Short description
People in Context is an introductory textbook in psychology which develops a conceptual framework through the continuous use of examples. This framework underlines the importance of context when attempting to understand human experience and behaviour.
Long description
People in Context is an introductory textbook in psychology which develops a conceptual framework through the continuous use of examples. This framework underlines the importance of context when attempting to understand human experience and behaviour. The third edition provides South African students with opportunities to develop their skills of critical analysis and argument while encouraging an understanding of diverse points of view. Through this goal-directed contextualisation, the book provides students with the practical know-how they need to better understand their South African context.
The book is critical of what might be termed ‘indigenous’ psychological approaches and shows students how to analyse their South African context in terms of more universal elements of the discipline of psychology. So, for example, the book explores the concepts of motivation and stress in the context of a society that is marked by extreme poverty, stress and deprivation. The authors show how poverty, threat, deprivation and violence affect both individual motivation and quality of life.
A feature of this introductory course is the opportunities it offers students for self-evaluation and feedback. In addition there is expanded study material for those students who progress at a faster pace.
Table of contents
Origins; Schools of thought; Current trends; Contextualisation; The science of psychology; Body cells; Heredity and environment; Nerve cells (neurons); Impulse conduction; The human nervous system; Neuropsychology; Experiential processes; Perception; Monitoring; Organisation; Categorisation; Attention; Perception and meaning; Thought; Reasoning; Problem solving; Intelligence; Creativity; Conditioning; Learning; Memory and forgetting; Feelings; Stress; Motivation; The living environment; Relationships; Work situation; Group patterns; Ultimate reality