General Psychology for Professional Students
- Author:
Gilliland,
John J. B. Morgan and S. N. Stevens. New York: D. (J. Heath and Co. 1930.
The purpose of this work, as stated in its Preface, is “to fill the specific need for a special text for professional students’’; the professions mentioned in the first chapter as fields for the application of a knowledge of psychology are law, medicine, education, industry, selling, and advertising. The authors’ attempt “to introduce as much objective material and as little theoretical material as possible’’ is definitely evidenced by the text, if one understands by “objective” merely that which is not “theoretical,” including some subjects ordinarily thought of as subjective. Further, having been written by men holding different points of view, this book escapes the pitfall of neglecting large masses of material considered by reputable psychologists to be valid psychological data.
One’s first impulse in looking at a new book is to turn to the table of contents for a quick diagnosis of its “personality.” This one covers the field of general psychology: The Nature and purpose of psychology, The Human organism, Innate behavior, Sensory processes, Attention, Perception, Learning, Memory, Thinking, Emotional behavior, Mental alertness, Personality, Social behavior, Personal efficiency and motivation, Sleep, Dreams, and hypnosis, and Mental health.
As is likely in any text designed to be elementary a certain amount of dogmatism results from the necessary simplification. Many psychologists will disagree, for example, with the treatment of learning. However, this is balanced by the care that has been taken to make use of the latest data obtained, whatever the point of view of the investigator. Prominent among the observable influences of the schools are those of behaviorism, Gestalt, and psychoanalysis; it is particularly noticeable that whatever the subject under discussion, its bearing upon the individual as a whole is stressed, the simpler being considered always in the light of the more complex.
This book has two of the cardinal textbook virtues: namely, constant reference to actual experiments, and an adequate number of diagrams that can be understood with a minimum of effort. We should like to mete out special praise to the little section on recognition, which usually suffers from inattention. Finally, as a text for professional students, the present work will amply fulfil its purpose of giving applicable knowledge and suggestive illustration of a specific nature in an interesting manner. It is to be recommended wherever such a text is needed. Francis w. Ir-win
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