Psychology Books...Novels?

[SuperDuperPooper]

Im studying the oh so vast field of psychology.
I want to know if anyone knows any good books/novels/whatever.
that can ease my soul.
I have read alot..alot and im always open to anything.
thanks.
:D

[ZulieKat]

Here are a couple good psych books if you haven't read them yet:

Set This House In Order: A Romance of Souls by Matt Ruff - One of the most interesting psych books I've ever read. It's about someone with multiple personalities, but it has a completely different perspective on the disorder than I have ever heard of before. Very good story, also.

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey - Really good book and movie... I would suggest watching the movie first because it's different in a lot of ways and makes for a really interesting comparison if you watch and then read.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath - Depression and mental hospitals, written based on her own experience.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson - A quick read, young adult book. Depression, anxiety, etc. in high school setting.

Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson - Similar to above, but with a male character and dealing more with suicide issues.

Valley of the Dolls by Jaqueline Sussann - Interesting book on how fame changes people, including drug abuse, promiscuity, depression, and other bits of self destruction. A little bit longer than the others (about 450 pages, I think), but worth it.

I am also studying psychology, and have been looking for good psych reads for years. There are a lot of other good ones, but those are the first ones I've read that come to mind. Let me know what you think, or if there are others you've read that were good, let me know because I'd like to check them out!

[Lintlicker]

There's this novel called Let's go play at the Adams' by Mendal Johnson that I've been interested to read for about three years now. It's about a few young children who tie up their babysitter and proceed to torture her and do horrible things while she's in the position. The author even goes into the psychology of the children somewhere in the book to give you even better insight and what their doing and why. There's a really good review on it here: http://www.amazon.com/Lets-go-play-at-Adams/dp/0690001932


The only problem is that it's been out of print for a long time, so getting a copy is hard. That's why I have yet to read it. I don't have the means to order it online and I've had awful luck finding it in local used bookstores. I hope to snatch it up soon though, because the novel sounds like one helluva read :]

[hoopymo]

Try some of Tory Hadens books, only problem is they are quite dark and most have a child abuse related plot.

[Alcoholic]

You'll have to get a little more specific as to what ya want buddy. I'd be more than happy to suggest a few. I have a degree in psychology and criminal justice that would make for some fun, insightful, and interesting suggestions!

Edit: Oh, thought of a sure-fire: this may sound surprising, but check out the book First Blood by David Morrell. Yep, it was made into the first Rambo movie, but it excellently shows the common veterans' suffering of PTSD.

Another fun, quick, easy read would be The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon. Good book, and not horrendously far off, but don't take it as a definitive guide to Aspergers disorder.

[hoopymo]

Oh and James Patterson has some great crime thrillers about serial killers.

[NightWalker]

I don't know about easing your soul, but Stephen King books are awesome!
To start off I think you should read Pet Cemetery.

[BKS]

I don't know about easing your soul, but Stephen King books are awesome!
To start off I think you should read Pet Cemetery.

I'm big into Stephen King, but if you want Psychology, his is more so of the Psychological Horror.


If you want books dealing with straight up Psychology or mind games, I donno, but I found Fight Club, although I new the ending, quite enjoyable and very mind bending.

Also, the Hannibal books, I found those quite interesting.

[jekyllmcgee]

Crime and Punishment is my favorite book. It deals with criminal psychology among other things. Raskolnikoff rocks, and I love how Magistrate Porphyrius Petrovitch can be seen as both antagonist and protagonist-supporter! Perhaps the real antagonist is Raskolnikoff's psych itself to some degree. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend this masterpiece; I think it's a must for psychologists. :banjo:

[darker_polar]

Authentic Happiness (this opens a new view on psychology), Mozart and the Whale (if you like romance), Spider and other stuff by Patrick McGrath (those are awesome).

I suggests you try to stay away from Freud's writings. They are inaccurate and flawed at many levels. A trip not worth taken.

[jekyllmcgee]

I suggests you try to stay away from Freud's writings. They are inaccurate and flawed at many levels. A trip not worth taken.

Yeah, Freud is an overrated joke. It's like taking geocentrists seriously just because they're the first to think about the Earth and Sun.

