Psychology

Our Psychology Collection features a diverse group of study guides, from pioneering texts by Sigmund Freud and B.F. Skinner to self-help books and contemporary nonfiction about human nature, the mind, and social psychology. If you’re an educator looking to round out a college-level syllabus, or a book club organizer with a penchant for curiosity and dynamic discussion, this collection could help you find just what you're looking for.

Publication year 2016

Genre Essay Collection, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Mental Health, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: New Age

Tags Self Help, Philosophy, Psychology, Education, Education, Psychology, Philosophy, Mental Illness


Publication year 2014

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Identity: Mental Health, Emotions/Behavior: Hope

Tags Self Help, Psychology, Health / Medicine, Religion / Spirituality, Philosophy


Publication year 2018

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Mental Health, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Self Help, Inspirational, Psychology, Parenting, Sociology, American Literature, Science / Nature, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Religion / Spirituality, Politics / Government

12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos (2018) is Jordan B. Peterson’s second book. Peterson’s self-help book seeks to provide practical and virtuous rules to live by for a wide audience and general readership. The book streamlines, simplifies, and reimagines some of the more traditionally academic topics of Peterson’s first book, Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief. Each non-fiction work aims to explain human history and human nature according to universal frameworks. 12... Read 12 Rules for Life Summary


Publication year 2018

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Globalization, Society: Community

Tags Science / Nature, Sociology, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Self Help, Politics / Government

21 Lessons for the 21st Century (2018) is historian, philosopher, and acclaimed author Yuval Noah Harari’s in-depth look at the current global affairs and the immediate future of humankind. To Harari, the merging of biotechnology and artificial intelligence potentially represents the end of history with some humans becoming godlike. Despite the ramification of this situation on all of humanity, most people are distracted by irrelevant information and do not realize the debate that is occurring... Read 21 Lessons for the 21st Century Summary


Publication year 2023

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Equality

Tags Self Help, Relationships, Philosophy, Philosophy, Psychology, Psychology, Romance, Religion / Spirituality


Publication year 1998

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Natural World: Appearance & Reality

Tags Mental Illness, Science / Nature, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Biography

John Nash is born and raised in Bluefield, West Virginia. As a child, he is introverted and quiet, preferring reading and performing experiments to playing with other children. He is obsessed with codes and patterns and enjoys playing pranks on his sister and schoolmates. Intending to become an engineer like his father, Nash secures a scholarship to study at the Carnegie Institute of Technology. After a year, he abandons engineering to major in mathematics. He... Read A Beautiful Mind Summary


Publication year 1995

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Tags Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Addiction / Substance Abuse, Psychology, Psychology, Biography

A Child Called It: One Child’s Courage to Survive is a memoir detailing author Dave Pelzer’s struggles with his abusive mother until the fifth grade. Published in 1995 by Health Communications Inc., it is the first in a series of books that chronicle Pelzer’s fight to leave his dysfunctional household, move through the foster care system, and enter into a stable adulthood. The book was listed on The New York Times best-seller list for several... Read A Child Called It Summary


Publication year 2014

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Tags Sociology, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Science / Nature, Journalism, Psychology, Psychology

A Deadly Wandering is a 2014 nonfiction book by Matt Richtel, a journalist at The New York Times. After winning a Pulitzer Prize in 2010 for a series of articles detailing the dangers of distracted driving, Richtel expanded his research and reporting into A Deadly Wandering. This nonfiction book combines the story of a 2006 Utah car accident—in which Mormon teenager Reggie Shaw killed two scientists, James Furfaro and Keith O’Dell, while texting and driving—and... Read A Deadly Wandering Summary


Publication year 2001

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Economics, Natural World: Environment

Tags Business / Economics, Science / Nature, Sociology, Psychology, Psychology, Arts / Culture, Politics / Government

Affluenza seeks to diagnose and treat the disease of overconsumption that its three authors, John de Graaf, David Wann and Thomas H. Naylor, believe to be a serious threat to both the human species and the rest of the planet. Accordingly, the book is divided into three main parts: a discussion of the symptoms of affluenza, an analysis of its causes, and suggestions for some possible cures.In Part 1, the authors offer a broad overview... Read Affluenza Summary


Publication year 2024

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Community, Society: Globalization, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War

Tags Business / Economics, Psychology, Psychology, Politics / Government, History: World


Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride

Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Relationships, Psychology, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance


Publication year 2000

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Identity: Sexuality

Tags Gender / Feminism, Philosophy, Psychology, Love / Sexuality, Philosophy, Sociology, Psychology, Relationships, Self Help, Religion / Spirituality


Publication year 1986

Genre Essay Collection, Nonfiction

Themes Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Society: Community

Tags Self Help, Education, Education, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Humor, Philosophy, Inspirational

In his compilation of essays, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, Robert Fulghum studies the simplicity embedded in everyday experiences. First published in 1989, this collection captivated a global audience, becoming a cultural touchstone as a #1 New York Times bestseller and selling over 7 million copies. Fulghum draws from his life experiences to craft this collection of essays. This collection, which falls within the self-help, motivational, and personal transformation genres... Read All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten Summary


Publication year 2011

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Community

Tags Sociology, Science / Nature, Philosophy, Philosophy, Relationships, Psychology, Psychology, Internet Culture / Social Media, Arts / Culture

Sherry Turkle’s Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other, originally published in 2011, is a work of nonfiction that explores technology’s effect on how humans interact with one another. The book is split into two halves: the first deals with human interactions with sociable robots and the second with the networked connections of social media and virtual worlds.In the 1970s, Turkle meets ELIZA, a computer program that “engaged in... Read Alone Together Summary


Publication year 1985

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Community, Society: Education, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality

Tags Sociology, Education, Science / Nature, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Arts / Culture, Politics / Government, Philosophy, Technology, Information Age, Education

Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business is a nonfiction book by Neil Postman, published in 1985. Postman was a professor of education and communication at New York University with a special interest in the role of technology and media in society. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York in Fredonia and a master’s degree and doctorate from the Teachers College of Columbia University. In... Read Amusing Ourselves to Death Summary


Publication year 1995

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Identity: Disability, Identity: Mental Health

Tags Health / Medicine, Science / Nature, Psychology, Psychology


Publication year 1748

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality

Tags Philosophy, Psychology, Science / Nature, Religion / Spirituality, Education, Education, History: World, Psychology, Philosophy, Classic Fiction


Publication year 1690

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Natural World: Nurture v. Nature, Identity: Language, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos

Tags Philosophy, Religion / Spirituality, Education, Science / Nature, Age of Enlightenment, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government

An Essay Concerning Human Understanding by John Locke is a study of how humans think, learn, and retain knowledge. Scholars often focus first on Locke’s philosophical treatises, but his work on epistemology complements and shapes his political thought. Born in 1632, the English philosopher ushered in the Age of Enlightenment and is considered one of the greatest Western philosophers in history. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, first published in 1690, explores the origin and nature... Read An Essay Concerning Human Understanding Summary


Publication year 2005

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Language, Life/Time: The Past, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality

Tags Self Help, Allegory / Fable / Parable, Religion / Spirituality, Inspirational, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy

A New Earth: Create a Better Life by Eckart Tolle was originally published in 2005 with the title A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose. The book followed in the wake of Tolle’s seminal 1997 work The Power of Now, which discusses the potential inherent in the present moment and suggests that the destructive voice in our heads, which causes us to be constantly dissatisfied and compare ourselves to others, is the ego and... Read A New Earth Summary


Publication year 2022

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Natural World: Animals, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Natural World: Environment, Natural World: Climate

Tags Science / Nature, Psychology, Animals, Psychology