Includes bibliographical references and index.

Personality theory: from everyday observations to systematic theories -- The scientific study of people -- A psychodynamic theory: Freud's psychoanalytic theory of personality -- Freud's psychoanalytic theory: applications, related theoretical conceptions, and contemporary research -- A phenomenological theory: Carl Rogers's person-centered theory of personality -- Rogers's phenomenological theory: applications, related theoretical conceptions, and contemporary research -- Trait theories of personality: Allport, Eysenck, and Cattell -- Trait theory: the five-factor model: applications and evaluation of trait approaches to personality -- Biological foundations of personality -- Behavioralism and the learning approaches to personality -- A cognitive theory: George A. Kelly's personal construct theory of personality -- Social-cognitive theory: Bandura and Mischel -- Social-cognitive theory: applications, related theoretical conceptions, and contemporary research -- Personality in context: interpersonal relations, culture, and development across the course of life -- Assessing personality theory and research -- Glossary.

Offering an introduction to the major theories of personality and integrating theory with research, the authors illustrate each theory with a case, and analyse the strengths and limitations of each approach.