8 Books Most Recommended by Psychology Teachers Today – The Pleasure of Reading

There are many valuable works in the field of psychology. Teachers’ tastes and preferences may vary, but they have some similarities. Here is a list of popular and widely recommended books on this discipline:

“Man’s Search for Meaning” – Viktor Frankl

“Man’s Search for Meaning” is a shocking story in which Viktor Frankl tells us about his experiences in the concentration camps. During all these years of suffering, he felt in his being what it was like to exist naked, completely devoid of everything except existence itself. He, who had lost everything, who had experienced hunger, cold and cruelty, who had been on the brink of execution so many times, was able to realize that, despite everything, life is worth living and that inner freedom and human dignity are indestructible. . As a psychiatrist and a prisoner, Frankl reflects in words of amazing hope on the human capacity to overcome difficulties and discover the deep truth that guides us and gives meaning to our lives.

“Introduction to Psychology” – George A. Miller

Using a dual approach, historical and systematic, George A. Miller unfolds the great themes of psychology as they have emerged since the end of the nineteenth century. Chapters devoted to the narration of the constitutive process of the discipline – through the intellectual biography of Wilhelm Wundt, William James, Francis Galton, Ivan Pavlov, Sigmund Freud, Alfred Binet, etc. – alternate with an exposition of the cardinal principles and aspects of the “science of mental life”: physiological assumptions about mental activity, levels of consciousness and animal psychology, the analysis of sensations and perceptions, Gestalt theories, the functions of memory, the role of the unconscious, adaptation and learning, behavior and conduct, etc.

“The Brain and How to Heal It” – Norman Doidge

In his first book, The Brain Changes Itself, Norman Doidge introduced readers to the most important transformation in our understanding of the brain since the dawn of modern science; the discovery that the brain can change its structure and function in response to mental experience; phenomenon of neuroplasticity. His revolutionary new book reveals for the first time how the amazing healing process of neuroplasticity works. It describes natural, non-invasive healing modalities provided by the forms of energy that surround us; light, sound, vibration or movement that can pass through our senses and our bodies to awaken the plastic brain’s own transformative abilities without the need for surgery or drugs or their negative side effects.

“Descartes’ Error” – Antonio Damasio

Where is Descartes wrong? For Antonio Damasio, one of the most prestigious researchers in the field of neurophysiology, who separates body from mind, with his thesis that thinking is the same as being, whereas it is exactly the opposite: first there was being, then thinking; we exist, therefore we think.

“Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion” – Robert Cialdini

The most important book on the science of persuasion that can change your life.

In your hands is a masterpiece of persuasion. An extraordinary book that will help you be more effective at work and in everyday life, maximize your charisma, improve relationships and strategies for persuasion and reaching profitable agreements, in a word, achieve success at all levels.

In this comprehensive guide, Cialdini explains with scientific rigor and simple language how to elicit the desired response from people and how to protect yourself from unethical persuasion attempts.

A collection of wisdom to become a seasoned influencer.

“The Art of Loving” – Erich Fromm

The Art of Loving is a work with which Erich Fromm helped several generations think about love and answer some seemingly simple questions: what does it mean to love? How can we let ourselves go to experience this feeling?

In it, Fromm views love as an art in relation to others that requires knowledge and effort.

liquid love continues Zygmunt Bauman’s precise analysis of society in a globalized world, and in this case focuses on love. It tells us about the fear of establishing lasting relationships that go beyond simple connections; solidarity, which seems to depend on the benefits it brings; love of one’s neighbor, one of the foundations of civilized life and morality; and about various projects to “dehumanize” refugees, the marginalized and the poor.

IN liquid loveIn one of the most daring and original reflections of our time, Zygmunt Bauman reveals the injustices and anxieties of our time. But he is not completely pessimistic, he also expresses hope for a person who is convinced of the possibility of overcoming the problems posed by modern fluid society.

Think Fast, Think Slow – Daniel Kahneman

A fascinating journey into the functioning of the mind from the father of behavioral psychology and 2002 Nobel laureate in economics: Daniel Kahneman.

IN Think fast, think slowAn international success, Kahneman offers us a revolutionary view of the brain and explains the two systems that shape our thinking. Daniel Kahneman, one of the world’s greatest thinkers, received the Nobel Prize in Economics for his pioneering work in psychology on the rational model of decision making. His ideas have had a profound influence on fields as diverse as economics, medicine and politics, but until now he has not compiled his life’s work into a book.

Interpretation of dreams – Sigmund Freud

No theory about the functioning and structure of consciousness has had as much influence or acquired such a predominant status as psychoanalytic doctrine, the categories and explanations of which soon became the core of the radically new way of understanding psychic reality that characterized the modern world. Divided into two volumes in this edition, The Interpretation of Dreams played a decisive role in this enormous attempt at subversion of values ​​and theoretical innovation. Written between 1895 and 1899, this is the first work in which Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) set out strictly and clearly the general lines of his hypotheses and methods. This new edition restores the original edition of the work and carries an important additional essay entitled “Dreams” into the second volume.

Stream: The Psychology of Happiness – Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Learn to be creative and achieve true quality of life!

Every year, many publications are published around the world advising us on how to stay fit, make money or develop self-esteem. However, these books do not explain how to improve the “quality of experience.” We must ask ourselves: what really makes people happy? What is the basis for a life worth living?

For more than twenty years, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi has devoted himself to studying “states of optimal experience,” those moments in which a person feels possessed by a deep sense of creative joy, moments of active concentration, immersion in what is happening. does. As a result of his research, the author explains that the core “Optimal experience” is a state of consciousness he calls flow.

This book explains how this flow can be controlled and even provoked. Since everyone has an “optimal experience” at some point, it is about recognizing its characteristics and enhancing this sense of power, overcoming the limited ego in which time seems to disappear, and with it emotional conflicts.

These books cover topics such as the meaning of life, introductory psychology, neuroscience, persuasion, love, decision making, dreams, happiness, and optimal flow. Remember that this list is only a general suggestion and that there are many other valuable works in psychology that may interest you, depending on your specific preferences and areas of study.