeling Funky: Depression -- Staying in the rut of major depression -- Depression's causes -- Treating depression -- Bipolar Disorder: Riding the Waves -- Bipolar disorder's causes -- Treating bipolar disorder -- Panic Disorders -- Panic disorder's causes -- Treating panic disorder -- Mental Disorders in Young People -- Dealing with ADHD -- Autism: Living in a world of one's own -- Let's Talk about Stigma -- pt. 6 REPAIRING, HEALING, AND THRIVING -- ch. 16 Testing, Assessment, and Evaluation -- Answering the Call -- What kinds of tests and instruments are there? -- What kind of evaluations do psychologists do? -- The Interview and Evaluation Process -- Interviewing and observing -- History taking -- Checking under the Hood with Psychological Testing -- Standardization -- Reliability -- Validity -- More Detail on Testing Types -- Clinical testing -- Educational/achievement testing -- Personality testing -- Intelligence testing --Note continued: Neuropsychological and cognitive testing -- Keeping Them Honest -- ch. 17 We Can Help! -- Is It Time for Professional Help? -- Types of help -- The Crown Jewel of Therapy: Psychotherapy -- Good ethics is good therapy -- The common factors model -- Major Schools of Therapy -- Psychodynamic therapies -- Behavior therapy -- Exposure-based therapies -- Cognitive therapy -- Playing together nicely: Behavior and cognitive therapies -- Acceptance and mindfulness-based therapies -- Dialectical behavior therapy -- Client-centered therapy -- Emotion-focused therapy -- Empirically Supported Treatments for Specific Problems -- ESTs for depression -- ESTs for anxiety and trauma -- ESTs for disorders in children -- ch. 18 Be Positive! Fostering Wellness, Growth, and Strength -- Going beyond Stress: The Psychology of Health -- Preventing illness -- Making changes -- Intervening -- Harnessing the Power of Positivity -- Stepping Up! -- High-performance skills --Note continued: Choking versus being clutch -- Acquiring the Bionic Brain -- Doing smart drugs -- Hitting the limits of the skull -- pt. 7 THE PART OF TENS -- ch. 19 Ten Tips for Maintaining Psychological Well-Being -- Accept Yourself -- Strive for Self-Determination -- Stay Connected and Nurture Relationships -- Lend a Helping Hand -- Find Meaning and Purpose and Work toward Goals -- Find Hope and Maintain Faith -- Find Flow and Be Engaged -- Enjoy the Beautiful Things in Life -- Struggle to Overcome; Learn to Let Go -- Don't Be Afraid to Change -- ch. 20 Ten Great Psychological Movies and Shows -- One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest -- A Clockwork Orange -- Ordinary People -- Girl, Interrupted -- The Silence of the Lambs -- Sybil -- The Matrix -- Black Mirror -- True Detective (Seasons 1 and Season 3) -- Psycho

adult