Little History of Psychology

Nicky Hayes has been involved in psychology for 50 years and is the author of over 25 celebrated books, including What Are You Thinking?, Your Brain and You and Fundamentals of Social Psychology. She was President of the British Psychological Society 2022-2024.

“This will be an evergreen book that will expand your mind and your general knowledge. Hayes steps through various developments in the science, from behaviourism to psychoanalysis, making sure to cover all the key psychological concepts you might meet on a college course as well as bonus extra areas of interest.”—Cal Flynn, Five Books, “Self-Help & Psychology Books of 2024”“A valuable and accessible overview for general readers . . . A Little History of Psychology is a welcome addition to Yale University’s Little History Series.”—Margaret Boult, Health and History“Nicky Hayes has written an engaging, comprehensive, and consummately readable history of the field of psychology as a science.  Even those familiar with the field will gain new insights by reading this book. The book is such a wonderful contrast to the usual history of psychology, which can be so dry, dull, and hard to get through. I recommend the book enthusiastically to anyone who seeks an appealing and delightful introduction to the field.”—Robert Sternberg, Professor of Psychology, Cornell University“In lively prose, Nicky Hayes presents the principal ideas, findings, controversies, and personalities in the field of psychology.”—Howard Gardner, author of Five Minds for the Future“Nicky Hayes guides readers through the fascinating history of psychology in this engaging account of the dynamic tug-of-war between science and culture that has historically animated the discipline of psychology.”—Erika Dyck, author of Psychedelic Psychiatry"This enchanting and insightful little history is a must-read for anyone with an interest in psychology. Hayes is a sure-footed, humane and knowledgeable guide, covering numerous key psychological concepts on the way. They include attitudes, attachment, and antipsychiatry; control, cognition, and confirmation bias; intelligence, identity and individualism; psychoanalysis, psychometrics, and perception; as well as social learning, stress and serotonin. As we learn about behaviourism, cognitivism, developmentalism, gestalt, humanism, and social and positive psychology, we meet famous as well as lesser known contributors to the field – Descartes and Darwin, Freud and Fanon, Pavlov and Piaget, and Szasz and Seligman.”—Anna Katharina Schaffner, author of The Art of Self-Improvement