A Dictionary of Psychology

Description

An authoritative and accessible reference guide to psychology. Includes over 11,000 clear and concise definitions of a wide range of terms and concepts in psychology, psychiatry, and psychoanalysis. Ideal for students and professional pyschologists, as well as the general reader.

• Over 11,000 definitions of a wide range of terms and concepts in psychology, psychiatry, and psychoanalysis
• A winner of the American Libraries Association 'Outstanding Reference Source' award
• Covers cognition, sensation and perception, emotion and motivation, learning and skills, language, mental disorder, and research methods
• Over 800 abbreviations listed in a separate appendix for easy reference
• Comprehensive list of phobias and phobic stimuli
• Word origins and derivations supplied
• Over 100 illustrations

New to this edition

• Many of the revisions to this edition reflect the new definitions of mental disorders in the latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
• Over 200 new and 750 revised entries, from Bateman's principles and epigenetics to nominative determinism and the Taylor aggression paradigm
• The existing appendices have been revised and updated, and more than 10 new illustrations have been added

About the Author(s)

Andrew M. Colman, Professor of Psychology, University of Leicester

Andrew M. Colman is Professor of Psychology at the University of Leicester and is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society. He has authored numerous journal articles and several books, including Facts, Fallacies and Frauds in Psychology (1987), What is Psychology? (3rd edn, 1994), and Game Theory and its Applications in the Social and Biological Sciences (2nd edn, 1995). He edited the two-volume Companion Encyclopedia of Psychology (1994) and the 12-volume Longman Essential Psychology series (1995).

Table of Contents

Preface
Advisory Editors
Illustration Acknowledgements
General Acknowledgements
Layout of Entries
Greek Alphabet
The Dictionary
Appendix 1: Phobias and phobic stimuli
Appendix 2: Abbreviations and symbols
Appendix 3: Web links
Principal sources

Reviews

Reviews from previous edition Comprehensive, sound, readable, and up-to-date, this is probably the best single-volume dictionary of its kind. Weighty in substance, the work is nonetheless manageable; Colman uses words with grace and economy...Cross references are handled effectively...Browsers will find much food for thought and some intellectual treats...Eager to teach and entertain, Colman offers a list of do-it-yourself demonstrations in the preface. Essential wherever psychology matters. - Library Journal

an authoritative style, an ability to communicate in clear but concise terms, and extensive knowledge of the subject matter...Andrew Colman appears to possess all of these qualities and his Dictionary of Psychology is the impressive result...The book has many strengths and is certainly to be recommended...I am pleased to have it on my bookshelf. - THES

Certainly a useful first port of call - The Psychologist

This book does not give bare definitions, it clothes them with context - New Scientist

The most comprehensive single-volume reference to psychology combines psychiatry and pschoanalysis under one broad umbrella - Forecast

This tome is a comprehensive lexicon of psychological terminology within a historical and medical context, creating an entertaining and readable blend of glossary and text. Of interest to psychologists and anyone curious about the intricacies of the human mind, the Dictionary of Psychology is the newest and best authority on psychological nomenclature...[it] will tell you anything you might - or don't - want to know about the subject. Another fine book from Oxford University Press. - www.gadflyonline.com

This is an attractive and comfortable dictionary to use...a required addition to larger public libraries and academic libraries...It is both classic and futurist, bringing together theory and practice and physical, emotional, and historical concepts used within the widening scope of psychology. It is great value for the price and would also be a welcome addition to any social scientist's personal library. - Booklist

an excellent dictionary that clarifies definitions...reasonably priced, this dictionary will be a terrific addition to any library. - American Libraries

a reasonably priced ready-reference source...a comprehensive overview of psychological terminology in an easy-to-use format. Entries are short, interesting, readable, and give a quick overview of the topic...a useful addition to a variety of libraries...invaluable for students and teachers - American Reference

this version, being more fulsome than most, is particularly useful... it will be a true reference aid and should form the backbone of any student library - Rebecca C Tovey, Psychology Teaching Review

For professionals and students of psychology, this is a good place to start their research - Library Journal

[U]seful to laypeople and professionals both - Choice for Academic Libraries

The number and range of entries promise, and deliver, great breadth of coverage from every branch if psychology...highly recommended - Booklist