Psychology in the 21st century is not the seemingly static clinical field that you may have learned about in high school. Now there's a substantial focus on "mindset" and the malleable nature of our experiences. When we understand how our mindset works, we can influence our behavior. There is also a greater emphasis on how the principles of psychology can help you to improve your everyday life, including how understanding your perceptions can help you to better understand the world. Human beings are endlessly fascinating. Our social organization, our perceptions of the world, our emotional range, and our inner thoughts all define what it means to be human. The field of psychology has always been the scientific study of mental processes and behavior, helping us to understand ourselves and the world around us. How do we think, feel, and remember? Why do we act the way we do? And, most important, is there any way we can train our minds to improve our lives?
What's new in the field of psychology is that many answers to these questions are beginning to be well understood. From the days of Freud and Skinner to the modern science of fMRIs and genetics, Introduction to Psychology is a grand introduction to one of the most captivating fields of inquiry—where the subject is you, and everyone around you. Taught by Professor Catherine A. Sanderson of Amherst College, these 36 insightful lessons not only give you a panoramic grounding in the history, methods, and fundamental findings of psychology, but they also introduce you to the most up-to-date 21st-century research and discoveries—including strategies to increase your happiness and to improve how to live your life.
When you complete Introduction to Psychology, you will come away with a new way of looking at the human experience. You will have gained insights to help you better understand yourself. And your new wealth of strategies will help you to think more clearly, be more courageous, strengthen relationships, and generally experience greater psychological and physical well-being.
