| Summary: | "This is a book about individuals in society. It is not concerned with all there is to say about either society or individuals. Rather, selected principles from psychology will be employed in the analysis of episodes from the lives of a few persons as they live in close proximity to a few other persons. The principles found most useful in this analysis have come from psychoanalysis and other dynamic psychologies, field theory and learning theory. The approach used in this book is the alternation of case material with theories drawn from differing psychological perspectives. Theory lends meaning to the case data, while the accounts of striving human beings lend enrichment to theory. The case histories are unique because of the peculiar experiences which each individual has had. In a larger sense, however, this uniqueness fades when viewed as variations of experiences which you and I have had, or will have, or might have had. Through the use of case material I hope we will see how the universal and particular are inextricably bound. In this book you will find more raw data in the case histories than is customary. I have deliberately included this material for two reasons: I believe that students who have had a good introduction to psychological concepts can profitably grapple with such data. My second reason-any interpretation stems from a particular conceptual scheme; if you do not agree with my interpretations, you have practically all the data I have used and may apply your own scheme for a better fit. The book is intended for the student or general reader who has had a substantial first course in psychology. At the end of most of the chapters I have listed suggested readings for your benefit if you wish to pursue the intricacies of personality study in greater scope and depth"--Preface. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved).
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