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Good books to read for a Psychology personal statement?

the question says it all. I'm shortlisting a few books that would be relevant to a psych degree i want to do in uni, and a few recommendations would help :smile:

they don't have to be specific to a particular field, just as long as they explore psychology in one form or another.

(edited 9 months ago)

Reply 1

saskiahdltea

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
The Lucifer Effect by Phillip Zimbardo

Reply 2

Lancaster Student Ambassador

Official Rep

Original post by sakshi.11

the question says it all. I'm shortlisting a few books that would be relevant to a psych degree i want to do in uni, and a few recommendations would help :smile:

they don't have to be specific to a particular field, just as long as they explore psychology in one form or another.

Hi! Here is a list of a few books that I've read:

•

The Psychopath Test (Jon Ronson)

•

Say Why To Drugs (Suzi Gage)

•

The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat (Oliver Sacks)

I also have a few books on my shelf waiting to be read that I've heard good things about:

•

The Idiot Brain (Dean Burnett)

•

The Marshmallow Test (Walter Mischel)

Good luck with your application!
-Kat (2nd Year Psychology Undergrad @ Lancaster Uni)

Reply 3

Kiraaannnn

Original post by sakshi.11

the question says it all. I'm shortlisting a few books that would be relevant to a psych degree i want to do in uni, and a few recommendations would help :smile:

they don't have to be specific to a particular field, just as long as they explore psychology in one form or another.

Mistakes were made but not by me- i genuinely enjoyed this and spoke about it in my personal statement. Like the title suggests it talks about the psychology of how we justify our mistakes and also discusses how this idea can be applied in a wide range or scenarios such as cults or relationships.

Reply 4

sakshi.11

Original post by Kiraaannnn

that sounds really interesting, thanks.

Reply 5

sakshi.11

Original post by Lancaster Student Ambassador

Hi! Here is a list of a few books that I've read:

•

The Psychopath Test (Jon Ronson)

•

Say Why To Drugs (Suzi Gage)

•

The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat (Oliver Sacks)

I also have a few books on my shelf waiting to be read that I've heard good things about:

•

The Idiot Brain (Dean Burnett)

•

The Marshmallow Test (Walter Mischel)

Good luck with your application!
-Kat (2nd Year Psychology Undergrad @ Lancaster Uni)

I've been planning to read The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat, thank you for your suggestions!

Reply 6

CardiffUni Rep 2

Official Rep

Original post by sakshi.11

the question says it all. I'm shortlisting a few books that would be relevant to a psych degree i want to do in uni, and a few recommendations would help :smile:

they don't have to be specific to a particular field, just as long as they explore psychology in one form or another.

For my personal statement, I read Emotional Intelligence by David Goleman. He argues how emotional intelligence is just as valuable as qualities such as IQ. He uses a lot of research to back up his premise and its a really interesting read :smile:

Definitely recommend!

~ Fatiha, Cardiff University Student Rep

Reply 7

University of Kent

Official Rep

Original post by sakshi.11

the question says it all. I'm shortlisting a few books that would be relevant to a psych degree i want to do in uni, and a few recommendations would help :smile:

they don't have to be specific to a particular field, just as long as they explore psychology in one form or another.

Hi @sakshi.11 ,

How is your statement going so far?

I would say the best Psychology related book that I have applied to almost everything and wish I was told about it sooner is called "Calling Bullsh*t: the art of scepticism in a data-driven world". It is by Carl Bergstrom and Jevin West and essentially talks about how to be a critical thinker in a modern world where it is hard to know whether to accept a piece of information as truth or misinformation.

It is available as an audiobook if you have Spotify premium but it is not an expensive book to purchase. If you are able to listen to it as an audiobook it is a great one to have in the background as a podcast while you're on a walk, the bus or in the car (not driving though as it might distract you!). When I use what I have learned from it in my essays I was praised for wider knowledge as it helped to to actually engage with the readings and topic in coursework essays in my final year.

It was one of the core books for that module and unfortunately I had it in my last term and think it would have been so helpful for my whole degree! Lecturers in Psychology when they mark an essay want to see originality and critical analysis and I think this would help a whole lot with that.

I hope this helps and wish you all the best with your application!

Alia
University of Kent Student Rep