The Handy Psychology Answer Book (The Handy Answer Book Series)

513 Pages·2011·5.45 MB·English

by  Lisa J. Cohen

Handy Psychology 10/20/10 12:02 PM Page i
About the Author
Dr. Lisa J. Cohen is a licensed clinical psychologist who works
as a teacher, scientist, and clinician. She is Associate Professor
of Clinical Psychiatry at Beth Israel Medical Center/Albert
Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, where she also
serves as Director of Research for Psychology and Psychiatry.
Dr. Cohen teaches topics in clinical psychology to graduate
and undergraduate students in psychology and to psychiatric
residents. Her scientific research has covered a number of
domains, including obsessive compulsive disorder, child trau-
ma, personality pathology, psychological testing, opiate
addiction, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. She has authored or co-authored over
70 articles in professional journal and 14 book chapters. In her private practice, she
provides psychotherapy to individuals and couples, combining psychodynamic and
cognitive-behavioral techniques. She also works as a supervising psychologist on an
inpatient psychiatric unit, where she oversees the provision of group therapy and psy-
chological testing to psychiatric patients with serious mental illness, such as schizo-
phrenia and bipolar disorder.
i
Handy Psychology 10/20/10 12:02 PM Page ii
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Handy Psychology 10/20/10 12:02 PM Page iii
THE
HANDY
PSYCHOLOGY
ANSWER
BOOK
Lisa J. Cohen, PhD
Detroit
Handy Psychology 10/20/10 12:02 PM Page iv
THE Copyright © 2011 by Visible Ink Press®
This publication is a creative work fully protected by all applicable copy-
HANDY right laws, as well as by misappropriation, trade secret, unfair competi-
tion, and other applicable laws.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission
PSYCHOLOGY
in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote
brief passages in connection with a review written for inclusion in a maga-
zine, newspaper, or website.
ANSWER
All rights to this publication will be vigorously defended.
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ISBN 978-1-57859-223-4
Cover images: iStock.com.
Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
Cohen, Lisa J.
The handy psychology answer book / Lisa J. Cohen.
p. cm. — (Handy answer book series)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-57859-223-4
1. Psychology—Popular works. I. Title.
BF145.C59 2011
150—dc22 2010042165
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Handy Psychology 10/20/10 12:02 PM Page v
Contents
INTRODUCTION vii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ix
GLOSSARY … 453
BIBLIOGRAPHY … 469
INDEX … 483
INTRODUCING BRAIN AND
THE BASICS … 1 BEHAVIOR … 95
The Basics … Psychology before Basic Concepts in Neuroscience …
Psychology … Psychology in Other The Major Structures of the Brain …
Cultures … History and Pioneers … Brain Development … From Brain to
Sigmund Freud … John B. Watson Mind … The Brain as Mapmaker …
and B.F. Skinner … Jean Piaget Sensation and Perception … Motor
Behavior and Intentional Action …
Cognition and Behavioral Control …
MAJOR Emotions … Emotion and the Limbic
MOVEMENTS IN System … Emotions in Mammals …
PSYCHOLOGY … 31 Frontal Control of the Limbic System
… Neurotransmitters and Other Brain
Behaviorism … Gestalt Psychology …
Chemicals … Impact of the
Psychoanalytic Theory … Jungian
Environment on the Brain
Analytical Psychology … Humanistic
Theories … Attachment Theory …
Sociobiology and Evolutionary
PSYCHOLOGICAL
Psychology … Neurobiological
DEVELOPMENT
Theories … Cognitive Science …
ACROSS THE
Psychology as a Science …
LIFESPAN … 147
Psychological Tests … Intelligence
Testing
Freud’s Psychosexual Stages … Erik
Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages … v
Handy Psychology 10/20/10 12:02 PM Page vi
Margaret Mahler … Jean Piaget’s GROUP DYNAMICS
Theory of Cognitive Development … AND THE PUBLIC
Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral
SPHERE … 301
Development … The Role of Culture
… Infancy … Toddler Years … Group Dynamics … Prejudice and
