Depersonalization

Recent perspectives on selfhood have significantly amended the social cognitive theory of the self. This edited volume outlines the latest meta-theoretical and theoretical contexts of self-research and suggests new directions for future research. Self and Identity examines theoretical accounts of human experience within the contemporary socio-cultural milieu and attempts to answer the question of what it means to be human. It provides a clear structure within which to conceptualize contemporary empirical research on self and identity in terms of personal, social, and symbolic aspects. In so doing, it identifies the symbolic aspect as an emerging area of contemporary significance. The book is intended for graduate students and researchers in social and personality psychology interested in self and identity and self-research. It may also be used as a supplemental text in advanced-level courses on self and identity.

With 1001 A-Z entries, ranging from brief statements to substantial essays on major topics, The Oxford Companion to the Mind takes the reader on a lively tour of this endlessly fascinating subject, spanning questions and answers within the broad compass of philosophy, psychology, and the physiology of the brain. This hugely-popular reference work offers an explanatory guide to everyday mysteries--deja vu, jet-lag, humor, and optical illusions--as well as an intelligent look at the more controversial world of parapsychology, including ESP and altered states of consciousness. Current issues such as aging, artificial intelligence, and criminology are examined in depth. The book provides a special tutorial article on the workings of the nervous system, and boasts a great number of articles on 'topics of mental life', in which well-known writers discuss subjects in which they have a particular expertise or interest. The entries are arranged alphabetically and linked by a network of helpful cross-references. The 200 illustrations have been carefully chosen to amplify the text, while specialist bibliographies provide suggestions for further reading. The whole work is served by a comprehensive index, making this a Companion for instant reference as well as continuous reading.

Isaacs' simple realistic premise is that because emotion is a built-in mental process, it is always useful. He explores the why and how of those uses. Old questions in psychology are more satisfactorily answered and new questions are asked and answered. Among the many implications of the book we discern a broad panorama of new views about how personality develops, what are psychological health, illness, and effective treatment of disorders. Isaacs includes a never-before achieved clear path to prevention of a broad array of symptom disorders.