The Psychology Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained

Found this book very interesting and also really well thought out and explained for someone who’s interested in Psychology as a subject or as something they want to study. It’s theories and concepts are intriguing and easy to understand for a beginner or someone who has only briefly studied the subject as it explains things clearly and precisely. It’s contents cover everything from its philosophical roots, behaviourism, psychotherapy and cognitive psychology among other subjects. There is lots of hierarchy type tables along with graphs, pictures and big think piece quotes on the pages that sum up or try to explain the different concepts in sound bites, they stand out to help you try to grasp and remember what you’re reading. It’s a colourful, well thought out and very interesting book that you can go back to again and again to study and soak up the subjects, theories and concepts within its pages. Highly recommended!

Brilliant book gives a lot of information and a broad outline of some subjects, great starting point that you can then build on. Would be good for people wanting to know a bit about psychology and maybe A-level as it has Little Albert study and behaviourist studies like the bobo dolls which are normally taught at that educational level. However I love it and will use it as an encyclopaedia. Layout is awesome it’s bright and colourful and would make a GREAT gift I included pictures in my review as I don’t believe the above ones do the book justice :)

The Psychology Book aims to give a basic understanding of a wide variety of psychological theories and schools of thought, and does so admirably. The book is divided into seven broadly chronological sections (Philosophical Roots, Behaviourism, Psychotherapy, Cognitive Psychology, Social Psychology, Developmental Philosophy and The Psychology of Difference)and looks at the main participants in these areas and the theories and ideas they put forward. Each subject gets at least a page, and some more important contributors (Piaget, Bandura, Freud) get many more. The book is written in a style that engages the reader, and presents the ideas in an understandable way, which is great for those who are interested in psychology generally, or studying subjects that might contain elements of psychology such as teaching. This book does have a wide scope, and more advanced readers in this area might find this book somewhat limiting, but as a guide to a wide range of concepts and the people who produced them, it does an good job.

Great book, well worth a read.

Thought this was a really interesting book that I bought for my boyfriend who is studying psychology. Although it does not go into great depths and is not an academic text book, we both found it really interesting for a general overview of psychological theories. It is really well laid out and gives just enough information on each theory to gain your interest. I am currently studying for my MA in social work and actually used some of it to find some psychologists of interest and then went and researched them more thoroughly. Others who have looked at the book with no background in psychology have also found it really interesting so it would be a good table book or gift for anyone.

What a great book! I've been studying psychology for some time, initially as a hobby and more formally for the last few years. Due to this progression my learning has focussed on specific areas relevant to my life and work and missed out material that didn't connect directly to them. What was missing from my knowledge was a basic understanding of how the science has developed over the years, and what drove the various strands of research and schools of thought. This book provides a clear pathway covering the major ideas and individuals who came up with them, and also shows the context of each and the connections between them. I think through this book I am much more aware of what I didn't know I didn't know, and as a result have a lot more reading to do!

The text is blurry and poorly printed. Not sure if this is a genuine copy or a fake. Content is fine.

Approaching this non-fiction title with no former knowledge of theoretical psychology, DK explained complicated concepts incredibly well making it an easy, enjoyable read. The book acts as a good reference point for people who are either interested in psychology, or are perhaps currently studying the subject at A-Level. Each topic is outlined with a brief history, the key concepts and a biography of the relevant psychologist. This is one of many books which are available to purchase in the series. On a side note, I brought this for my kindle and for a more visual-led book with diagrams and decorative features, the formatting came out quite well.