Includes index

A diseased mind -- Illusion and reality -- Hearts and minds -- Individual differences -- Personality and society -- Rationality and problem-solving -- Cognition -- Development -- Learning -- The brain.

How different are men and women's brains? Does altruism really exist? Are our minds blank slates at birth? And do dreams reveal our unconscious desires? Psychology is everywhere in today's society. No crime fiction, documentary, chat show or medical consultation is complete without the introduction of a psychological angle. Psychology seeks to understand and explain behaviour and ideas, feelings anf thoughts, in a dizzying array of areas - from delusions of grandeur and computer phobia to the causes of cancer; from memory and social mobility to attitude formation and alcoholism, to name but a few. Packed with the latest research, case studies and the arguments of key thinkers, this book is the perfect introduction to psychological theory. Professor Adrian Furnham offers 50 concise and accessible essays explaining the central ideas of psychology as well as providing the reader with a rich vocabulary to explain and describe human behaviour.