Review
Unlike an encyclopedia, the volumes in this set can stand alone as state-of-the-field handbooks. Together they cover both the science and the practice of psychology broadly and in depth. Each volume has its own editor(s) and contains some two dozen articles by experts who write well for an audience intended to include graduate students in behavioral science, professional psychologists who need a refresher course in their own specialty and/or an introduction to others, and educated readers outside of psychology who want to delve into it. Organized with great care, the set has a logical integrity unified by two threads: the history and evolution of each topic and the importance of research. Accordingly, the first two volumes treat history and research methods. The next five present content areas, and the last five are devoted to applied psychology. Volume 1 treats the history of the topics in the next 11 volumes and also offers 15 articles on such issues as intelligence, emotion, personality, women and gender, undergraduate education, and ethnic minorities. Editor-in-Chief Weiner (psychology, Univ. of South Florida) writes the essay on assessment and the lead ar ticle in Volume 10, breathing life into a typically dry corpus. The references are remarkably current (many have appeared since 2000), and controversy pops up; e.g., the essay on expanding roles for psychologists admits that some are "scoundrels for hire," while others are great benefactors.
A few quibbles: though hypnosis is mentioned in Volumes 1 and 9 (though not in "Pain"), it also belongs in Volumes 4, 8, and 11. Astonishingly, entries for Jung and Rank are missing from Volume 8. Some topics are fragmented: Volume 9 has "Obesity," WHILE "eating Disorders" is in Volume 8. There is neither an overall index for the set nor any journals lists or web site references, though computer and Internet technology do come up.  Despite these drawbacks, this is a magnificent achievement, a great readable reference that proves the maturity and vitality of a subject of interest to almost everyone. Libraries that already have the eight-volume Encyclopedia of  Psychology are well served, but this set is still essential for academic and large general systems. Those that can afford it will want the entire set because big topics overlap or are divided among several volumes with different perspectives.  Single volumes will enrich collections serving educators (Vol. 7), health professionals (Vol. 9), lawyers and courts (Vol. 11), and organizations (Vol. 12), while lay readers will probably browse most in Volumes 1, 5 ("persuasion," "close relationships," and "prejudice"), and 9. – E. James Liberman, George Washington Univ. Sch. Of Medicine, Washington, DC (Library Journal, March 15, 2003)

 

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