Psychology Book Club

book cover collage

Small Group Discussions of Popular Topics in Psychology

Do you have a passion for reading? Would you like to delve deeper into current trends and popular concepts in psychology? If so, the Psychology Book Club may be for you! Participation in the Psychology Book Club involves a commitment to reading two titles per semester, the topics of which center on a psychology concept or subject. A psychology faculty member will select a book, then participants will meet in a small group setting with that faculty member to discuss the book in detail.

Past Book Selections:

The Age of Empathy
Franz de Waal

By studying social behaviors in animals, such as bonding, the herd instinct, the forming of trusting alliances, expressions of consolation, and conflict resolution, Frans de Waal demonstrates that animals–and humans–are "preprogrammed to reach out." He has found that chimpanzees care for mates that are wounded by leopards, elephants offer "reassuring rumbles" to youngsters in distress, and dolphins support sick companions near the water's surface to prevent them from drowning. From day one humans have innate sensitivities to faces, bodies, and voices; we've been designed to feel for one another.

The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey through Madness
Elyn Saks

The Center Cannot Hold is the eloquent, moving story of Elyn's life, from the first time that she heard voices speaking to her as a young teenager, to attempted suicides in college, through learning to live on her own as an adult in an often terrifying world. Saks discusses frankly the paranoia, the inability to tell imaginary fears from real ones, the voices in her head telling her to kill herself (and to harm others); as well the incredibly difficult obstacles she overcame to become a highly respected professional. This beautifully written memoir is destined to become a classic in its genre.