Psychology is a very interesting, but complex and controversial science. Studying psychology from textbooks provides academic knowledge. However, more effective results can be achieved by using modern methods of obtaining information:
- reading thematic blogs (including BrainApps);
- reading books on psychology and discussing them;
- taking courses and trainings;
- attending seminars and webinars.
In this article, our team has collected the best books on psychology among textbooks, modern literature and bestsellers of all time. In this review, we will try to find the answer to the question - which book on psychology is the best, and will also provide a list of recommended literature on child psychology, relationship psychology, gesture psychology, and so on.
"Games People Play. Psychology of Human Relationships”, E. Bern
Ilya Shabshin
consulting psychologist, author of books on popular psychological topics, leading specialist at the Psychological Center on Volkhonka
Berne's model of the Inner Parent, Inner Adult and Inner Child is something that is very desirable for anyone who wants to understand other people (and themselves at the same time) to know.
The international cult bestseller is worth reading for those who are ready to go beyond the usual life scenarios, want to understand the motives of their actions and the behavior of other people and find out why conflicts arise. Bern believes that a person can change his destiny if he wants.
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Ken Wilber - Grace and Fortitude.
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The book chronicles the journey of life, struggle, spiritual healing and death of Treya Killam Wilber, wife of philosopher Ken Wilber, through her five-year cancer journey. Ken's insightful commentary, touching on traditional and alternative approaches to illness and treatment, the problem of connecting male and female ways of life, Eastern and Western traditions of knowledge, combined with Treya's diary entries, which tell about her inner quests with utmost honesty and sincerity, together create this a mesmerizing picture of a shared journey in search of health and healing, wholeness and harmony through suffering, humility and inner transformation.
“Diversity of human worlds”, P. V. Volkov
The author calls his work “a guide to the prevention of mental disorders.” He writes about the uniqueness of characters and their subtypes, pays attention to interpersonal relationships, mental disorders, and examines specific cases from his practice.
The best book about people's characters in Russian.
Ilya Shabshin
The work encourages you to evaluate a person based on his characteristics and helps you understand how to treat others with tolerance and why you need to do so. Why bother with this? To prevent painful situations that arise due to lack of mutual understanding.
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Joseph Campbell "The Hero with a Thousand Faces"
Photo source: YouTube.com
An ordinary person can maintain direct contact with no more than 150 other people in his life.
In order for large groups of people to exist normally, a new - intersubjective reality - a myth is needed that will unite them. Researchers call modern society a space in which several myths operate.
Joseph Campbell is an American researcher who studied the legends of various peoples and came to the conclusion that they are based on a monomyth - a story about a hero's journey. His book inspired George Lucas to film Star Wars.
The book “The Hero with a Thousand Faces” (in some translations “Hero with a Thousand Faces”) helps to understand the essence of human culture and the spiritual foundations of society. The structure of the myth that Campbell proposed is understandable to all peoples, regardless of place of residence.
In all legends and stories, the hero lives an ordinary life until one day he hears the “call to adventure.” An unexpected event or character forces him to set off on a journey. On the way, he meets an assistant who gives advice or a valuable gift. Next, the hero finds himself in an unknown world, where he faces difficult trials. Having passed them, he receives a prize and returns home changed.
Campbell's work formed the basis not only for writing scripts for most modern films, but also for creating a number of psychological techniques that allow you to experience emotional transformation.
“Red pill. Face the truth!”, A. V. Kurpatov
Oleg Ivanov
psychologist, conflict specialist, head of the Center for Social Conflict Resolution
Andrey Kurpatov is not just a psychiatrist and a doctor, he popularizes psychology and psychiatry, giving the common person the opportunity to get acquainted with important ideas that can later be successfully applied in life.
Based on the results of research in the field of neurophysiology and neurobiology, the author explains in accessible language how the human brain works, why it deceives us, and whether something can be done about it.
The popular science work teaches you how to interact with other people and tells you how to use your brain wisely to solve important problems. This book is for those who want to get rid of illusions and look at their life from a new perspective.
The Red Pill is the first book in a trilogy. It also includes “Palaces of the Mind. Kill the idiot in yourself" about how to make your brain work for yourself, and "Trinity. Be more than yourself,” dedicated to three types of thinking.
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John Kehoe - “The subconscious can do anything.”
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The author of this book, in solitude among the forests of the Canadian province of British Columbia, spent three years concentrating on questions concerning the functioning of the human brain. Ways to activate its limitless resources, developed and combined by John Kehoe into a specific program, can change your life for the better, fill it with success and happiness.
