How to live well and the search for meaning have long been of intense concern to humans, perhaps because Homo sapiens is the only species aware of its own mortality. In the last few decades, empirical psychology made a major contribution to this quest. This book surveys groundbreaking work by leading international researchers, demonstrating that social psychology is the core discipline for understanding well-being and the search for meaning. Basic conceptual and theoretical principles are discussed, drawing on philosophy, evolutionary theory and psychology, followed by a review of the role of purposeful, motivated activity and self-control in achieving life satisfaction. The role of emotional and cognitive processes and the influence of social, interpersonal and cultural factors in promoting a happy and meaningful life are discussed. The book will be of interest to students, practitioners and researchers in the behavioral and social sciences, as well as to laypersons for whom improving the quality of human life and understanding the principles of well-being are of interest.

We think we know those who are close to us, and we want to believe that what we see is what we get. But we can never know for certain, because what really goes on inside another's head and heart is essentially a secret. How do you know if that secret is something that will hurt you? Your husband turns to face you in bed. Is he thinking about you or your closest friend? Your boss shows up in another new outfit. Did she get a raise or is she a compulsive shopper who is stealing money from the company? Your teenaged daughter is upstairs in her bedroom. Is she doing her homework or chatting online with a man twice her age? Anatomy of A Secret Life will take you inside the minds of secret-keepers and show you how secrets start, how they're kept, and how they exact their devastating emotional and social toll. Using contemporary case studies and historical examples, Dr. Gail Saltz shows you how to spot--through subtle behaviors and clues--and safely stop the potentially dangerous secrets that someone, even you, might be concealing from the world.

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

Positive psychologists focus on ways that we can advance the lives of individuals and communities by studying the factors that increase positive outcomes such as life satisfaction and happiness. Evolutionary psychologists use the principles of evolution, based on Darwin's understanding of life, to help shed light on any and all kinds of psychological phenomena. This book brings together both fields to explore positive evolutionary psychology: the use of evolutionary psychology principles to help people and communities experience more positive and fulfilling lives. Across eleven chapters, this book describes the basic ideas of both evolutionary and positive psychology, elaborates on the integration of these two fields as a way to help advance the human condition, discusses several domains of human functioning from the perspective of positive evolutionary psychology, and finally, looks with an eye toward the future of work in this emerging and dynamic field. Over the past few decades, evolutionary psychologists have begun to crack the code on such phenomena as happiness, gratitude, resilience, community, and love. This book describes these facets of the human experience in terms of their evolutionary origins and proposes how we might guide people to optimally experience such positive phenomena in their everyday lives.

Integrated teaching, learning, and assessment tools, created by a master teacher.

Our story is changing. The Universe has given our species everything we need to actualize our potential. Evolution is knocking at our doors. The connected life is here. We are being fed this minute with the very nutrients that can assure the we live the lives that fulfill us and that serve the greater whole. Our natural inheritance, combined with the pattern that connects us with the rest of Life, calls us to be fully ourselves. This has always been the case, but now it is becoming more evident. Our lives are Life's life. The details unfold within.

Creating an exceptionally student-friendly textbook in psychology isn’t just about making the chapters shorter and pages more colorful. It’s about using that type of format to provide a clear portrait of psychological science, concise but not oversimplified, all while continually answering the recurring student question: “What does this have to do with me?” David Myers’ brief introduction to psychology, Psychology in Everyday Life, certainly does offer brief, easily manageable chapters and a colorful, image-rich design (both shaped by extensive research, class testing, and instructor/student feedback). But what makes it such an exceptional text is what flows through those chapters—rich presentations of psychology’s core concepts and field-defining research, examined in context of the everyday lives of all kinds of people around the world and communicated in the captivating storyteller’s voice that is instantly recognizable as Myers’. The new edition of Psychology in Everyday Life offers an extraordinary amount of new research, effective new inquiry-based study tools, and further design innovations, all while maintaining its trademark brevity and clean layout. And it is accompanied by an innovative media/supplements of the same scope as all of David Myers’ more comprehensive textbooks.