If you interested in what makes people tick, this is the mag for you
October 18,2010
This has been one of my favorite magazines for years because it explains why we or others act the way we do. It's not a technical magazine for therapists and psychologists; it's for regular people who are interested in our culture and ourselves. Has it changed my life? Not really. But it has made me more accepting of others and I think it has also given me a lot of "conversation" topics - as in "I read in Psychology Today that ---" which gives whatever thought I have some credibility. I immediately start reading this magazine when it shows up in the mail and I pass it on to frieds. It never ends up in the recycle bin at my house.
Great Magazine
April 9,2010
This is a great magazine. Fun and interesting. It's a magazine, not a text book. If you want to read a text book, then go buy one and read it. Do you negatively rate a knife because it doesn't work well as a spoon? It's a great casual read when your relaxing, for people interested in the subject.
Psychology Today
February 2,2010
I bought this as a gift and learned that the recipient only received two of the copies out of the entire year.
Great for a thoughtful teen, too light for most others
January 23,2010
I had a subscription to this as a teenager and loved it. In the dark ages before the internet, I anticipated its arrival every month with enthusiasm and hungrily devoured each new issue. I'd have to credit Psychology Today with giving me a reasonably solid foundation for understanding human nature, something that I too often take for granted in adulthood.
Recently, feeling nostalgic while browsing my local library, I picked up the latest issue. Obvious fluff, every bit of it! Common sense with bright pictures! What had happened to the quality of the magazine I'd once loved?
Nothing had happened at all, I realized. I just grew up. At some point, common sense does indeed become common--if you learn it in the first place. This was a great magazine for me as a teen, but not at all interesting as an adult.
But then, I outgrew Sesame Street Magazine even earlier. Maybe I'll show PT to my own teenage children. I suspect they might love it as much as I did!
Recently, feeling nostalgic while browsing my local library, I picked up the latest issue. Obvious fluff, every bit of it! Common sense with bright pictures! What had happened to the quality of the magazine I'd once loved?
Nothing had happened at all, I realized. I just grew up. At some point, common sense does indeed become common--if you learn it in the first place. This was a great magazine for me as a teen, but not at all interesting as an adult.
But then, I outgrew Sesame Street Magazine even earlier. Maybe I'll show PT to my own teenage children. I suspect they might love it as much as I did!
Risque Covers, Relevant Contents
September 21,2009
Yes, the magazine has "risque" covers, but that's to get people to pick it up. And then, hopefully, someone who wouldn't have otherwise read a factual, informational, psychological magazine will read it. I feel the stories are designed to be interesting to a wide range of people, and they keep the diction simple enough so that even if you're not a psych student you can make sense of it. I also think the stories bring relevance to psychology - it's not all about people with disorders and treatments, etc - it relates to day-to-day thought processes and behavior. Besides, if you're a psychology student, you shouldn't be expecting this magazine to substitute a textbook or published study. I'm a psychology student, and I find the articles refreshing - they're informative, relevant to society, thought-provoking, and teach without shoving theory after theory down your throat.
Psychology Today...
December 14,2008
I just got my first issue of this magazine, and I am really pleased with it. It's got quite a few good articles, and small notes that get you thinking. I would recommend it.
Easy reading for those interested in psychology
July 29,2008
I'm not a psychology student, and at this time, I don't plan on becoming one. For now, I'm a 25-year-old with a history of depression and OCD and I consider myself a bit of an autodidact. I have taken a few psychology classes in the past and I've also been known to read psych textbooks for "fun".
Psychology Today is certainly not a textbook and it's definitely made to appeal to Average Joe, which I think it does wonderfully. The articles are informative and interesting, but not too in depth. For me, it's a good way to find out about new ideas and then go and look up more information if I so desire.
If you're looking for a textbook, visit your local collegiate bookstore. If you're looking for an easy-reading source for good information to serve as a stepping stone to further studies, Psychology Today is a great place to start.
Psychology Today is certainly not a textbook and it's definitely made to appeal to Average Joe, which I think it does wonderfully. The articles are informative and interesting, but not too in depth. For me, it's a good way to find out about new ideas and then go and look up more information if I so desire.
If you're looking for a textbook, visit your local collegiate bookstore. If you're looking for an easy-reading source for good information to serve as a stepping stone to further studies, Psychology Today is a great place to start.
Mundane Psychology
January 28,2008
At first i was excited to find a magazine devoted to the interesting field of psychology, unfortunately, i ordered a subscription of Psychology Today, before i found Scientific American Mind.
Psychology Today is a pop-magazine with much emphasis on day-to-day selfconfidence struggles. Some of the information presented is worth reading, but it's just not worthy of bearing it's name in that it portrays psychology as something superficial, and as if it were an exercise in highschool conversation; discussing why one person is more popular than the other.
It's a mundane, practical how-to magazine without much depth.
Psychology Today is a pop-magazine with much emphasis on day-to-day selfconfidence struggles. Some of the information presented is worth reading, but it's just not worthy of bearing it's name in that it portrays psychology as something superficial, and as if it were an exercise in highschool conversation; discussing why one person is more popular than the other.
It's a mundane, practical how-to magazine without much depth.
A Great MAGAZINE (emphasis on Magazine)
January 18,2008
Ordering this magazine thinking that you'll end up with volumes of information that you would find in textbooks is going to leave you upset. This is a magazine and, as someone who has studied in the area of journalism, I understand completely why they produce the articles they do and why it upsets 'serious' psychologists. It's very much Pop Psychology. It's light, fun, and informative to anyone without degrees in the field. It's very much a self-help/improvement magazine and, like all such magazines, you must take every ounce of advice with a grain of salt. An article about introversion really helped me improve my self-image and understand why I live the way I do and how to maintain a healthy balance. It does cover the recent psychology 'gossip' but this coverage is no different than the coverage of new scientists and their untested hypotheses.
a magazine best suited for people who have not studied psychology
January 10,2008
Psychology Today is truly a magazine for persons who want some information about psychology without going to school and studying psychology. Therefore, there are going to be two mindsets about this magazine: The psychology students and professionals will think this too fluffy and stuffed with ads; and the everyday man on the street will say, "Wow! That was a pretty good article. I learned something."
My own experience is similar to the gentleman who purchased a three year subscription to Psychology Today and then wound up tossing it away more and more as his formal studies gave him an in depth education of psychology and how it is used. I loved this magazine when I was a teenager planning to work with people to help them solve their problems. However, these days as someone who has a master's in social work I would probably not get much out of the magazine.
The ads are certainly numerous and you get the feeling that Psychology Today wedges in just enough articles to keep subscribers interested while selling ad space to make big bucks. That's a shame.
Overall, this magazine is best suited for the everyday man on the street who has not studied psychology and who does not plan on studying psychology. These people will get a lot more out of their subscriptions to this magazine. I recommend this for the layman while students of psychology at the college or postgraduate level would do well to skip this one.
Three stars.
My own experience is similar to the gentleman who purchased a three year subscription to Psychology Today and then wound up tossing it away more and more as his formal studies gave him an in depth education of psychology and how it is used. I loved this magazine when I was a teenager planning to work with people to help them solve their problems. However, these days as someone who has a master's in social work I would probably not get much out of the magazine.
The ads are certainly numerous and you get the feeling that Psychology Today wedges in just enough articles to keep subscribers interested while selling ad space to make big bucks. That's a shame.
Overall, this magazine is best suited for the everyday man on the street who has not studied psychology and who does not plan on studying psychology. These people will get a lot more out of their subscriptions to this magazine. I recommend this for the layman while students of psychology at the college or postgraduate level would do well to skip this one.
Three stars.