[Profane Methane]

The Tony Hill series by Val Mcdermid. The books are about a profiler named Tony Hill and his exploration of a killers mind. There is also a TV series called Wire In The blood based off the books.
I wouldn't recommend these books to people who don't like really violent books.

[John Travolta]

I don't understand the question. Every book ever written from the Giving Tree to the Goosebumps series has to do with psychology. You'll have to be more specific if you want definite suggestions.

[John Travolta]

Even Playboy deals with Freudian theories.

[Chrono]

Steppenwolf

[Dodger]

Saturday-Ian McEwan
It's not solely about the subject of psychology, but the protagonist and narrator views modern society through a very interesting and psychological view. It's a great novel, I could relate a lot to the main character and I enjoy psychology and shit also, so I think you might like it.

[GCBC]

I'm going to pick a random topic, as "psychology" is a pretty broad one. Not too long ago I read an interesting one on written by a biploar woman. Gives stories and examples from real life people that make the disorder a lot easier to understand. It's called "Detour: My Bipolar Road Trip in 4-D" and here's the Amazon LINK (http://www.amazon.com/Detour-Bipolar-Road-Trip-4-D/dp/B00164GEQI/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218017983&sr=1-5).

[Poppy]

The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales: Bruno Bettelheim Analyzing fairy tales and their in depth meanings. Some of it is pretty far out there. Such as, Cinderella's prince had castration anxiety. Interesting view on fairy tales and shows that there is such a thing a over analyzing.
I Know This Much Is True: Wally Lamb The book opens up about a man that has a schizophrenic twin who cuts his hand off in a library. Lamb explores family, hardship, and what makes a person mental. A thickish read but very worth it.
Reviving Ophelia Mary Pipher True stories of teenage girl patients clients.
Any Val McDermin, she does suspense so well. Books are told from the point of view of Carol Jordan; a female cop in male dominated law enforcement in England, Tony Hill; Criminal Profiler, and the killer.
Sharp Objects: Gillian Flynn Superior to Stephen King on so many levels. A mediocre reporter from a mediocre newspaper in Chicago, returns to her small town to cover a story on possible serial murder of young girls. The reporter's family is the anti-thesis of the Cosbys in every way possible. Parker is swept up in the investigation when she thinks the improbable "that the killer is local."
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America: Erik Larson This masterpiece is not a novel. You will not find it in the fiction section of your book store. This was not "based" on a true story. It is a true story of the World's Fair in Chicago of 1893 and the mass murdering serial killer that took advantage of pre-homicide days of the police force. And the young women alone in a big city.

[FA5TeddyFEL5ON]

"Fight Club", "Survivor", "Choke", and "Invisible Monsters". All by Chuck Palahniuk, a phenomenal writer.

[Poppy]

"Fight Club", "Survivor", "Choke", and "Invisible Monsters". All by Chuck Palahniuk, a phenomenal writer.
I love Chuck Palahniuk. The most baddass person from my hometown ever. However, some of his books like Haunted just seems as though he forgot the original plot entirely. Thus saying a collective fuck it, pulling a Shyamalan with making up a bunch of plot twist. On the other hand, Lullaby is my favorite. And yes, I find it better then Fight Club.

[Gilligan]

The Moral Animal is a great book. It's on evolutionary psychology. Look into it, mother fucker.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Moral_Animal

[Haggis McSpud]

Animal Farm by George Orwell is pretty good, although it's actually a novella. The novel describes how a society's ideologies can be manipulated and twisted by those in positions of social and political power, including how a utopian society is made impossible by the corrupting nature of the very power necessary to create it.

[BassBastard]

There are alot of good suggestions here.

I would suggest "Firefly" by Piers Anthony
It is a sci-fi horror, that deals with some serious child abuse issues and (cited in the back of the book) uses actual case studies to bring them to light. The case studies are turned into character development in a deeply disturbing way. That is why they are discussed out of story in the back of the book. The author, who is usually unapologetic, felt the need to share where he got the inspiration for that part of the story. It is that messed up in places.

If you have been abused, this book may not be for you because it will bring some things seriously back into the light. I have read it several times.