And that, just as much as our physical characteristics or temperament, is crucially important in who we are.
Ch.3 Understanding other people .
This chapter looks more closely at the branch of psychology known as social psychology - the study of how we interact with other people, why we sometimes help others and sometimes don't, and when we are likely to co-operate or obey. .
Ch. 4 Emotions.
This chapter explains in detail the aspects of human emotions. Human beings are different from machines because they have emotions, we feel things. We become happy or upset, thrilled or furious and we"re not always rational about how we do it. .
The chapter explains how psychological knowledge has been used to help people to cope with their anxieties and stress.
Ch 5. States of mind.
The chapter explains the psychology of consciousness. Consciousness is something that people often take for granted. People are aware of being awake, or of being drowsy, but don't usually think very much about it. The alertness (or lack of it) that people feel at any given time in the day is the outcome of complex activity in the brain. Understanding something about that activity can tell us quite a lot about our own feelings and experiences.
Ch. 6 Motivation.
This chapter explains motivation - why we do what we do, and why we bother to do anything at all. In order to understand human beings, we need to look at what makes people "tick" - what moves us to act or to take no action at all.
As with every other aspect of psychology, there isn't a single simple answer to this question. Human motives are complex, ranging from simple physiological ones to complex issues of social respect and identity. We usually have more that one reason for doing things, and bearing this in mind it is worth trying to sort out the different kinds of motives which contribute to our actions.
Ch. 7 Cognition.
This chapter is all about cognition - about how we think, how we take in new information, and how we remember.
