UNIT 1. Becoming a Person:: Foundations

1. Carl Rogers’s Life and Work:: An Assessment on the 100th Anniversary of His Birth, Howard Kirschenbaum, Journal of Counseling and Development, Winter 2004

Carl Rogers was a quintessential humanistic psychologist. Kirschenbaum reviews Rogers’s life and work as well as his now famous theory.

2. Freud in Our Midst, Jerry Adler, Newsweek, March 27, 2006

Freud, the pioneer who first explored the mind, is still with us in terms of his influence on all manner of things psychological. His impact on therapy, dream interpretation, childhood as the foundation of adulthood, other theories of the mind, and even our vocabularies, has been enormous. Many of his contributions are reviewed in this article.

3. Skepticism of Caricatures:: B.F. Skinner Turns 100, Scott T. Gaynor, Skeptical Inquirer, January–February 2004

Noted American behaviorist B.F. Skinner would turn 100 this year were he still alive. His theory of human behavior dominated psychology for decades. Today, there are many myths about what Skinner said and what his work really demonstrated. The author of this article deftly examines each myth and then shatters it using Skinner’s own words.

4. Psychology of Safety:: The “Big Five” and You:: How Personality Traits Can Affect Behavior, Scott Geller, Industrial Safety & Hygiene News, July 2004

Psychological scientists have identified five personality traits that appear to be universal in humans. Geller explains the five clusters of traits and describes the effect of each on everyday behavior.

UNIT 2. Determinants of Behavior:: Motivation, Environment, and Physiology

5. Nature Versus Nurture:: How Is Child Psychopathology Developed?, Leslie Knowlton, Psychiatric Times, July 1, 2005

This article helps demonstrate that both nature and nurture contribute to childhood disorders. In specific, the author argues that DNA—the biological building blocks of inheritance and once thought immutable—can indeed be modified by the environment. Neither childhood maltreatment alone nor a particular genetic predisposition alone can account for antisocial behaviors. Both must occur in combination.

6. Empirical Science for the Spotless Mind, Eric Jaffe, APS Observer, August 2005

Some scientists argue that most of our behaviors are influenced by a combination of nature and nurture or genes and learning. A few noted psychologists, however, are now making headway in convincing others that biology (nature) plays a greater role than previously believed in shaping who we are. These newer theories are drawing attacks from religious and government groups who, the scientists believe, are afraid the theories speak to human imperfections.

7. Nature vs. Nurture:: Two Brothers With Schizophrenia, Norman L. Keltner, et al., Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, July/September 2001

The case of two brothers with schizophrenia is presented. Each brother was affected by multiple but sometimes different causal factors, leading the author to discuss various implications for the nature/nurture controversy.

8. Genetic Influence on Human Psychological Traits, Thomas J. Bouchard, Jr., Current Directions in Psychological Science, August 2004

Bouchard offers an important review about exactly which psychological traits are influenced by heredity. He provides information about the magnitude of genetic influence for each characteristic, but first he offers important commentary about why it is important to study the influence of genes on behaviors.

9. The Amazing Brain:: Is Neuroscience the Key to What Makes Us Human?, Richard Restak, The Washington Times, September 2004

Neuroscience is helping psychologists and other scientists understand the brain and its functions. Important discoveries are helping researchers and practitioners make sense out of seemingly incomprehensible neurological syndromes now that we know more about neural pathways in the brain.

10. His Brain, Her Brain, Larry Cahill, Scientific American, May 2005

Psychologists have long argued about whether men and women are more similar than they are different. Larry Cahill offers insight into the architecture and activity of the male and female brains. Research on sex variations in the brain might lead to sex-specific treatments for baffling brain disorders, such as schizophrenia.

11. Cultural Psychology:: Studying the Exotic Other, Alana Conner Snibbe, APS Observer, December 2003

Some psychologists busy themselves trying to find human universals; for example a behavior or emotion common to all human beings. Cultural psychologists, on the other hand, assume that their findings and theories are culturally variable, that is, not universal.

12. Ambition:: Why Some People Are Most Likely to Succeed, Jeffrey Kluger, Time, November 14, 2005

Ambition, a form of motivation, does not characterize all of us. Kluger explores who does and does not possess ambition and examines from where ambition is derived.

13. How to Keep Those New Year’s Resolutions, Harvard Health Letter, January 2006

People often make resolutions on New Year’s; at other times we simply call this activity goal-setting. The types of resolutions we make and why our plans go awry is the focus of this essay. Special attention is also given to the trait of perfectionism, which might sabotage the best of plans.

