Psychology is simply the study of human behavior and the mind. Psychologists try to understand the way we reason and act and also decipher why we act a certain way.
There are many psychology books for students written by experts for students. They prepare students who might want to take a course in psychology.
Psychologists learn how to study a person’s reactions, body movements and way of thinking so that they can identify when you are lying. Psychologists have also been able to explain a variety of human actions.
Students always have to read a lot of psychology books to be able to get enough information they need. Psychology is one of the courses where one constantly needs to update their knowledge. Read on to find out more about the best psychology books for students.
Is Psychology a Good Career?
Psychology jobs in the USA are expected to increase by a rate of 3% according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics from 2022 to 2026. So, yes Psychology is a good Career Choice.
To pursue a career in Psychology, it is important to understand the type of service you would be offering.
Psychology intensely relies on Human Relations and interactions and 99% of the time, you will be working with people.
Here are the 80 Best Psychology Schools in Texas.
Where Can You Work After Studying Psychology?
A career in Psychology opens a door of opportunities for you. In every firm, there is always interaction with people hence the need for psychologists.
A degree in psychology will get you somewhere but a Doctorate or Master’s degree will make your options limitless and your pay higher.
Here is a list of places you can work after studying Psychology
- Clinical Psychologist
- Counselling Psychologist
- Education Mental Health Practitioner
- Forensic Psychologist
- Further Education Teacher
- Health Psychologist
- Exercise Psychologist
- Occupational Psychologist
- High-Intensity Therapist
- Guidance and Counsellor
- Psychotherapist
- Chartered Psychologist
- Psychiatry
The list goes on to include different options for Psychologists.
The career path is limitless and can give you a solid footing for starting out in the Job Place.
You can also freelance and offer your services to people at a cost.
To have a successful career in Psychology, you will have to read a lot of books written by experts.
They train you and offer you insights on being a better Psychologist.
There are thousands of books written on Psychology but we are recommending the best gotten from search queries all over the world.
Top 10 Psychology Books for Students – A must have
- The Lucifer Effect by Philip Zimbardo
- The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt
- The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales by Oliver Wolfsacks
- Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
- Career Paths in Psychology: Where Your Degree Can Take You
- The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson
- The Little Book of Psychology
- Pioneers of Psychology by Raymond Fancher
- Reaching down the Rabbit Hole by Brian Burrell
- The Social Animal by Elliot Aronson
The Lucifer Effect by Philip Zimbardo
The Lucifer Effect was written in 2007 and is based on the Stanford Prison Experient. The experiment explored prison inmates who had been convicted for crimes they committed despite their long trail of good morals.
It explores the thin line between good and evil and how quickly a good person can become corrupted by evil.
The book is majorly centered on Stanford Prison Experiment exerts from the interrogation during the experiment.
It also contains pictures taken during the experiment and addresses ethical questions raised during the experiment.
The book also widely spreads out from Chapter 11 to include other experiments like Albert Bandura’s research on moral disengagement, the Milgram experiment, etc. It has a total of 551 pages.
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The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt
The Happiness Hypothesis was published in 2006 for the general audience. In this book, Jonathan Haidt seeks to explore the meaning of happiness by looking at the concepts of Virtue, Happiness and Fulfillment.
The book has a total of 11 chapters with each chapter a central idea about achieving happiness.
It looks at what the human being is, an embodiment of two parts: the primitive part which is your instincts and the highly evolved part.
The highly evolved part always tries to control the instinct and causes us too much worry.
The book explores the concerns of this highly evolved part and how to achieve happiness through simplified living.
This book clearly explores the depth of human Psychology and how to achieve true happiness in your relationship with others, your work, and yourself.
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales by Oliver Wolfsacks
This book was published in 1985 by neurologist Oliver Wolfsacks. The book largely narrows down on the brain and neurological conditions.
Oliver Wolfsack got the title from the case of his patient who had visual agnosia; a condition in which the patient was unable to recognize the faces of objects.
The book references different neurological conditions and how people affected are able to deal with them.
He also mentions some psychological concepts such as ego, soul, etc. in the book while trying to discuss the implications of such cases.
Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman.
This book was published in 2011 and talks about two modes of thought.
The book presents a thesis of the two modes of thought, one which is Fast, Emotional and Instinctive and another which takes into consideration Logical and critical thinking.
The thought process of the second mode is much slower and more deliberative.
The two modes of thought which he referred to as “System 1” and “System 2” in his book are thoroughly analyzed starting with his own research on loss aversion.
Career Paths in Psychology: Where Your Degree Can Take You
This book was published in 1997 and is a guide for Psychology students. The book explores areas where a degree in Psychology can get you.
This book is a must-read for new students who just got admitted into Psychology. Understanding the many career paths can help you make informed decisions about your future after a Psychology degree.
The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson
The book, Psychopath Test was written by Jon Ronson in 2011. In this book, Jon Ronson explores the mental health industry.
The book is an account of his journey into the mental health Industry. In this book, Ronson argues that most Government officials and Leaders are psychopaths.
He explains that this opinion is put into consideration when analyzing their attitudes towards other people.
He writes in detail his journey in exploring falsely accused people in the Mental Health Industry. One of such example is a “Young man he met in Broadmoor Psychiatric Hospital who states he is a victim of the Psychiatric Industry’s unfalsifiable diagnoses”.
The Little Book of Psychology
An Introduction to the key Psychologists and Theories You Need to Know by Emily Ralls and Caroline Riggs.
The book was published in 2019. It explores human behavior and behavioral patterns.
It starts from the early era of Psychology and the great thinkers to modern Psychology and explains in detail the famous experiments in the field of Psychology.
This book is essential to every Psychology Scholar.
Pioneers of Psychology by Raymond Fancher.
This book was published in 1979. This book tells stories of great men and women who have shaped the world of Psychology.
The stories are centered on real people and events and their lives and perception of Psychology for the past 400 years.
Reaching down the Rabbit Hole by Brian Burrell
This book was published in 2014 Brian Burell explores clinical Neurology where he writes about cases from his patients.
He tries to decipher how a person with a dead brain can survive in a living body using his patients as case studies. He tries to understand his patients by listening to them and figuring out what the problem is.
The Social Animal by Elliot Aronson
This book was Published in 1972. Elliot Aronson Explores Social Psychology in this book while talking about different topics like terrorism, obedience, conformity, politics, race, etc.
The books above largely describe different concepts in Psychology and are written by experts.
The books have been hand-picked for student scholars of Psychology to get them well grounded in Psychology.
These books were recommended by statistics and are a must-have for anybody pursuing a career in Psychology. You can get them on Google Books using the title and author.
Which of these psychology books for students are you reading first? Tell us in the comment section.