Life Lessons from Psychological Science
Understanding and Improving Interpersonal Dynamics
(First Edition)
©2020, 138 pages
Paperback list price: $38.95
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Life Lessons from Psychological Science: Understanding and Improving Interpersonal Dynamics provides students with a primer for developing self-awareness and insight through interpersonal conversation. The text focuses on human behavior in various situations—from educational settings to the workplace and the home—in order to help readers understand, appreciate, and enrich the human dynamics of their everyday lives.
This book features 50 life lessons grounded in contemporary research and relevant to improving interpersonal dynamics. Several life lessons reflect the behavioral science principles of positive versus negative reinforcement, observational learning, and behavior-based feedback. Other life lessons are founded on humanism, including empathy, interdependence, systems thinking, and self-transcendence. Still others are derived from social psychology, including six principles of social influence, the dynamics of group decision-making, and critical distinctions between discrimination and stereotyping. Domains of psychology such as sensation and perception, personality, health and stress, learning, and motivation are the foundation of other life lessons. The lessons are complemented by instructive and entertaining illustrations and discussion questions to initiate lively dialogue.
A dynamic, contemporary, and personal text, Life Lessons from Psychological Science is an ideal resource for introductory psychology courses.
This book features 50 life lessons grounded in contemporary research and relevant to improving interpersonal dynamics. Several life lessons reflect the behavioral science principles of positive versus negative reinforcement, observational learning, and behavior-based feedback. Other life lessons are founded on humanism, including empathy, interdependence, systems thinking, and self-transcendence. Still others are derived from social psychology, including six principles of social influence, the dynamics of group decision-making, and critical distinctions between discrimination and stereotyping. Domains of psychology such as sensation and perception, personality, health and stress, learning, and motivation are the foundation of other life lessons. The lessons are complemented by instructive and entertaining illustrations and discussion questions to initiate lively dialogue.
A dynamic, contemporary, and personal text, Life Lessons from Psychological Science is an ideal resource for introductory psychology courses.
E. Scott Geller, Ph.D. is an Alumni Distinguished Professor in the Department of Psychology at Virginia Tech, Cofounder of GellerAC4P, Inc., and Senior Partner of Safety Performance Solutions, Inc. For 50 years, he has taught and conducted research at Virginia Tech. Dr. Geller has authored, coauthored, or edited numerous books, book chapters, training manuals, magazine articles, and research articles addressing the development and evaluation of behavior-focused interventions to improve human welfare and life satisfaction. The College of Wooster awarded Dr. Geller an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. He has received lifetime achievement awards from the International Organizational Behavior Management Network and the American Psychological Foundation.
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Reviews from Students
“Life Lessons from Psychological Science is both a fascinating and educational–yet easily understandable–resource for learning about practical applications of psychology in everyday life. It not only informs readers on the psychology behind important life experiences, such as self-motivation, interpersonal persuasion, social influence, perceptual bias, and stress vs. distress; but each life lesson includes discussion questions that can open up instructional dialogue between family and friends. Overall, this book will teach you how to use scientifically-supported principles of psychology to improve your life, with a unique presentation style that is simple (and interesting) enough for anyone to understand.”
Celina Pearson, Virginia Tech
“With Life Lessons from Psychological Science, Dr. Geller brings the classroom to a broad audience. However, this is not the kind of classroom where people sleep through a lecture. Dr. Geller creates a teaching/learning discussion by first asking critical questions that inspire readers to discuss answers with their family, friends, and colleagues. Through the 50 research-supported principles, readers gain an understanding of the basics of humanistic behaviorism—a strategic integration of applied behavioral science and humanism. Everyone who reads this book and takes this message of self-transcendence and Actively Caring for People (AC4P) seriously will be better for it. The world around us will improve one read at a time.”
Brandon Lesniak, Virginia Tech
“This scholarship is a guide for all readers who want to gain insight about the psychology of life. The 50 life lessons relate to improving interpersonal relations. With applied behavioral science and Actively Caring for People (AC4P) coaching–humanistic behaviorism–readers can incorporate these lessons into everyday life for personal and interpersonal improvement. I’m convinced that learning and applying the 50 life lessons would be extremely beneficial to everyone because it teaches the value of effective communication skills and the power of diversity. Overall, the 50 life lessons are easy to understand and practice in everyday life.”
Katelyn Yoo, Virginia Tech
“Life Lessons from Psychological Science presents key psychology concepts we encounter in our life every day. In an engaging presentation style, cartoons add humor to the concepts and provide the reader with a real-life example and visual representation of each life lesson. The discussion questions for each life lesson prompt readers to look at the related illustration in a different way than they might at first. The discussion questions make this a great book to read with a group of people and discuss the key messages from each life lesson. This book made me really think and consider the way I interact with others in various situations in my life, and I genuinely enjoyed reading it.”
Hayley Tate, Virginia Tech
“Life Lessons from Psychological Science is a versatile tool for anyone who seeks to better themselves or the world. Psychological science has never been so easy to understand. The world seems to be increasingly hostile, apathetic, and disconnected. One of the life lessons is fundamental to solving some of these issues–“Life Lesson 14: The Power of Interdependence.” By transforming self-importance to a combined value of self and others together, humans can improve every aspect of life on Earth. This is just one life lesson from this inspiring book. If we all took the time to read and apply these life lessons, the world would absolutely become a better place for us all.”
Tristan Ingersoll, Virginia Tech
“Life Lessons from Psychological Science is concise, yet entertaining. Each life lesson consists of a comic-like illustration, discussion questions, and a single-page research-based explanation that makes the life lesson stimulating and instructive. Each life lesson connects to a particular experience I have gone actually through–from my psychology course to interactions with other people. This book was an eye-opening read for me, and could be a helpful guide for people of all ages. These 50 life lessons are relevant for elementary students as well as students in high school, universities, and in the workplace. Out of all my textbooks, manuals, workbooks I have used throughout my education, this is one I would be most happy to purchase.”
