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 2001
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Community, Identity: Mental Health, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt
Tags Education, Education, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Mental Illness, Health / Medicine, Psychology, Self Help
Publication year 2010
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Mental Health, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Joy
Tags Self Help, Inspirational, Psychology, Religion / Spirituality, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Mental Illness, Health / Medicine
The Gifts of Imperfection: Your Guide to Wholehearted Living (2022) by Brené Brown (originally published as The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are in 2010) introduces the key concepts that have become a signature of Brown’s research, such as reclaiming the importance of vulnerability and defining shame as an obstacle to self-development and connection. The original book spent 75 weeks on The New... Read The Gifts of Imperfection Summary
Publication year 2006
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Religion / Spirituality, Science / Nature, Philosophy, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy
The God Delusion, written by Richard Dawkins, was first published in 2006 by Bantam Press. In the book, Dawkins, a British evolutionary biologist and ethologist, uses his background in science and rational thought to explore and critique the concepts of God and religion. This non-fiction work falls under the subgenre of atheist literature and tackles concepts such as the question of the existence of God, the psychological and social reasons for religious belief, the impact... Read The God Delusion Summary
Publication year 1968
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality
Tags Inspirational, Philosophy, Self Help, Business / Economics, Religion / Spirituality, Finance / Money / Wealth, Christian literature, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Classic Fiction
Publication year 1949
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Language
Tags Psychology, Anthropology, Anthropology, Philosophy, Philosophy, History: World, Psychology, Fantasy, Classic Fiction, Religion / Spirituality
Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces is a nonfiction work about world mythology published in 1949. Campbell, a mythology scholar and professor of literature, presents his theory of the “monomyth,” or the narrative tropes common to all storytelling traditions. The first half of the book covers the monomyth of the hero’s journey. The second half deals with similarities among a wide range of creation myths.In his Prologue, Campbell considers why people from all... Read The Hero with a Thousand Faces Summary
Publication year 1976
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Sexuality, Identity: Mental Health, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Society: Community
Tags Sociology, Philosophy, Love / Sexuality, Psychology, LGBTQ, Post Modernism, Education, Education, French Literature, History: World, Psychology, Philosophy
Michel Foucault was a French philosopher and theorist whose most significant works were first published in the 1960s and 1970s. Throughout his career, he examined the mechanisms of power and challenged accepted historical narratives, working to show how institutional power shapes the field of possible knowledge to its own advantage. The History of Sexuality, published in three volumes between 1976 and 1984—with a fourth volume published posthumously, in draft form, in 2018—examines the development of... Read The History of Sexuality Summary
Publication year 2007
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Mental Health, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Self Discovery
Tags Psychology, Self Help, Science / Nature, Philosophy, Health / Medicine, Psychology, Philosophy, Mental Illness, Religion / Spirituality
Publication year 1958
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Life/Time: Birth, Natural World: Appearance & Reality
Tags Philosophy, Politics / Government, Education, Education, Sociology, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Classic Fiction
The Human Condition, written by Hannah Arendt and originally published in 1958, is a work of political and philosophical nonfiction. Arendt, a German-American philosopher and political theorist, divides the central theme of the book, vita activa, into three distinct functions: labor, work, and action. Her analyses of these three concepts form the philosophical core of the book. The rest of the book is historical in approach.Part 1 serves as an introduction to Arendt’s argument. She... Read The Human Condition Summary
Publication year 2016
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Relationships: Teams, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt
Tags Business / Economics, Leadership/Organization/Management, Psychology
The Ideal Team Player is a 2016 book by leadership development expert Patrick Lencioni. The book provides an extension of the work Lencioni performed for his 2011 book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. Lencioni employs a two-part structure for the book, as it begins with a third-person fictional narrative before shifting to a first-person, instructional point of view. In both sections, Lencioni examines the significance of being able to identify three essential characteristics of... Read The Ideal Team Player Summary
Publication year 2018
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Community, Self Discovery, Relationships: Teams, Emotions/Behavior: Courage
Tags Business / Economics, Leadership/Organization/Management, Self Help, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy
Publication year 1973
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Colonialism, Society: Nation, Society: Community, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict
Tags Anthropology, Sociology, Philosophy, Science / Nature, Psychology, Politics / Government, Education, Education, Anthropology, Social Science, History: World, Philosophy, Arts / Culture
Publication year 1899
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Relationships: Family, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Coming of Age
Tags Psychology, Science / Nature, Philosophy, History: World, Psychology, Philosophy, Self Help, Classic Fiction
Sigmund Freud's The Interpretation of Dreams is a landmark work in the field of psychoanalysis. First published in 1899, it is one of Freud's most famous and influential books. At its core, the book explores the significance of dreams in revealing the unconscious desires, fears, and conflicts of the individual. Freud argues that dreams are not just random collections of images and sensations, as was commonly held in his day. Neither are they inspirations from... Read The Interpretation of Dreams Summary
Publication year 1934
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Natural World: Objects
Tags Philosophy, Science / Nature, Education, Education, Sociology, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Classic Fiction
Publication year 1997
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Life/Time: Coming of Age
Tags Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Psychology, Psychology, Biography
The Lost Boy is the sequel to Dave Pelzer’s first memoir, A Child Called “It,” which tells the story of how he was severely abused by his mother as a young child. In The Lost Boy, Pelzer recounts how he is finally removed from his parents’ custody and placed in foster care. After years of neglect and abuse, David struggles to adjust to his new living situations and the uncertainty that comes with the life... Read The Lost Boy Summary
Publication year 2022
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Relationships: Marriage
Tags Relationships, Self Help, Psychology, Love / Sexuality, Parenting, Religion / Spirituality, Psychology
Publication year 2007
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Good & Evil
Tags Science / Nature, Social Science, Sociology, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Self Help, Politics / Government
The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil, published in 2007, is a nonfiction book written by Philip Zimbardo, an American psychologist and a professor emeritus at Stanford University. He rose to prominence for his Stanford Prison Experiment and is founder and president of the Heroic Imagination Project. In The Lucifer Effect, Zimbardo argues that humans are neither good nor evil. Instead, systemic and situational forces shape individuals’ actions, and every individual has the... Read The Lucifer Effect Summary
Publication year 1959
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Self Discovery
Tags Business / Economics, Self Help, Leadership/Organization/Management, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy
Publication year 2020
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Relationships: Teams
Tags Psychology, Biography, Sports, Psychology, Self Help, African American Literature
Publication year 1983
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Joy, Identity: Mental Health, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Society: Education, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Education, Education, Anthropology, Anthropology, Gender / Feminism, Social Science, Business / Economics, Sociology, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy
Publication year 1902
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Society: Class, Society: War, Society: Colonialism
Tags Poetry: Dramatic Poem, Victorian Period, Military / War, Class, History: African , History: European, Psychology, Grief / Death, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Classic Fiction, British Literature