14. Stand and Deliver, Maia Szalavitz, Psychology Today, July/August 2003

Maintaining motivation takes work. Procrastination, which essentially is a gap between incentive and action, is a problem common to many people. Why procrastination is an everyday issue and how to overcome it is the focus of this article.

UNIT 3. Problems Influencing Personal Growth

15. The Biology of Aging, Geoffrey Cowley, Newsweek, Special Issue, Fall/Winter 2001

As people mature, they progress through a variety of age-related changes, some biological and some psychological. Geoffrey Cowley examines these changes and makes predictions about just how long we can live.

16. Childhood Is for Children, Johann Christoph Arnold, USA Today Magazine, July 2001

The pressure for children to achieve appears to be undermining childhood. Parenting and schools are pressuring children to grow up too fast. Johann Arnold suggests that we ought to let children be children.

17. The Importance of Resilience, Christine Gorman, Time, January 17, 2005

Childhood resilience is more than a child’s ability to get through adversity. It is the child’s ability to thrive despite all odds. Gorman reviews this psychological concept with attention to what it is, who possesses it, and whether psychologists stimulate it in others.

18. Kaleidoscope of Parenting Cultures, Vidya Thirumurthy, Childhood Education, Winter 2004

Parenting styles differ from culture to culture. For example, some cultures value individualism while others value cooperation. Thirumurthy shares with the reader what some of the various styles are and what the impact is on children and schools.

19. What American Schools Can Learn from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Margaret Zoller Booth and Grace Marie Booth, Phi Delta Kappan, December 2003

The popularity of the Harry Potter books prompted the authors to compare modern American schools and their effects on children to the Hogwarts School. Surprisingly, the authors find much that the fictional school teaches can be taught by real schools and teachers so that students are more motivated as well as inspired to love learning.

20. The Divided Self, Ron Taffel, Psychotherapy Networker, July/August 2006

Teens today are alienated, isolated, hypersexual, and dispassionate. Some of this may be brought on by the endless stream of ready-made, fantasy-rich, interactive media images at their disposal. Ron Taffel shares ways to approach bringing teens back into sync with the real world.

21. Staving Off Middle-Age Spread Requires Portion Control and Plenty of Exercise, Jill Wendholt Silva, Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service, June 13, 2003

Baby boomers are discovering how difficult it is to avoid a spreading waistline. In fact, health care professionals now believe that adult obesity may kill more people than does tobacco. The author discusses how to prevent being part of this plague by adopting healthier lifestyles in adulthood.

22. Lost & Found, Barbara Basler, AARP Bulletin, September 2005

New treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, an enigmatic brain disorder, have changed how sufferers are cared for. Science has also lead to creating how-to guides for caregivers as more and more people with Alzheimer’s are cared for at home.

23. Good Life, Good Death, Laine Bergeson, Utne Reader, September/October 2005

To deny death is to deny life, or so says author Laine Bergeson. Death is something we cannot fully comprehend, although scientists are busy studying the effects of death awareness on a multitude of behaviors.

UNIT 4. Relating to Others

24. Mirror, Mirror:: Seeing Yourself As Others See You, Carlin Flora, Psychology Today, May/June 2005

Perceiving others accurately is an important ability. Perceiving yourself as others see you is just as important. Such metacognitions help us negotiate the social world better. Carlin Flora explores this issue in some depth.

25. Feeling Smart:: The Science of Emotional Intelligence, Daisy Grewal and Peter Salovey, American Scientist, July/August 2005

Emotional intelligence or EQ has received much attention in the scientific as well as the popular literature. The ability to understand and manage your own emotions also produces better interpersonal relationships. Grewal and Salovey introduce this important concept to the reader.

26. What’s Your Emotional IQ?, Melissa Abramovitz, Current Health 2, December 2001

Emotional intelligence (EQ) is an important personality characteristic. It involves awareness of and insight into the emotions of self and others. Emotional intelligence may be as important as IQ.

27. Us vs. Them, Raphael Cushnir, Spirituality and Health, May/June 2005

Humans apparently possess an innate ability to perceive things in twos:: good-bad, us-them, yes-no. Cushnir takes up the challenge of in-groups and out-groups by discussing why we sort people into “us” vs. “them.” More importantly, he shows us how to stop being so judgmental about others and embrace “them.”

28. Relationships, Human Behavior, and Psychological Science, Harry Reis and W. Andrew Collins, Current Directions in Psychological Science, December 2004

Much psychological research has demonstrated that interpersonal relationships are important and healthful to humans. Interpersonal connectedness is good for our social, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral well-being.