Nicole Tie, Virginia Tech
“As a psychology major, I am very interested in behavior and how to change the behavior of myself and others to make the world a better place for all. With that said, I was thrilled when I found out that Dr. Geller wrote a book dedicated to enriching the lives of others, filled with 50 life lessons about the human experience. This book is filled with many life lessons that make you think twice about how you perceive our world. I believe everyone should have access to this book, so they know how to apply psychological science for human welfare. I love how Dr. Geller is teaching the subject of psychology to better our world.”
Jordan Phipps, Virginia Tech
“I really enjoyed this book because it elaborated on topics I had learned in previous psychology courses. Just a short list of examples: the self-fulfilling prophecy, response efficacy, outcome expectancy, the self-serving bias, attributional bias, the facial-feedback technique, the just-world hypothesis, classical conditioning, operant condition, and observational learning. I thought Life Lessons from Psychological Science was very informative and I really could relate to a lot of the scenarios presented. Plus, I learned new terms and information about the AC4P Movement–a worldwide attempt to improve human well-being with practical applications of psychological science.”
Lauren Hoffman, Virginia Tech
“Life Lessons from Psychological Science is both a fascinating and educational–yet easily understandable–resource for learning about practical applications of psychology in everyday life. It not only informs readers on the psychology behind important life experiences, such as self-motivation, interpersonal persuasion, social influence, perceptual bias, and stress vs. distress; but each life lesson includes discussion questions that can open up instructional dialogue between family and friends. Overall, this book will teach you how to use scientifically-supported principles of psychology to improve your life, with a unique presentation style that is simple (and interesting) enough for anyone to understand.”
Celina Pearson, Virginia Tech
“With Life Lessons from Psychological Science, Dr. Geller brings the classroom to a broad audience. However, this is not the kind of classroom where people sleep through a lecture. Dr. Geller creates a teaching/learning discussion by first asking critical questions that inspire readers to discuss answers with their family, friends, and colleagues. Through the 50 research-supported principles, readers gain an understanding of the basics of humanistic behaviorism—a strategic integration of applied behavioral science and humanism. Everyone who reads this book and takes this message of self-transcendence and Actively Caring for People (AC4P) seriously will be better for it. The world around us will improve one read at a time.”
Brandon Lesniak, Virginia Tech
“This scholarship is a guide for all readers who want to gain insight about the psychology of life. The 50 life lessons relate to improving interpersonal relations. With applied behavioral science and Actively Caring for People (AC4P) coaching–humanistic behaviorism–readers can incorporate these lessons into everyday life for personal and interpersonal improvement. I’m convinced that learning and applying the 50 life lessons would be extremely beneficial to everyone because it teaches the value of effective communication skills and the power of diversity. Overall, the 50 life lessons are easy to understand and practice in everyday life.”
Katelyn Yoo, Virginia Tech
“Life Lessons from Psychological Science presents key psychology concepts we encounter in our life every day. In an engaging presentation style, cartoons add humor to the concepts and provide the reader with a real-life example and visual representation of each life lesson. The discussion questions for each life lesson prompt readers to look at the related illustration in a different way than they might at first. The discussion questions make this a great book to read with a group of people and discuss the key messages from each life lesson. This book made me really think and consider the way I interact with others in various situations in my life, and I genuinely enjoyed reading it.”
Hayley Tate, Virginia Tech
“Life Lessons from Psychological Science is a versatile tool for anyone who seeks to better themselves or the world. Psychological science has never been so easy to understand. The world seems to be increasingly hostile, apathetic, and disconnected. One of the life lessons is fundamental to solving some of these issues–“Life Lesson 14: The Power of Interdependence.” By transforming self-importance to a combined value of self and others together, humans can improve every aspect of life on Earth. This is just one life lesson from this inspiring book. If we all took the time to read and apply these life lessons, the world would absolutely become a better place for us all.”
Tristan Ingersoll, Virginia Tech
“Life Lessons from Psychological Science is concise, yet entertaining. Each life lesson consists of a comic-like illustration, discussion questions, and a single-page research-based explanation that makes the life lesson stimulating and instructive. Each life lesson connects to a particular experience I have gone actually through–from my psychology course to interactions with other people. This book was an eye-opening read for me, and could be a helpful guide for people of all ages. These 50 life lessons are relevant for elementary students as well as students in high school, universities, and in the workplace. Out of all my textbooks, manuals, workbooks I have used throughout my education, this is one I would be most happy to purchase.”
Nicole Tie, Virginia Tech
“As a psychology major, I am very interested in behavior and how to change the behavior of myself and others to make the world a better place for all. With that said, I was thrilled when I found out that Dr. Geller wrote a book dedicated to enriching the lives of others, filled with 50 life lessons about the human experience. This book is filled with many life lessons that make you think twice about how you perceive our world. I believe everyone should have access to this book, so they know how to apply psychological science for human welfare. I love how Dr. Geller is teaching the subject of psychology to better our world.”
Jordan Phipps, Virginia Tech
“I really enjoyed this book because it elaborated on topics I had learned in previous psychology courses. Just a short list of examples: the self-fulfilling prophecy, response efficacy, outcome expectancy, the self-serving bias, attributional bias, the facial-feedback technique, the just-world hypothesis, classical conditioning, operant condition, and observational learning. I thought Life Lessons from Psychological Science was very informative and I really could relate to a lot of the scenarios presented. Plus, I learned new terms and information about the AC4P Movement–a worldwide attempt to improve human well-being with practical applications of psychological science.”
Lauren Hoffman, Virginia Tech
