Elements of Personality

This compact, brilliant text allows the reader to learn simultaneously about the subject matter and about the self. What more could be asked of an undergraduate text? -- Virginia Brabender, PhD, Professor Emeritus, Widener University, Chester, PA, United States
With the publication of this book, Dr. Bornstein has given the field of personality psychology a gift—a well-written, engaging, and accessible textbook that covers the four main perspectives on personality. This work will be considered a seminal textbook in personality theory for years to come, and one that students will remember long after their course is completed. -- Nicole Cain, PhD, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, United States
If there is such a thing as an irresistible textbook, this is it. In a few lively, wide ranging, and often witty chapters, Robert Bornstein has made personality theory and research not only comprehensible, but entertaining. In addition to benefitting intellectually, readers will appreciate how this book deepens their personal understandings of self and others. -- Nancy McWilliams, PhD, ABPP, Visiting Professor Emerita, Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, United States
This tight and efficient text by one of the most accomplished and conversant scholars in the field covers all of the major perspectives and issues in personality psychology. An engaging resource that will be fun and easy to read for students interested in this fascinating topic. -- Christopher J. Hopwood, PhD, Professor of Personality Psychology, University Of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
Robert F. Bornstein, who has received multiple awards for both his teaching and personality research, has taken his nearly 40 years of experience teaching personality courses to produce Elements of Personality: Discovering Connections. is concise, lively, and engaging undergraduate text distills the field to its four primary perspectives, which Bornstein covers in depth while enhancing their breadth with contemporary links to social, cognitive, developmental, and neurophysiological psychology. Students will appreciate this textbook for its clarity and organization, relatable daily life examples, and value for understanding the personality of others and themselves. -- Gregory J. Meyer, PhD, Professor of Psychology, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, United States
This book does a truly excellent job of introducing readers to what is known about personality. It was a really engaging book to read and I found myself finishing it much faster than I had anticipated. I strongly recommend it. -- Dr. Virgil Zeigler-Hill, Distinguished Professor, Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester Hills, MI, United States
One can feel the love Bornstein has for the subject of personality, for teaching, and for his students. He not only introduces theoretical and clinical wisdom, but integrates it with personal vignettes of the “fathers and mothers” of personality theories as well as his own thinking, thus offering himself as a wonderful role model for those in training to become clinical psychologists and practicing clinicians. The connections of personality theories with research, culture, neuropsychology, and ethics are inspiring, and are examined with a critical eye. This book will contribute immensely to the dialogue between clinicians and researchers. -- Ety Berant, PhD, Director of Graduate Clinical Program, Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel