Beneath the Mask: An Introduction to the Theories of Personality

This book's theorist-by-theorist approach to personality theories explores how the personal histories, conflicts, and intentions of each theorist contributed to his or her portraits of people. It presents the "sequence of thinking" for more than 20 theorists and the changes embodied in the streams of their ideas over time. The format emphasizes each theorist's life history as the basis for the ideas that constitute the theory, making the theories easier to understand as "pictures of human nature." Theories are presented comprehensively and empathetically and are introduced with scrupulous attention to historical, experimental, and clinical research. Where appropriate, extensive quotations and citations from the theorists' own works are included.