An Introduction to Psychology

An Introduction to Psychology is James Rowland Angell's most well known text, and for good reason. Students and scholars searching for an introductory text into the school of functional psychology would be wise to consider adding Angell's book to their library.

Rowland was a well-known psychologist and served as president of several of the United States' most prominent universities, including Yale and the University of Michigan. Now republished by Forgotten Books, this book was one of Angell's most notable publications.

An Introduction to Psychology is, as its name suggests, intended as a layman's psychology textbook. Angell was a functionalist, and thus this book forwards his belief that the mind was a highly adaptive entity that was altered based on an individual's environment. The text opens with a brief preface from the author, before delving into the subject matter more wholly. Angell addresses all of the major topics one would expect in an introductory textbook, including a brief history of psychology and its most prominent methods, problems with the study of psychology, the nervous system, sense perception, memory, emotions, instincts, and much more. The book is divided into chapters that can be read individually, but the information is best served by digesting the book as a whole.

Angell was an accomplished psychologist and a prominent educator, and his writing in An Introduction to Psychology demonstrate both his knowledge of the subject matter and his pedagogical abilities. The author's writing is clear and his major theories are presented plainly. As an introduction to the subject, this is an effective book.