Terence Butler - Personality and Individual Differences: Undergraduate Revision Guide. Edited by by Terence Butler

Not only is psychology one of the fastest-growing subjects to study at university worldwide, it is also one of the most exciting and relevant subjects. Over the past decade the scope, breadth and importance of psychology have developed considerably. Important research work from as far afield as the UK, Europe, the USA and Australia has demonstrated the exacting research base of the topic and how this can be applied to all manner of everyday issues and concerns. Being a student of psychology is an exciting experience the study of mind and behaviour is a fascinating journey of discovery. Studying psychology at the degree level brings with it new experiences, new skills and knowledge. As the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) has stressed:

psychology is distinctive in the rich and diverse range of attributes it develops skills which are associated with the humanities (e.g. critical thinking and essay writing) and the sciences (hypotheses-testing and numeracy).

(QAA, 2010, p. 5)

Recent evidence suggests that employers appreciate these skills and knowledge of psychology graduates, but in order to reach this pinnacle you need to develop your skills, further your knowledge and most of all successfully complete your degree to your maximum ability. The skills, knowledge and opportunities that you gain during your psychology degree will give you an edge in the employment field. The QAA stresses the high level of employment skills developed during a psychology degree:

due to the wide range of generic skills, and the rigour with which they are taught, training in psychology is widely accepted as providing an excellent preparation for many careers. In addition to subject skills and knowledge, graduates also develop skills in communication, numeracy, teamwork, critical thinking, computing, independent learning and many others, all of which are highly valued by employers.

(QAA, 2010, p. 2)

This book is part of the comprehensive new series, Psychology Express, which helps you achieve these aspirations. It is not a replacement for every single text, journal article, presentation and abstract you will read and review during the course of your degree programme. It is in no way a replacement for your lectures, seminars or additional reading. A top-rated assessment answer is likely to include considerable additional information and wider reading and you are directed to some of these in this text. This revision guide is a conductor: directing you through the maze of your degree by providing an overview of your course, helping you formulate your ideas, and directing your reading.

Each book within Psychology Express presents a summary coverage of the key concepts, theories and research in the field, within an explicit framework of revision. The focus throughout all of the books in the series will be on how .

By reading and engaging with this book, you will develop your skills and knowledge base and in this way you should excel in your studies and your associated assessments.

Psychology Express: Personality and Individual Differences is divided into 11 chapters and your course has probably been divided up into similar sections. However, we, the series authors and editor, must stress a key point: do not let the purchase, reading and engagement with the material in this text restrict your reading or your thinking. In psychology, you need to be aware of the wider literature and how it interrelates, and how authors and thinkers have criticised and developed the arguments of others. So even if an essay asks you about one particular topic, you need to draw on similar issues raised in other areas of psychology. There are, of course, some similar themes that run throughout the material covered in this text, but you can learn from the other areas of psychology covered in the other texts in this series as well as from material presented elsewhere.

We hope you enjoy this text and the others in the Psychology Express series, which cover the complete knowledge base of psychology:

• Biological Psychology (Emma Preece): covering the biological basis of behaviour, hormones and behaviour, sociobiology and evolutionary psychology and so on.
• Cognitive Psychology (Jonathan Catling and Jonathan Ling): including key material on perception, learning, memory, thinking and language.
• Developmental Psychology (Penney Upton): from pre-natal development through to old age, the development of individuals is considered. Childhood, adolescence and lifespan development are all presented.
• Personality and Individual Differences (Terence Butler and Laura Scurlock-Evans): normal and abnormal personality, psychological testing, intelligence, emotion and motivation are all covered in this book.
• Social Psychology (Jenny Mercer and Debbie Clayton): a critical perspective on social psychology is presented and includes attributions, attitudes and group relations (including close relationships).
• Statistics in Psychology (Catherine Steele, Holly Andrews and Dominic Upton): an overview of data analysis related to psychology is presented along with why we need statistics in psychology. Descriptive and inferential statistics, and both parametric and non-parametric analysis, are included.
• Research Methods for Psychology (Steve Jones and Mark Forshaw): research design, experimental methods, discussion of qualitative and quantitative methods and ethics are all presented in this text.
• Conceptual and Historical Issues in Psychology (Brian M. Hughes): the foundations of psychology and its development from a mere interest into a scientific discipline. The key conceptual issues of current-day psychology are also presented.

This book, and the other companion volumes in this series, should cover all your study needs (there will also be further guidance on the website). It will, obviously, need to be supplemented with further reading and this text directs you towards suitable sources. Hopefully, quite a bit of what you read here you will already have come across and the text will act as a jolt and to set your mind at rest you do know the material in depth. Overall, we hope that you find this book useful and informative as a guide for both your study now and in your future as a successful psychology graduate.