Introduction to Personality and Psychotherapy

by Joseph F. Rychlak

Book Overview

Used in Personality Psychology class. Theories of different personality theories within psychology from the beginning of time to modern day schools of thought. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0395297362
• ISBN13: 9780395297360
• Release Date: March 1981
• Publisher: Cengage Learning
• Length: 896 Pages
• Weight: 3.50 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Definitely the Best Presentation of the Grand Personality Theories

This book is, quite simply, my favorite in this subfield of psychology. Rychlak establishes a wonderful metatheory for understanding the grand theories of psychology (e.g., those of Freud, Adler, Jung, Sullivan, Wolpe, Skinner, Dollard & Miller, Stampfl, Wolpe, Bandura, Rogers, Binswanger & Boss, Kelly, Piaget), borrowing this metatheory for Aristotle (four causes) and Kantian & Lockean perspectives on understanding human beings (conceptual v. constitutive). Rychlak, obviously, did his homework, so to speak, with evidence that he even corresponded with some of the originators (his "Acknowledgments," for example, include a thanks to Jung for responding to some of his inquiries and, it is well known, that Rychlak and Bandura debated some of the major points and subtleties of Bandura's theory in a professional journal correspondence). The only drawback to this text is its density - though Rychlak points out in his preface that he expended considerable effort in making the second edition more readable, it is my perspective (and my fellow graduate students were in concurrence) that this book is somewhat difficult to read for novices in the area of the theory and philosophy of psychology. A recent re-reading confirmed, however, that this becomes much more readable with age and, especially, with such exposure. I would highly recommend this book, if only as a primary resource for a greater understanding/knowledge of the various grand theories presented.

By far the most helpful book for understanding theory and philosophy of Psychology

I first came across Dr. Rychlak's "Introduction to Personality and Psychotherapy" as an undergraduate in a Personality course. Previous to this course my own exposure to and understanding of psychological theories was mostly fragmentary. I found it very difficult to make sense of the internal logic of most theories, let alone compare theories in any meaningful way. Freud and his legacy seemed especially mysterious to me. I felt the tension of the field simultaneously depending on Freud and wanting to dismiss his "embarrassing" theories wholesale. My Personality class (based heavily on this text) was the guide that I needed to really begin to be able to compare and contrast theories in way that was not only philosophically sophisticated but that was also reasonably comprehensive fair to the theories in question. Using the framework the philosophies of Kant (for the purposes of this text, roughly equivalent to rationalism) and Locke (roughly equivalent to empiricism) helped make once murky theories seem clear in regards to purpose and direction, major features, and problems. This approach also seems more honest in that it contextualizes each theory with its respective foundational philosophies and assumptions. This makes each theory originator's point of view seem defensible, at least within his philosophical framework. By understanding the assumptions of each theory, I gained some ground to stand on by which I could make comparisons. This ground was not provided by previous courses on theory in Psychology. An additional benefit to studying this text was that my own understanding of the story of psychology began to make sense and hold together. I could understand what Freud was attempting to accomplish and how the rest of psychology has since reacted (and continues to react) to his project. I later chose to study theory and philosophy of Psychology at a graduate level, and I can partially trace that decision to my studies in that course with this text. After studying this text, I felt over-prepared for my graduate course in theories. I have enjoyed chatting with professionals and professors about the ideas Rychlak put forth here. I highly recommend this book for serious undergraduate courses, graduate courses, and for in general for those who wish to gain a deeper, more cohesive, and more honest understanding of theory.

Rychlak and the Philosophy of Personality

Rychlak's book is a marvelously thorough, scholarly, and erudite analysis of the philosophical basis for theories of personality. The book is appropriate for graduate students in psychology and philosophy and for very mature undergraduate students majoring in psychology, sociology, family studies, or philosophy. For example, the only way to arrive at a better understanding of Freud would be to devote several years to studying his original writings. Rychlak's book is very thorough, very heady stuff, which provides a clear foundation as it leads the reader through the history and development of the most important modern personality theories. The book provides a very thorough overview of philosophies of psychological knowing coupled with application of such theories of personality, psychotherapy and behavior therapy. The book will provide an important foundation not only for studying personality but also for understanding the role of philosophy in the psychology and other social sciences. Theories of personality and psychotherapy deserve the kind of rich analysis provided by Rychlak. But for all the depth of philosophical analysis provided by Rychlak's book, he does not address research in personality and psychotherapy. Mention personality and most of us would eventually think about methods for testing personality patterns. For example, Rychlak makes no mention of the Rorschach Inkblot technique or any other personality test. It would be important for one who reads this book to also read at least one introductory text on personality in order to become familiar with scientific research supporting or contradicting the theories Rychlak discusses.