Psychology Basics

The first edition of Psychology Basics, drawn from the six-volume Survey of Social
Science: Psychology (1993), has been a popular, accessible, and affordable
source of information about important theories and issues in this dynamic
field. Since the publication of Psychology Basics in 1998, the larger set has undergone
a substantial redesign, revision, and update as the four-volume
Magill’s Encyclopedia of Social Science: Psychology (2003), which was named a
2004 Outstanding Reference Source by RUSA. Essays in the two-volume Psychology
Basics, Revised Edition, are taken from this award-winning work.

This revised title in the Magill’s Choice series features 127 essays. Onethird
of these topics did not appear in the previous edition of Psychology Basics.

The remaining two-thirds have the same or similar titles but were either
newly commissioned for the revision of the larger encyclopedia or feature
both updated text—bringing them in line with the most recent edition of
the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
Mental Disorders: DSM-IV-TR (2000)—and new “Sources for Further Study”
sections that offer the latest editions and scholarship. Additions to the Revised
Edition include new top matter, tailored subheadings guiding readers
through the text, photographs and medical drawings, helpful lists of diagnostic
criteria from the DSM-IV-TR, and two appendices: a Biographical List
of Psychologists with brief profiles of major figures in the field, both past
and present, and an annotatedWeb Site Directory for support groups, organizations,
and on-line sources of information on this field. As a result, Psychology
Basics, Revised Edition, supersedes the previous Psychology Basics and
should prove to be even more valuable.

Arranged in an A-Z format, Psychology Basics, Revised Edition, highlights
theories and concepts in the following areas:


• aging
• childhood and adolescence
• cognition
• conditioning
• consciousness
• depression
• development
• diagnosis
• emotions
• experimentation
• intelligence
• language
• learning
• memory
• methodology
• motivation
• origin and definition of
psychology
• personality
• psychobiology
• psychopathology
• psychotherapy
• sensation and perception
• sexuality
• social psychology
• stress
• thought
• treatments

Entries range from four to eight pages in length. Every entry begins with
standard information for “Type of psychology” and “Fields of study.” An abstract
briefly defines the subject, summarizing its importance to psychology,
and “Key concepts” lists five to ten of the most important issues to be discussed
in the essay that follows. The text of each article offers a clear and
concise discussion of the topic. An entry on a mental illness addresses its
cause, diagnosis, treatment, and impact. An entry on a theory or school examines
its origin, history, and current status. Informative, descriptive subheadings
divide the text. All terminology is explained, and context is provided
to make the information accessible to general readers. Every entry
includes a bibliography of secondary sources with annotations discussing
their content and value; for this revision, all bibliographies have been updated
from the 2003 source set. Every essay is signed by the author and concludes
with a list of cross-references to related articles within Psychology Basics,
Revised Edition. At the end of volume 2 are a Glossary of crucial terms
with concise definitions, the Biographical List of Psychologists, theWeb Site
Directory, a Categorized List of Entries divided into thirty-seven subjects,
and a comprehensive Index.

We wish to express our thanks to the Editor, Nancy A. Piotrowski, Ph.D.,
of the University of California, Berkeley; her insightful Introduction can be
found at the beginning of volume 1.We also thank the contributors—academicians
from psychology, medicine, and other disciplines in the social and
life sciences—for sharing their expertise with general readers; a list of their
names and affiliations follows.