Author: Račková, Mariana: Selected Chapters in Psychology. Psychology ABC for Technicians. Košice : TUKE, Department of Social Sciences, 2010. 123 pages. ISBN 978-80-553-0526-4.
The university textbook Selected Chapters in Psychology. The Psychology ABC for Technicians is mainly intended for students of technical university studies and serves the needs of educational work at TUKE as supplementary teaching material. Students attending the psychology course will find in this textbook selected chapters from general and social psychology, as well as personality psychology. The textbook is designed as a basic educational text and contains fundamental information about psychology as a social science that studies the human personality.
The university textbook provides the reader, the student, and the teacher with fundamental knowledge of psychology as a science, its research methods, approaches, and models, which is a very topical subject today. It is divided into 8 chapters. In the first chapter students are introduced to psychology as a science, psychological regulation of experience and behaviour (the subject and scope of psychology, branches of psychology, basic psychological concepts, categories, and so on). The second chapter, titled Research Methods in Psychology, more closely describes some methods such as observation, experiment, anamnesis, interview, questionnaire, tests, professionograms, content analysis, or sociometry. The third chapter offers the development of psychological approaches and describes psychological schools. The author called this chapter Overview of Psychological Approaches. The next, fourth chapter is Path of Development, a unique model of personality development. In it, readers learn more about personality development through creative-humanistic upbringing and key competencies. In the fifth chapter, Path of Knowledge—lower cognitive processes and intuitive knowledge as the basic form of functioning of living systems—the author more closely describes sensation, perception, ideas, imagination, and attention. The next part titled Path of Problem Solving, the psychological aspects of higher cognitive functions, further describes memory, learning, thinking, and speech. In the seventh chapter, Path of Performance, motivation, will, decision making, principles of motivation, motivational factors, basic theories of motivation, performance and motivation, and also volitional and decisional processes are defined. The final eighth chapter is the Path of Coping. It covers load-bearing situations, stress, conflicts, frustration, and dependence. Students also learn here about effective ways to cope with strain and life difficulties.
As the author states, by taking the course ABC (Fundamentals) of Psychology, students of the second stage of university studies at TUKE will gain a conceptual foundation in general psychology. They will adopt current general-psychological knowledge respecting a new paradigm in education that emphasizes a humanistic approach. The insights offered within the psychology ABC should broaden students' existing knowledge potential, deepen their self-knowledge and self-reflection, help them better understand the motives of others' thinking and actions, and enable the correction of incorrect opinions and attitudes, as well as provide insight for better understanding and evaluating statements presented under the guise of psychology.
Among other goals that the author set when creating this university textbook is also the acquisition of so-called “soft skills”, healthy self-confidence, evaluative, critical, and creative thinking, effective coping with stress, and meaningful use of free time. It also provides guidance on how to reasonably and happily steer one's own life in an age that has largely lost its support in traditional forms and values of life.
In this presented publication, the author offers readers a broad range of knowledge about psychology that is very valuable for students (not only those with a technical focus). The text is presented in a very clear, factual, and understandable way. The language is of excellent quality. The university textbook takes into account the current state and needs in this field. The book will be appreciated not only by the professional psychological community and students, but also by experts in pedagogy, ethics, sociology, and other related disciplines. It is a valuable aid for everyone dealing with questions of psychology. The university textbook “Selected Chapters in Psychology. The Psychology ABC” is an engaging read and, not least, a useful helper for practice.
PaedDr. Zuzana Birknerová, PhD. FM PU v Prešove About the Author
PhDr. Mariana Račková, PhD.
The author teaches in these subjects: Psychology Creativity Management Managerial Psychology Effective Social Communication Personality and Globalization
Professional profile: She is professionally engaged in basic psychological disciplines (general psychology, personality psychology), applied (social psychology, health psychology, work psychology, creativity psychology, managerial psychology, existential psychology). At KSV she is the coordinator of the psychology course for bachelor studies. As part of the elective studies of the University of the Third Age at TUKE, she appears as an academic coordinator and lecturer in the field: Human – health – environment - lifestyle, and lecturer in the field: Psychology. She focuses on issues of drug addiction and their prevention, and coordinates the university-wide unit: CPPS at TUKE.