Preschool Years (3–5) … School Age Racism … Morality … Psychology in
Children (6–11) … Adolescence the Workplace … Psychology in the
(12–18) … Early Adulthood (19–40) … Public Sphere … Voting Behavior
Middle Adulthood (40–60) … Later
Adulthood (60 and Older) … The End
of Life: Death and Dying ABNORMAL
PSYCHOLOGY:
MENTAL HEALTH
THE PSYCHOLOGY
AND MENTAL
OF EVERYDAY LIFE:
ILLNESS … 343
LOVE, MARRIAGE,
AND BABY
Definitions and Classifications …
CARRIAGE … 223 Major Mental Illnesses … Disorders of
Personality … Substance Abuse …
Love … Marriage … Pregnancy …
Psychotherapy … Psychopharma -
Parenting … Families … Divorce …
cology … Popular Psychology
Sexuality … Sexual Orientation
THE PSYCHOLOGY
THE PSYCHOLOGY
OF TRAUMA … 405
OF EVERYDAY LIFE:
MOTIVATION AND
The Psychological Impact of Trauma
THE SEARCH FOR … Child Abuse … Sexual Abuse …
HAPPINESS … 271 Domestic Violence
The Psychology of Happiness …
Positive Psychology … Happiness FORENSIC
across Cultures … The Psychology of PSYCHOLOGY … 429
Money … The Biology of Money
The Psychology of Criminal Behavior
… Causes of Antisocial Traits …
Specific Forms of Crimes … Mental
Illness and the Law
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Introduction
I have been fascinated with psychology ever since I was a child. I wanted to understand
what made people do what they do, what the story was behind their behavior. I wanted
to strip back the outer cover and see the machinery within. Many years later, I am still
fascinated with psychology. Psychology is ultimately the foundation of all human
endeavor. Why do we think, feel, and act the way we do? Why do we love, hate, eat,
work, or dance the way we do? How does our three-pound brain produce the incredi-
ble intricacies of human behavior? How much of our psychology is due to genes and
how much to our environment? These questions are addressed every day in thousands
of laboratories and consulting rooms across the country and across the world. And the
answers to such age-old questions are closer at hand than at any point in history.
While I do not believe we will ever fully understand the extraordinary mystery of the
human mind, we certainly can learn—and have learned—a tremendous amount
about our mental processes. Moreover, such discoveries can help reduce the suffering
and improve the lives of millions of people.
Interestingly, the major players in the field of psychology used to be far better
known to the general public. Fifty years ago, the average person on the street was
more likely to be familiar with the likes of Sigmund Freud, B.F. Skinner, or Jean
Piaget. There was a widespread appreciation of the importance of the field of psycholo-
gy and its relevance to everyday life. In contemporary times, there is far less general
awareness of the contributions of the field of psychology. Perhaps psychology—that is,
the scientific disciplineof psychology—has been a victim of its own success. Certainly
talk shows and magazines are filled with psychological topics. Dr. Phil, Dr. Laura, and
Dr. Joyce Brothers remain household names. But I would suggest that the entertain-
ment value of popular psychology has overtaken the appreciation of serious science.
Meanwhile, psychology is flourishing within the walls of academia. Psychology
remains an incredibly popular major in college and graduate school. But within the
university, the seriousness of the field has overtaken its inherent entertainment value.
Thus psychology has split into two vectors: popular psychology, which is entertaining vii
Handy Psychology 10/20/10 12:02 PM Page viii
but not rigorous, and academic psychology, which is serious but not easily accessible
to the non-specialist.
This book is intended to find a middle ground, to provide a rigorous and scientifi-
cally grounded book that is nonetheless accessible and engaging to the general public.
The first section of this book gives an overview of the fundamentals of psychology.
We cover the history and pioneers of psychology, the major theoretical movements, the
science of psychology, the brain and its relationship to behavior, and psychological
development across the lifespan. These are the areas traditionally covered in textbooks.
