Theories of Personality

Ryckman (U. of Maine) intends his textbook to be accessible to undergraduates who have had little or no previous exposure to personality psychology. He reviews the basic concepts and principles of the major theories of personality and assesses how well they meet criteria for judging their scientific worth. He also introduces research studies that test the validity of the theories, presents issues that challenge contemporary personality psychologists, and discusses some of the major trends in theory and research. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR