If you really want to understand what motivates your thoughts, feelings, and actions, read the best psychology books that illuminate the human psyche.
Table of Contents. Why Learn About Psychology? There are at least three significant reasons to learn about psychology:. Understand yourself and your motivations.
Learn about and understand other people. Change a behavior or feeling. In my studies, I’ve read MANY books on psychology. I dare say hundreds.
These books covered topics like:. Depth psychology. Humanistic psychology.
Developmental or ego psychology. Social psychology. Behavioral psychology. Cognitive psychology. Positive psychology. Ego psychology.
Transpersonal psychology. Integral theory You get the idea. If you’re reading this, you’re probably someone who’s interested in better understanding yourself and what drives your behavior too. Why do we do what we do? Traveling Deeper into the Psyche Cognitive psychology and social psychology are what’s popular right now. Even though psychology is considered a “soft science,” through cognitive psychology, social psychology, and neuropsychology, clinical researchers, social scientists, and neuroscientists are attempting to codify the human mind. In my opinion, this is problematic because the experimenters and researchers themselves are mostly unconscious to their behavior and impulses that they are attempting to observe in their sample groups. Plus, unconscious biases influence us in profound ways (see ). Although this work is important and interesting, in my opinion, it fails to get to the core of why we do what we do. So if we’re interested in learning about, we need to dig deeper.
How to Select the Best Psychology Books Although reading the pioneers of psychoanalysis like Freud, Jung, and Adler can be illuminating, it’s also incredibly time-consuming and often confusing. So in curating my picks for the best books in psychology, I’ve selected titles that don’t assume prior working knowledge of psychological theory. I’ve also chosen psychology books that I believe are the most accessible. And if you don’t want to invest thousands of hours reading a lot of unnecessarily complicated texts, read Robert Johnson. Johnson is a Jungian writer who possesses a remarkable gift for taking complex psychological ideas and making them understandable and relatable to laypeople like us. And he does it with gentleness and an economy of words. Johnson penned half of the books below. If you’re not already an Audible customer, you can and get two free audiobooks.
My Picks for the 10 Best Psychology Books So here are my selections for the best books on psychology: Owning Your Own Shadow: Understanding the Dark Side of the Psyche by Robert Johnson This 119-page book provides the best explanation of the personal shadow that you can find in print. The shadow represents all the parts of ourselves that we’re unknowingly cut off or divorced from. And these disowned parts are what drives most of our behavior outside of our awareness. Many of the ideas in inspired my guide on getting on. Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E.
Frankl I can’t imagine a list of the best psychology books not including Frankl’s classic. I first read in my early 20s. But it didn’t mean anything to me until rereading it in my mid-30s. Frankl’s observations as a captive in a Nazi concentration camp during World War II are instructive for every human being. All readers will gain a new perspective on their lives and what drives them after reading this book.
Games People Play: The Basic Handbook of Transactional Analysis by Eric Berne Berne’s classic from the 60s is still highly relevant today. Examines human behavior through a social lens. Berne highlights that in social relationships, individuals embody one of three different expressions of the ego: the adult, the parent, and the child. The adult is rational, the parent is critical and nurturing, the child is dependent and intuitive. All three expressions are in each of us and different social situations trigger different ones and in specific combinations. Is a fascinating read if you’re interested in social dynamics and if you want to become more conscious of your behavior. He: Understanding Masculine Psychology by Robert Johnson Every man should read.
In 82 pages, Johnson explains masculine psychology through the mythology of King Arthur and the Grail legend. I’m not sure I would have understood it in my 20s or early 30s. I’ve read this book at least six times in my 30s alone. I appreciate He more and more as I get older. Every woman who wants to understand the masculine psyche will benefit from this book too. She: Understanding Feminine Psychology by Robert Johnson In this concise 80-page book, Johnson breaks down feminine psychology through the myths of Psyche, Eros and Aphrodite. Reading with illuminates how the psyche of men and women are fundamentally different.
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A handy guide. We: Understanding the Psychology of Romantic Love by Robert Johnson How can you even attempt to be in a relationship without reading? We are all so programmed with ideas about romantic love from stories, films, and the media, that human relating is barely possible. Johnson deconstructs romantic love through the myth of Tristan and Iseult. Johnson’s is a must-read book for anyone attempting to have a conscious relationship or marriage. Incredibly sobering and instructive. King, Warrior, Magician, Lover: Rediscovering the Archetypes of the Mature Masculine by Robert Moore and Douglas Gillette Wow! If you want to understand human behavior, (commonly referred to as KWML). KWML a wild ride into the psyche.
You’ll meet the full cast of characters, but the real story isn’t about the Big Four mentioned in the title, but their bipolar. It’s in getting to know and understand these darker archetypes that we begin to appreciate the forces that rule most of human behavior. For anyone interested in psychology and human behavior, put on your list. Related Guide: Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living by Pema Chodren As far as Western psychology has come in the last 120 years or so, Eastern psychology is thousands of years older.
Is based on what’s called Lojong that’s at least 300 years old. This mind training practice is based on 59 slogans or aphorism that demonstrate the brilliance of Buddhist psychology. And Chodren, a Western Buddhist teacher, does a beautiful job explaining the meaning behind these aphorisms. Self-Therapy: A Step-By-Step Guide to Creating Wholeness and Healing Your Inner Child Using IFS by Jay Earley We have voices, parts,.
When we deny this fact, these parts rule us. When we accept this, we can learn to understand and harmonize the characters within our psyche. Is based on a more modern integrative therapy called Internal Family Systems (or IFS). It guides you step-by-step through a process of working with your parts. My provides a basis for using this manual. The Wisdom of the Enneagram: The Complete Guide to Psychological and Spiritual Growth for the Nine Personality Types by Don Richard Riso and Russ Hudson In two decades of, I’ve explored most, if not all, the psychological assessments on the market (Myers-Briggs, DISC, etc.). From my perspective, the Enneagram is the most robust and functional personality model. And of the many books I’ve read on this psychological system, this one is the most practical and accessible.
Inner Gold: Understanding Psychological Projection by Robert Johnson I based on this little book about how we tend to project the best parts of ourselves onto others. This process occurs unconsciously, so we need to become aware of what we’re doing first before we can take back our projections and own our true power. Will show you the way. How to Approach These Psychology Books As I mentioned in my review of the, there’s an essential distinction between theoretical books and practical books.
While the personal development books I listed were practical, most of my selections for the best psychology books are theoretical. ( is the exception. And certain sections in and are practical too.) Theoretical books provide us with a greater understanding; they help increase our cognition. Through these psychology books, we can learn to identify behavioral patterns and motivations within us and others.
If we apply this knowledge with, we can learn about ourselves and make progress in our development. Read These Psychological Guides Read More Best Book Reviews.
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