organizations to help solve crimes and assist law enforcement personnel. In
addition to all of the things that psychologists know about people, for any
person, understanding psychology can help take advantage of what psy-
chologists have learned to help all people live better and healthier lives
and to deal more effectively with others.
The Psychology of Everyday Life is a series of books that will address many
different and important psychological issues and areas, the goal being to
provide information and examples of how psychology touches all of our
lives on a daily basis. The series will also show ways in which psychological
knowledge can help us. These books will address psychological concerns
with the most up-to-date and relevant knowledge from the field of psy-
chology. Information from the laboratories, classrooms, clinics, hospitals,
and other settings will be brought together to help make sense out of some
important and often complex ideas. However, these books will be directed
toward readers who are not psychologists, but are interested in learning
more about the field and what it has to offer. Thus, the language is not
technical but is common language addressing “regular” people. There will
be times when professional and technical language may be used, but only
if thoroughly explained and related to the issues being discussed.
This series of books will focus on specific facets of our daily lives and
show how psychology can help us understand and deal with these issues.
A wide range of topics will be covered, from eating to exercising to
relaxing to interpersonal conflict. Each book will consist of three distinct
parts. Part I will answer the “who/what/where/when/why/how” questions
related to the topic. These chapters will examine everything from how
the subject manifests in our day-to-day lives and how it impacts our
psychological well-being to differences across the lifespan and cultures to
what famous psychologists have to say on the subject.
Part II in each book will focus on “real-life” examples and will address
many of the issues that were introduced in each book in Part I, but will
do so with examples and explanations that will make the issues even
clearer. It is one thing to have knowledge, but it is an entirely different
thing to be able to apply and use that knowledge, and this is what will be
covered by the scenarios and interpretative analyses in Part II. When peo-
ple read Part II they will begin to see many of the ways in which our daily
lives are touched by psychology, and the many ways that psychology can
be used to support and help people.
Part III in each book will address the controversial issues related to the
book's subject. Like any academic and professional discipline, psychology
has many areas where there are spirited disagreements among academics,
practitioners, and researchers about important issues in the field. It will
viii Series Foreword