In the second half of the book we address how the scientific methods of psycholo-
gy have been applied to questions of everyday life. Here we see how the science of psy-
chology has immediate relevance to a broad spectrum of human activities. What can
psychology tell us about love, marriage, family, and sexuality? What can psychology
tell us about happiness or our relationship with money? Chapter 7 explores the psy-
chology of the group and how group dynamics play out in the work place, the public
sphere, and in the problems of prejudice and racism. Chapters 8 through 10 look at
abnormal psychology. Chapter 8 addresses clinical psychology, covering such topics as
psychopathology, psychiatric diagnosis, psychotherapy, and psychiatric medication.
Chapter 9 looks at the psychology of trauma, and chapter 10 at forensic psychology,
where psychology intersects the law.
As part of the “Handy Answer Book” series, this book is structured in a question-
and-answer format. Approximately 1,000 questions are answered with one- or two-
paragraph answers. The goal is to break down complex topics into bite-size ideas.
While the questions were carefully selected to create a narrative flow, this is also the
kind of book that you can open at any point and browse. If you want, you can read the
book from cover to cover, but you can also flip through to find questions that particu-
larly jump out at you.
Although I want the reader to feel free to jump around, the nature of science is
that it is cumulative. In other words, the most recent developments rest upon the
shoulders of earlier work. Because of this, the sections in the second half of the book
will sometimes refer to topics and people introduced in the first half. If readers run
across an unfamiliar idea, person, or issue, they can look the topic up in the index,
which will then point them to other areas in the book where the issue is discussed.
I have applied the same scientific standards when writing this book that I use
when writing scientific articles for professional journals and have worked hard to only
include conclusions that are supported by solid if not multiple references. In profes-
sional papers, you cite your sources in the middle of the text, right where you are ref-
erencing them. While this practice is necessary for scientific accuracy, it does not
make for easy reading. Therefore we put the reference list at the back of the book.
Readers who are interested in learning more about any particular area can look up the
viii relevant references for more information.
Handy Psychology 10/20/10 12:02 PM Page ix
This book is intended for the general public. Anyone who has a passing interest in I
N
psychology could pick up this book to learn more about the field. Did you study psy- T
R
chology in college and always maintained an interest in it? Have you had personal O
D
experience with psychological problems, either in yourself or in your family? Are you U
C
thinking you might like to pursue a career in the mental health field? Or do you just T
I
O
wonder about why people behave the way they do? Then The Handy Psychology
N
Answer Bookis for you.
Although this book is intended for the general public, it can also be used to sup-
plement traditional textbooks. If you want a quick review on Attachment Theory or on
Behaviorism, if you want to remind yourself of the basics of brain-behavior relation-
ships, or if you want a quick introduction to key psychological theories, this book can
be helpful for you.
Whatever your reasons for picking up this book, I hope that you can put it down
with a better appreciation of just how fascinating psychology can be and how impor-
tant it is to everyday life.
Lisa J. Cohen, Ph.D.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Many people contributed to the writing of this book. I’d like to acknowledge Drs. Igor
Galynker, Nancy Maruyama, and the Division of Biological Psychiatry for their contin-
ual and extremely helpful feedback on various chapters. Thanks to Drs. Ramin
Mojtabai, Alessandra Strada, and Ed D’Angelo for their comments on the accuracy or
lack thereof of sections on neurobiology, humanistic psychology, and classical
thought. I would also like to acknowledge Vanessa and David Evans, Alex and Josh
Cohen, David and Marina Vergara, Julie Cohen Evans, Katia Segre Cohen, and Sylvia
Cohen for their insights into adolescent slang past and present and into the mysteri-
ous world of children’s thought. Thanks as well to Dennis Mack for creative ideas as
well as legal advice. To Roger Janecke and Kevin Hile, there would be no book if it
weren’t for you. Finally, to Ed, for tolerating with such good grace my many, many
hours absorbed at the computer.
ix