Personality Psychology: Domains of Knowledge About Human Nature

by Randy J. Larsen, David M. Buss

Larsen and Buss's Personality Psychology is based on a framework of six important domains of knowledge about personality functioning. These six domains are the dispositional domain (traits, trait taxonomies, and personality dispositions over time), the biological domain (physiology, genetics, evolution), the intrapsychic domain (psychodynamics, motives), the cognitive/experiential domain (cognition, emotion, and the self), the social and cultural domain (social interaction, gender, and culture), and the adjustment domain (stress, coping, health, and personality disorders). This book is based on the notion that these domains of knowledge represent the organizing structure of contemporary personality psychology.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Textbooks, Science, School, Reference, Mental Health

752 pages, Hardcover

First published March 20, 2001

Reviews

[K.M. Weiland · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first couple chapters, discussing scientific requirements for experimentation and data gathering, were pretty dry—to the point I put the book down for a couple months. But when I picked it back, I couldn’t stop again. It’s an engaging and comprehensive guide to all parts of personality exploration, as you would expect from a college textbook. I’ll be reading it again, as I’m sure I haven’t retained but a fraction of the vast amounts of information here.

[sandra]

only had to read 266 pages but im gonna put it as read because im a REBEL

[Lizzy Li · Rating 1 out of 5]

finally done!

this textbook was TOO LONG and very repetitive so really did not need to be that long. like genuinely i think the same point would be expanded on for 2 pages and even some sentences seemed copy pasted,,,,, how unnecessary!

also just did not enjoy this class.

[H Gultiano · Rating 2 out of 5]

About as good as a book about personality by two middle aged, seemingly cis-gender, straight white dudes can get.

If you're queer and have to read this for class like I am and did, be prepared to be completely left out of the narrative (again/still).

Comprehensive review of "the field", but obviously very biased by its authors, one of which also chooses to emphasize sexuality ("mating") whenever possible.

[Jurij Fedorov · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for anyone interested in psychology. Will open your eyes to a new world. This was one of the first book we read at the psychology study at my university. And definitely the best one. That's saying something when you consider that we read 3000 pages each semester.

[Brynjar Muren · Rating 5 out of 5]

High quality work describing the domains of knowledge about personality in a highly readable and interesting way! Recommended not just for students but for generally interested people also.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the main writers of this book is a professor at my own university, so I was really excited to study from this book. I was also very excited because this was the first textbook in my psychology degree that was centered in Europe, instead of North-America.

But sadly the poor lay-out of this book made the knowledge it provides very inaccessible. The key terms are green and instead of stand out, they disappear into the mass of text. Moreover, the margins around the text is way too small, I could not fit my annotations anywhere and I lost my line of reading constantly.

This resulted in the fact that, even though I got a 7,5 for this course, I could not explain to someone else exactly what this book is about or how it is structured. I'm kind of disappointed, because I looked forward to this textbook in particular.

That being said, it was very fun to recognise the typically Dutch things within the book. Shoutout to the picture of Mark Rutte on page 477.

[Saiber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was for my college course work and I actually read most of it except 1 chapter because I didn't have time two days before exam. XD

Anyway it's actually a really great read. It even puts a few paragraphs of basics in case you haven't read anything about Personality Psychology before. Interesting stuff. :D

[Rat Barrel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a text book. That said, it is very high quality foundational material for studying personality theory.

[Blaž · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ova knjiga je izvrsan je izvor informacija za studente i pojedince koji su zainteresirani za psihologiju utemeljenu na znanstvenim činjenicama. S obzirom na sveobuhvatno istraživanje različitih domena osobnosti, ova knjiga nudi bogato razumijevanje ljudske prirode koje je temeljeno na empirijskim dokazima. Larsenov stil pisanja je privlačan i dinamičan, što čini materijal dostupnim čitateljima svih razina stručnosti.
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This book is an exceptional resource for both students and individuals interested in delving into the scientific underpinnings of psychology. With a comprehensive exploration of the various domains of personality psychology, this book offers a rich understanding of human nature that is grounded in empirical evidence. Larsen's writing style is engaging and dynamic, making the material accessible to readers of all levels of expertise.

[Sonja Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely a must have for any Human Behavioral Student and License Professional. I have learned so much from reading this book and it is now has a home on my Professional bookshelf and is referenced often.

[Chrissy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a fan of personality psychology. This text did not help.

[Andrea Vlasic · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book, but some chapters can be applied in the USA only unfortunately.

[Sam Niet Vonhof · Rating 3 out of 5]

Redelijk.

[Iselin]

Not too shabby! I always like McGraw Hill textbooks. Nicely divided into chapters, orderly definitions and summaries. And what an interesting subject. Reminded me of why I decided to study psychology in the first place.

[Tim Grundberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

An apprehensive, multi-faceted and smooth introduction to the field of personality psychology.

[Mackenzie King · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting but way too wordy. I could’ve edited this in half and got the same point across.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to read this for my Intersession class, and it was an incredible read! I learned so much about myself, and why people behave and react they way they do. It was easy to read because the terms weren't too technical. Despite being a textbook, it's definitely a book I would recommend if you wanted to learn more about yourself (and why those people in your life drive you crazy)! =o)

[Ida Aasebøstøl · Rating 2 out of 5]

First read: Perfectly A-OK intro to personality psychology. Would've liked some kind of example chapter where two or more domains of knowledge are applied to different cases.
Nothing new, but neat.

Second read: I was obviously starved for any kind of cognitive input last time. Scratch that. Easy and accessible, but no spark. Clear and orderly layout, but boring. Boring.

[Oana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to read it for my University Psychology program it it was really interesting. It contains also a lot of examples which you can see or apply in real life situations. :)
(One of the authors was our Personality teacher.)

[Mustafa Ba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite astonishing textbook for building a base of understanding personality psychology.