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“Characters and personality disorders”, V. P. Rudnev
Inna Semikasheva
Candidate of Psychological Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Psychology, Ulyanovsk State Pedagogical University. I. N. Ulyanova
Reading, however, is for intellectual readers, but very exciting. Describes the main types of characters using examples from classical literature.
Each person is unique, and character determines how we perceive reality and look at the same things. And to understand other people, you need to know how each of them sees this world.
The book will help you change the perception of yourself and the people around you and will make you think differently about your own mistakes. This is a work about the characteristics of human characters, defense mechanisms and personality and mental disorders, including depression, hallucinations and paranoia.
“On the Characters of People”, M. E. Burno
Larisa Milova
family psychologist, procedural psychotherapist, genetic psychologist and trauma therapist
The essay helps to understand the “naturalness” of people’s weaknesses (including our own), difficult feelings and actions. It describes the worldview of each character quite well.
Psychiatrist, psychotherapist, doctor of medical sciences and professor M.E. Bruno reveals the essence of different characters and gives examples from his practice. The professor examines what type famous writers, poets, artists and musicians belong to, and uses the example of their work to explain the characteristics of each character.
Perhaps in the descriptions you will find yourself or your loved ones and understand why relationships work out with some and not with others. And finally fix the situation.
Burno’s work is recommended by the Department of Psychotherapy, Medical Psychology and Sexology of the Russian Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education and the Professional Psychotherapeutic League as a textbook on psychotherapy.
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“Speech self-defense” Alexandra Pozharskaya
How to emerge victorious from any conflict? What should you do in order not to get lost if they start “running into you” for no reason? Alexandra Pozharskaya gives answers to these and many other questions in her book.
The author has developed more than forty effective ways to help you cope with any speech conflict. In addition, Alexandra Pozharskaya offers working techniques for refusing unpleasant offers and methods against manipulating you. The book has many interesting examples and ready-made templates. “Verbal self-defense” is divided into theoretical and practical parts, and in each you can find something useful for yourself.
“Accented personalities”, K. Leonhard
The term “accentuation” was introduced by Leonhard. By this he understood overly expressed character traits, which are an extreme version of the mental norm and border on a pathological condition.
The book is written in lively and simple language, so it is quite suitable not only for professionals, but also for anyone interested in psychology.
Larisa Milova
In the work, which has become one of the most popular in the field of psychiatry, the author conducts a psychological analysis of accentuated personalities and analyzes examples from fiction.
“Understand human nature”, A. Adler
Adler, the author of the term “inferiority complex,” talks about the adaptation of the individual in society, the significance of the period of infancy and early childhood, the development of character, its individual traits and manifestations.
Adler says that the foundation of any relationship in society is understanding the other. And mutual understanding can only be achieved by understanding human nature.
Larisa Milova
He argues that a person is responsible for his actions and is able to change behavior, which plays an important role in interpersonal relationships.
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How to win friends and influence people. Dale Carnegie
The presented book describes, first of all, the specifics of relationships between people under the capitalist system. But despite this, the information turns out to be very useful for people living in any conditions and in any society. A special place in the book is given to the topic of relationships between managers and subordinates, as well as between managers and managers. In general, the material is designed for those who need an influx of new thoughts, ideas and goals, new friends, increased status, improved ability to influence others, opportunity and ability to earn more, as well as those who simply want to improve many other qualities of your personality.
The content of this book is extremely effective for using the information received in everyday life. First, effective methods of communicating with people are given. Secondly, ways to influence people are considered. Thirdly, valuable advice and recommendations are given on how to develop yourself and improve the qualities of your personality. The main idea of the work is the author’s conviction that a person’s faith in his own strengths and his success can lead him to his goals and cherished dreams and make him better. The material is filled with many examples and is an effective practical guide.
“Under the Shadow of Saturn”, D. Hollis
Hollis writes about eight secrets of male psychology, psychological trauma and how to heal it, as well as the fear that rules a man's life.
A book about how difficult it is to be a man in the modern world, to fulfill various social roles and meet expectations, is worth reading for both men and everyone who wants to understand them.
Larisa Milova
From childhood, certain expectations are placed on a man, but they are not taught to listen to himself. The author explains how to cope with trauma and learn to build trusting relationships with yourself and others. The work is supplemented with examples from his psychotherapeutic practice.
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General conclusion
- There is evidence that self-help can be an effective means of combating psychological problems (and even an adjuvant in the treatment of mental illness, but each individual case needs to be discussed with a doctor);
- These data should be treated with some caution, since a fairly large part of the research does not draw a clear line between “pure self-help” (when a person chooses what to read and follows what is written) and bibliotherapy with not too intensive intervention from the therapist.
