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Top 5 Psychology Books for Beginners

Jul 12, 20184 min read

With the growing interest in psychology it’s difficult to know where to start. Textbooks are usually very detailed and not great reads for beginners who want to know the basics. Here I am going to list my top 5 books for anyone who wants to know a little more about psychology without all the psychobabble.

5. The Psychology Book

All the big ideas, simply explained – an innovative and accessible guide to the study of human nature. The Psychology Book clearly explains more than 100 groundbreaking ideas in this fascinating field of science. How does the brain remember faces? What makes us choose one decision over another? Where does language come from? With the use of powerful and easy-to-follow images, quotations from all the major thinkers, and explanations that are easily understandable, this book demystifies hard-to-grasp concepts and shows how these have shaped our knowledge of the human mind. All the schools of psychology are covered from cognitive to behavioural psychology making this ideal for students or for anyone with a general interest in this popular area. If you’re fascinated by the human mind then The Psychology Book will get you thinking. This book would be great for students or people with an interest in the area.

4. Introducing Psychology: A graphic guide

What is psychology? When did it begin? Where did it come from? How does psychology compare with related subjects such as psychiatry and psychotherapy? To what extent is it scientific? “Introducing Psychology” answers all these questions and more, explaining what the subject has been in the past and what it is now. The main “schools” of thought and the sections within psychology are described, including Introspection, Biopsychology, Psychoanalysis, Behaviourism, Comparative (Animal) Psychology, Cognitive Approaches (including the Gestalt movement), Social Psychology, Developmental Psychology and Humanism. The key figures covered include: Freud, Pavlov, Skinner, Bandura, Piaget, Bowlby, Maslow and Rogers, as well as many lesser-known but important psychologists.

3.Psychology: A Beginner’s Guide (Beginner’s Guides)

Why are we fascinated with celebrity? Why are we attracted to the wrong people? What does ‘passive aggressive’ really mean? Can astrology really be a good indicator of personality? Sex, envy, survival, joy – Martin gets to the very heart of what it is to be human. A broad yet concise book – and so timely: psychology has never been more popular. From TV experts to the amateur musings of your best friend, the language of psychology has permeated all aspects of everyday modern life. Informed by cutting-edge research, and from one of the world’s leading psychologists, this is the most engaging non-fiction book you’ll read all year.

2. Psychology for Dummies

Psychology For Dummies is a fun, user-friendly guide to the basics of human behavior and mental processes. In plain English—and using lots of everyday examples—psychologist Dr. Adam Cash cuts through the jargon to explain what psychology is all about and what it tells you about why you do the things you do.

With this book as your guide, you’ll: gain profound insights into human nature; understand yourself better; make sense of individual and group behaviors; explore different approaches in psychology; recognize problems in yourself and others; make informed choices when seeking psychological counseling; and much more.

• Shows you how understanding human psychology can help you make better decisions, avoid things that cause stress, manage your time to a greater degree, and set goals

• Helps you make informed choices when seeking psychological counseling

• Serves as an invaluable supplement to classroom learning

From Freud to forensics, anorexia to xenophobia, Psychology For Dummies takes you on a fascinating journey of self discovery.

1.Psychology: A Very Short Introduction


Psychology is part of everyone’s experience: it influences the way we think about everything from education and intelligence, to relationships and emotions, advertising and criminality. People readily behave as amateur psychologists, offering explanations for what people think, feel, and do. But what exactly are psychologists trying to do? What scientific grounding do they have for their approach? This Very Short Introduction explores some of psychology’s leading ideas and their practical relevance.

In this new edition, Gillian Butler and Freda McManus explore a variety of new topics and ways of studying the brain. Until recently it was not possible to study the living human brain directly, so psychologists studied our behaviour, and used their observations to derive hypotheses about what was going on inside. Now – through neuroscience – our knowledge of the workings of the brain has increased and improved technology provides us with a scientific basis on which to understand the structure and workings of the brain, and allows brain activity to be observed and measured. Exploring some of the most important advances and developments in psychology – from evolutionary psychology and issues surrounding adolescence and aggression to cognitive psychology – this is a stimulating introduction for anyone interested in understanding the human mind.

ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

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