A lot of what is marketed to the public as psychology is actually quite unscientific. Attempting to counteract the tide of misinformation about what psychology really is, Popular Pscyhology: An Encyclopedia is a concise guide for anyone seeking to understand the true scientific nature of psychology. Self-help books; television specials; and articles in the popular press all serve to obscure the true intellectual and scientific premises on which the field of psychology is based. The serious work of the great psychological thinkers and schools of psychological thought is lost to the average person. High school and college students as well as the interested lay reader will want to consult this work to understand what is good in the popular presentation of psycholgy and what is unworthy of serious attention.

A lot of what is marketed to the public as psychology is actually quite unscientific. Attempting to counteract the tide of misinformation about what psychology really is, this book is a concise guide for anyone seeking to understand the true scientific nature of psychology. Self-help books; television specials; and articles in the popular press all serve to obscure the true intellectual and scientific premises on which the field of psychology is based. The serious work of the great psychological thinkers and schools of psychological thought is lost to the average person. High school and college students as well as the interested lay reader will want to consult this work to understand what is good in the popular presentation of psychology and what is unworthy of serious attention.

A unique and especially helful feature of Popular Pscyhology: An Encyclopedia is the Guide to Related Topics. Major topic sections list the individual entries pertinent to that idea. For example, major sections include Biological Bases of Behavior; Drugs and Chemicals; Popular Gurus and Movements; Pseudoscience; Psychological Theories and Ideas; Treatments. There are 121 entries covering such subjects as: acupuncture; alien abduction; aromatherapy; birth order; brainwashing; chemical imbalance; drpressants; Down’s Syndrome; emotional intelligence; facilitated communication; Howard Gardner; gingko biloba; insanity defense; intelligence; kava; learning disability; Dr. Phil; mood disorders; Mozart Effect; nervous breakdown; parenting styles; post-traumatic stress disorder; psychiatry; seasonal affective disorder; sleep and dreaming; Tourette Syndrome. Ideas and persons familiar to the general reader or to the high school and college student are discussed in an engaging yet knowledgeable style. A general bibliography as well as further reading following each entry and a complete index make this accessible and informative work a useful addition to any library.