Helps readers apply psychological insights to their own lives.

The eleventh edition of Psychology for Living: Adjustment, Growth, and Behavior Today is designed for students interested in applying psychological insights and principles to their own lives. The text helps readers achieve a better understanding of themselves and others.

The scope of Psychology for Living draws material from the major perspectives of psychology, including the psychodynamic, ecological, cognitive-behavioral, and humanistic viewpoints. The goal of the text is based firmly on increasing readers’ understanding as well as their knowledge about adjustment, in order that they may continue learning and growing on their own. 

This text is available in a variety of formats – digital and print. Check your favorite digital provider for your etext, including Coursesmart, Kindle, Nook, and more.

Learning Goals

Upon completing this book, readers will be able to:

• Apply psychological insights and principles to their own lives.
• Increase their knowledge on adjustment, in order to continue learning and growing on their own.
• Understand themselves and others better.

Karen Duffy is a Distinguished Service Professor—emerita, at the State University of New York College at Geneseo. She received her Ph.D. in social and personality psychology from Michigan State University. Dr. Duffy served as a family mediator for the New York Unified Court System. She has also served on the executive committee and as the chief instructor for the training insti-tute for the New York State Employee Assistance Program (EAP), as well as on the board of di-rectors for a shelter for domestic violence and on an educational committee for a family planning agency. She has consulted to a variety of work settings on stress management, EAPs, and other work issues. She is a member of the American Psychological Society. Dr. Duffy has written sev-eral other books, including Community Mediation: A Handbook for Practitioners and Research-ers and Community Psychology. She also edits several hard-copy and web-based annual editions for another publisher, on topics including psychology of personality, social psychology, intro-ductory psychology, and adjustment. She has held two Fulbright Fellowships to St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia. While in Russia, she worked with AIDS International, several children’s shelters, and other community agencies. More recently, she completed a hu-manitarian aid trip to Mongolia.

Steven J. Kirsh is a Professor of Psychology at The State University of New York at Geneseo. Dr. Kirsh’s primary areas of research focus on the influence of violent media on emo-tion recognition and social information processing. He has published Children, Adolescents, and Media Violence: A Critical Look at the Research (2006) and Media and Youth: A Developmental Perspective (2010) as well as numerous scientific articles and book chapters.

Chapter 1:    Self-Direction in a Changing World

Chapter 2:    The Puzzle of Childhood  

Chapter 3:    Affirmative Aging — Adulthood

Chapter 4:    Seeking Selfhood

Chapter 5:    Toward Better Health

Chapter 6:    Taking Charge

Chapter 7:    Managing Motives and Emotions

Chapter 8:    Making and Keeping Friends

Chapter 9:    Leader or Follower?

Chapter 10:   At Work and Play

Chapter 11:   Sexuality

Chapter 12:   Love and Commitment

Chapter 13:   Stress

Chapter 14:   Understanding Mental Disorders

Chapter 15:   If You Go for Help

Chapter 16:   Good Grief and Death