Encyclopedia of Psychology by Kazdin, Alan E.Call Number: REF BF31 .E52 2000 v. 1-8
ISBN: 1557981876
Publication Date: 2000
An important publishing event in psychology, this encyclopedia was developed by the American Psychology Association and Oxford University Press under the editorship of Kazdin (Yale). A large editorial board was involved in choosing topics and deciding on their scope, thrust, and focus. Articles cover all areas of psychology and the related fields of sociology, social work, nursing, and allied health. The aim was not to resolve issues but to clarify them and point out their significance and implications. Over 1,400 contributors wrote the 1,500 entries and nearly 400 biographies, which range in length from 500 to 7,000 words. Entries are signed, arranged alphabetically, have cross-references, and include bibliographies of resources as recent as 1998. The essays are written by experts (e.g., Icek Ajzen on "Theory of Reasoned Action" and Craig Anderson on "Violence and Aggression"). The level of writing, intended for professionals, will challenge beginning psychology students and general readers. Both Encyclopedia of Psychology, ed. by Raymond J Corsini (CH, Sep'94), and Encyclopedia of Human Behavior, ed. by V.S. Ramachandran (CH, Oct'94), continue to be valuable and will complement Kazdin's work. Ramachandran provides 250 broader essays with glossaries, and has a narrower scope; Corsini (2,000 entries) is more similar to Kazdin. Comparisons of topics show that large libraries will need all three. Corsini supplies a column-long entry for "James-Lange Theory of Emotions," while Kazdin's index leads to two sentences about the theory in the three-page entry on William James. Corsini's entry for James runs less than a column and has no bibliography. Ramachandran's nine and a half-page essay on war focuses on its origins and evolution, while Kazdin's five pages discuss war's effects on the general population and on military personnel. Kazdin discusses agoraphobia on nine pages scattered among the articles "Anxiety," "Anxiety disorders," "Behavior therapy," "Fear and terror," "Panic disorder," and "Taste," while Ramachandran devotes a 12-page essay to "Agoraphobia," and Corsini has neither an article nor index entries. Impressive and authoritative, Kazdin is highly recommended for all academic and research-oriented public libraries. J. E. Sheets; Baylor University. c. American Library Association