- There are lists of recommended self-help literature, but they are not based on RCT data, but on the opinion of expert groups, so they should be used with some caution.
“Psychology of Women”, K. Horney
A book for those who want to learn to better understand women and see the differences in the psychology of women and men.
Larisa Milova
Horney disagreed with many of Freud's views regarding women. For example, with the fact that every woman envies a man’s penis and unconsciously wants to give birth to a son. For her point of view, she was expelled from the ranks of the American Psychological Association.
But this did not stop her from creating her own theory of the psychology of women, which is presented in the work. Horney touches on the topic of sexual dysfunction and social inequality, writes about the problems of marriage, motherhood, sexual relationships, femininity, love and fidelity.
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“He: The Deep Aspects of Male Psychology,” R. Johnson
Johnson draws a parallel with the myth of Parzival and uses this legend to reveal the deep psychological processes in men. The author tells what it means to be a man and how his formation occurs, explains the origins of aggression and bad mood, and also explains the role of a woman in the life of a representative of the stronger sex.
Johnson has a similar work, but only about women - “She: Deep Aspects of Female Psychology.” In it, using the example of the myth of Eros and Psyche, he reveals the subtleties of the female worldview.
Remarkable works by a follower of C. Jung about the peculiarities of psychology and the life path of men and women.
Larisa Milova
If you're asking yourself, "What's happening to me?" or “Why is he or she like this?”, these books are for you.
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Introduction to psychoanalysis. Sigmund Freud
The work presented to the reader’s attention is a detailed course of lectures that the author read over two semesters from 1915 to 1917. This course contains information about psychoanalysis and its components, which represents a holistic and complete picture of this psychological theory, developed by the author himself.
The textbook consists of three large parts and a separate part with continued lectures. The first part (four lectures) discusses in detail the topic of erroneous personal actions. The second part (eleven lectures) is devoted to dreams. It discusses the difficulties of understanding this phenomenon, assumptions and interpretation techniques, the content of dreams, their symbolism, work, analysis and many other issues related to the topic. The third part (thirteen lectures) deals with the general theory of neuroses, the meaning of their symptoms and the ways of their formation, a person’s sexual life, his libido and many other things.
Continuation of the lectures on introduction to psychoanalysis are lectures on the topic of revising the theory of dreams, the connection between dreams and the occult, the division of mental personality, femininity and some others.
“Why Good People Do Bad Things” by D. Hollis
A book about the dark sides of our soul. About why people gamble or drink excessively, do things that don't match our understanding of them.
Larisa Milova
Everyone has a shadow side, but not everyone is ready to admit it. It hides in the unconscious, but manifests itself in our actions and actions. Hollis writes how to recognize your Shadow, change behavior, overcome internal contradictions and learn to act consciously.
The book will be of interest to anyone who wants to find the strength to deal with “inner demons”, understand the essence and nature of the Shadow and find out what motivates other people when they commit certain actions.
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Rhonda Byrne - "The Secret"
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Fragments of the great secret can be found in oral folk art, in literature, religious and philosophical movements throughout the world, going back many centuries. For the first time, all the pieces of The Secret come together in a stunning revelation that will change the life of everyone who reads the book. From this book you will learn how to use the Secret in all aspects of your life - money, health, relationships and, in general, for any interaction with the outside world. You will begin to understand the hidden and untapped power within you, and this discovery can bring you joy, happiness and prosperity in everything.
“Psychology of emotions. I know how you feel”, P. Ekman
We constantly experience some kind of emotion: we are afraid, happy, sad or angry. We clumsily try to hide them, and sometimes we think that at one glance we understand the feelings of another, but we are often mistaken.
The author explains how to catch the hidden signals that the interlocutor gives through facial expressions and gestures, and how to control and correct your own when necessary.
The ability to recognize emotions in yourself and others is the basis of mutual understanding between people and the opportunity to make your life more comfortable.
Larisa Milova
Even the most insignificant, barely noticeable changes in facial expressions - be it the position of the eyebrows and eyelids or folds in the corners of the eyes - matter. They are the ones who indicate whether a person is afraid or simply surprised, upset about something or tired and wants to sleep.
For clarity, the book is illustrated with photographs and examples. On the last pages there is an emotion recognition test to consolidate what you have learned.
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Victor Vasiliev - "White Book".
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How can you change without the help of willpower? How to motivate yourself without leaving the couch. How to stop unknowingly interfering with yourself, and, as a result, get everything you want. How to find out your true goals and how to achieve them. How to change self-esteem. How to make people unconsciously respect you without any effort. How to make yourself who you always wanted to become - at the same time comfortable and convenient. How to easily and effortlessly acquire the necessary habits and get rid of old ones.
