be very instructive for people to understand these issues and to see the
careful and systematic ways that scholars think about and conceptualize
various topics, and to see how they debate, discuss, and resolve some of
their differences of opinion. For non-psychologists these controversial
issues and how they are addressed will lead to a greater understanding of
psychological matters, but also a better grasp of how scientists and profes-
sionals deal with differences and controversies and how these disagree-
ments are addressed.
Psychology is a broad and diverse field with many different approaches,
theories, methods, and ideas, and to capture this field in its breadth and
depth would be impossible in a single book. This series of books, however,
will serve as an introductory journey through psychology as it relates to the
daily lives of ordinary people. I have been teaching, studying, and practic-
ing psychology for many decades and I can hardly wait to read each of the
books in this very exciting series, and I welcome readers to take this jour-
ney with me.
Rudy Nydegger, PhD, ABPP
Series Foreword ix