29. Budding Friendships Fill Out the Family Tree, Sharon Jayson, USA Today, December 20, 2005

In our mobile society, friendships are difficult to make and keep. With nuclear family members living further and further away, friendships are becoming increasingly important. Jayson notes, however, that friends need not supplant families; they can complement one another. Any social support increases longevity, promotes better health, and lowers incidence of mental disorder.

30. Nurturing Empathy, Julia Glass, Parenting, June/July 2001

Empathy (or experiencing another’s feelings) is an important human attribute. How and why empathy unfolds in young children is explained. Tips for parents who want to encourage empathetic behavior in their children are also included.

31. Contagious Behavior, Shirley Wang, APS Observer, February 2006

Humans have an interest effect on one another; they appear to “catch” each others’ behaviors, known as social contagion. Has someone else’s yawning made you yawn? The article glimpses at this peculiar social phenomenon with examples and explanations.

UNIT 5. The Individual and Society

32. The Emperor’s New Woes, Sean Elder, Psychology Today, March–April 2005

Women’s and men’s roles have changed so much that men today are less sure what women want than they were in the past. The male career track that promotes married men into leadership or executive roles often leaves their wives wondering where intimacy has gone. The same traits that make a married man successful at work may countermand his success in his marriage. Sean Elder takes a long look at this conundrum.

33. 50th Anniversary:: Brown v. Board of Education, Debbie O’Leary, Chalkboard, Spring/Summer 2004

The year 2004 was the 50th anniversary of the historic Supreme Court ruling that ended segregation in public schools. This insightful article chronicles that historic event and examines whether racial prejudice and discrimination indeed have ended in the United States.

34. Sick of Poverty, Robert Sapolsky, Scientific American, December 2005

Poverty results in increased psychosocial stress and unhealthier lifestyles. Social scientists are searching for adequate explanations for these effects as well as interventions to improve the well-being of the poor.

35. Work-life:: Organizations in Denial, Cynthia A. Thompson, The Journal of Employee Assistance, May 2005

Organizations, families, and employees all struggle to find a balance between work and family life. Imbalance in these domains can lead to depression, anger, dissatisfaction, and other negative outcomes. Several strategies exist that promote better harmony between work and family life.

36. Life-Saving Communication, Christopher Munsey, Monitor on Psychology, March 2006

In a pandemic, officials need to respond quickly, grab people’s attention, and get them to commit to the best course of action. Psychologists can be effective in helping government officials fashion effective messages to best serve the public.

37. Soldier Support, Christopher Munsey, Monitor on Psychology, April 2006

The need for psychological services for soldiers serving in Iraq is immense. Not only do soldiers and their families need assistance while the soldiers are overseas, but they will all need support upon the return home. This article reveals other ways psychologists are helping with the Iraqi war.

UNIT 6. Enhancing Human Adjustment:: Learning to Cope Effectively

38. Brain Imaging Struggles for Psychiatric Respect, Douglas Steinberg, The Scientist, December 6, 2004

Various mental disorders are being studied via brain imaging. Somewhere in between feeling depressed and seeking treatment, a few individuals sadly commit suicide. Scientists hope to be able to use brain imaging techniques to study who might be depressed or suicidal and then use these same techniques to determine whether treatment is effective.

39. Are We Becoming a Nation of Depressives?, Kevin Turnquist, The Humanist, September/October 2002

Is depression a Western disorder? Why is depression on the rise despite new treatments and better diagnostic methods? This essay investigates the answer to these and other important questions.

40. Drugs vs. Talk Therapy, Consumer Reports, October 2004

Consumer Reports again educates readers and professionals alike with its latest survey on the efficacy of interventions for mental disorders, especially for depression and anxiety disorders. Interestingly, the research reveals that talk therapy, while not as quick, rivaled drug treatment in effectiveness.

41. Body of Emotion, Alice Lesch Kelly, Natural Health, September 2005

Scientists have strong evidence that the immune system and the mind are linked. The author reviews some of the evidence and then discloses to the reader what it means. The bottom line is that fighting off disease requires a strong immune system and balanced emotions.

42. 20 Weeks to Happiness, Richard Handler, Psychotherapy Networker, January/February 2006

Richard Handler describes positive psychology—what it is, its history, and some relevant research. Positive psychology is a movement sweeping across American psychology. He then describes his own experience with positive psychology and how it changed his life.