The Personality Puzzle

The Personality Puzzle offers everything students need to gain a sure understanding of personality psychology -- balanced coverage of classic and contemporary theories, accessible organization and pedagogy -- and the lively, often humorous prose of experienced teacher David Funder. Organized around the field's major domains/paradigms -- trait, biological, psychoanalytic, humanistic and crosscultural, and cognitive and learning -- the text outlines the foundations of personality psychology and emphasizes the significance of contemporary research. A new capstone chapter on personality disorders synthesizes these domains/paradigms. The Fourth Edition adds a new chapter on cognition and the self, new coverage of the "Big Five" personality traits and of personality in a developmental context, and a new Student Website to enable effective study and review. Takes a Contemporary Domains/Paradigm-Based Approach By organizing the text around major domains/paradigms -- trait, biological, psychoanalytic, humanistic and cross-cultural, and cognitive and learning -- The Personality Puzzle offers a broad view of the discipline's theories and research in an easy-to-understand format. A new chapter on personality disorders concludes the book by clarifying how the six paradigms are closely interrelated. Expanded Coverage of Contemporary Research The Fourth Edition's expanded coverage of contemporary research includes a more detailed treatment of the "Big Five" personality traits, a new discussion of personality traits across the lifespan, up-to-date coverage of the biological and cultural aspects of personality, a new chapter on the self, and updated coverage of cognition, motivation, and emotion. Theory in the Context of Everyday Life To help students understand the theories discussed in the book, Professor Funder includes, in each chapter, interludes that clarify concepts by demonstrating their relevance to everyday life. For the Fourth Edition, Professor Funder has added a question set at the end of each chapter that challenges students to apply what they learn in a real-world context.