General Psychology (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from General Psychology<br><br>To some of us the preface of a textbook is one of the most interesting of its features. There the author puts aside his air of instruction and authority, lays bare his hidden complexes, his morbid fears, and erects defense mechanisms against the many critics that of course his work must find. In the present instance I have adhered closely to the subject-matter and method which have proved successful in my own semester courses. I have found that students desire more than general formulas and principles. They are far more interested in accounts of experimental facts and procedures and are willing to leave the other for the manuals of advanced students. (The actual student, of course, is willing to leave it all to someone else, but since he must choose I find that he prefers the concrete facts.) The present book seeks to meet this situation and still remain a textbook and not become a treatise. It has been written in the conviction that too much stress is placed upon normal adult psychology (pure psychology) in our introductory courses. In many if not in most cases these courses are meant by the department and college administrations to give a comprehensive view of the field as well as to furnish specific training in the science. This demand is not only sound from the point of view of culture, but it is important in the resulting view of the science. Psychology is far more than normal adult psychology. Yet many of its readers retain the impression that the chief topic is sensation and space perception. The present book seeks to forestall these misconceptions in the student by presenting a general survey of the science while still stressing the customary side of the subject.<br><br>About the Publisher<br><br>Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com<br><br>This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.