Psychology's Grand Theorists
How Personal Experiences Shaped Professional Ideas
by Amy Demorest

This book is about a few men who have had a profound effect on a great many people. They have done so by changing the ways that people think about their very own lives. It was the ambition of each of these men to develop a theory vast and powerful enough to account for the human experience in its fullest measure.
They sought to explain those human phenomena that are so universal and ever present as to be taken for granted: Why do we show emotion? Why do we want freedom? Why do we dream?
They sought also to explain those human phenomena that are so odd or paradoxical as to appear to make no sense whatever: What leads a person to develop superstitious beliefs? Or to have a psychotic break? Or to lead a political movement to practice genocide?
Fascinated by the complexity of human life, each developed a model for bringing order and meaning to this complexity. For each man, the theory he offered to the world was so bold that it shocked a major part of his prevailing culture. And in each case, what was initially seen as impossible to accept has now come to be so pervasively adopted as to constitute the essential architecture of our contemporary knowledge. These are the originators of the "Grand Theories" of psychology.

 
Classic Myths

The book was originally prepared as an aid in Nature Study, and this thought has been retained in the present
edition. By reading these myths the child will gain in interest and sympathy for the life of beast, bird, and tree;
he will learn to recognize those constellations which have been as friends to the wise men of many ages. Such
an acquaintance will broaden the child's life and make him see more quickly the true, the good, and the
beautiful in the world about him.

TIME Magazine
October 9, 2006 Vol. 168 No. 15

• What Makes Us Different? - Not very much, when you look at our DNA. But those few tiny changes made all the difference in the world
• Google's Growing Grasp - To fend off Microsoft and other foes, the search giant is bulking up on partnerships
• Is Coal Golden? - A Texas plan for coal-fired plants electrifies the carbon issue
• When Not Seeing Is Believing - Andrew Sullivan on the rise of fundamentalism and why embracing spiritual doubt is the key to defusing the tension between East and West
• Still Tuned In - Quirky and community minded, some independent radio stations have held off consolidation, ipods and satellite
• The G.O.P.'s Secret Weapon - You think the Republicans are sure to lose big in November? They aren't. Here's why things don't look so bad to them
• Saddam's Revenge - As the dictator faces judgment, his loyalists are targeting those who testified against him
• The French Exception - Ségolène Royal shuns party politics, extols law and order, and doesn't mind being seen in a bikini. Is this France's next President?

Great Speeches of the 20th Century
Students and teachers of history, enthusiasts of speechmaking, and folks needing something different to spice up those mix tapes with will enjoy this inspired four-disc tour of a century. It's a bit heavy on events a baby boomer is most likely to be interested in, but there's nothing wrong with knowing one's audience. For the most part, these recordings make 20th-century history appear to be happening right now. It might sound clichéd, but it really is a thrill to hear history in the making: Woodrow Wilson lying to the American Indians, Gloria Steinem addressing the National Organization for Women, the launch of sputnik, Dr. King delivering the "I Have a Dream" speech with intense clarity and emotion, Kennedy delivering his infamous address to the nation after being sworn in, the very first recording ever made on an Edison phonograph, Nixon resigning in shame, Hitler hatefully ranting about Germanic expansionism, Malcolm X powerfully speaking on black power, Babe Ruth saying good-bye to baseball, and Neil Armstrong uttering those famous words as he first steps onto the moon.