Magill's Encyclopedia of Social Science: Psychology is a four-volume work for readers who are interested in theories, mental illnesses, applications, and prominent figures in this important field, such as mental health patients and their caregivers or high school and undergraduate students. The encyclopedia is based on our six-volume Survey of Social Science: Psychology Series (1993) but represents a significant departure from it. The older set provided essays that were uniform in length and format, using the standard subheadings "Overview," "Applications," and "Context," and many of the topics were highly specialized. This new encyclopedia streamlines many of the older topics by replacing them with helpful overviews, offers greater flexiblity in length and format, and provides a more comprehensive view of the field by covering theories, disorders, treatments, tests, people, and issues, including many popular concepts.

Of the 452 entries in this work, 177 were commissioned new, while 275 first appeared in Survey of Social Science. Among the latter group, 103 entries have been brought up to date through the deletion of dated material and the addition of new information, often the result of advances in diagnosis and treatment or changes in standards from the revised third edition of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (1987, DSM-III-R) to the text revision of the fourth edition (2000, DSM-IV-TR). All reused entries have been reformatted with new top matter and tailored subheadings that guide the reader through the text, and the annotated "Sources for Further Study" sections that conclude all entries have been updated with the latest editions and most recent scholarship. Unlike its predecessor, this encyclopedia offers a number of helpful appendices and is fully illustrated with more than two hundred photographs, drawings, tables, graphs, textual sidebars, and lists of diagnostic criteria from the DSM-IV-TR.

Entries in Psychology range from one to eight pages in length. Every entry begins with the standard information of title, date (where relevant), type of psychology, fields of study, a statement significance, and a list of key concepts. The text of each article offers a clear, pointed discussion of the topic. An entry on a mental illness addresses its cause, diagnosis, treatment, and impact. An entry on a theory or school examines its origin, history, and current status. An entry on an organization addresses its history and functions. An entry on a psychological test discusses its development and applications. A biographical entry focuses on the life, career, and contributions of the individual. Informative, descriptive subheadings divide the text of longer essays. All terminology is explained, and context is provided to make the information accessible to general readers. Every article ends with an annotated "Sources for Further Study." Annotations discuss the content and value of the sources, particularly with relevance to the subject of the essay. The biographies offer citations to secondary sources only; the subject's most important primary publications are discussed in the text itself. All essays are signed by the author and conclude with a list of cross-references to related articles within Psychology.

Several valuable appendices can be found at the end of volume 4: a Glossary of crucial terms with concise definitions; an annotated general Bibliography of nonfiction works organized by category; an annotated Web Site Directory for support groups and organizations; a Mediagraphy discussing depictions of mental illness and psychology as a field in films and television programs; a list of Organizations and Support Groups with contact information and a list of hot lines; a Pharmaceutical List of generic and brand-name drugs grouped by their uses; a Biographical List of Psychologists with brief profiles of major figures; and a list of notable Court Cases that mark important legal milestones in the history of psychology. The encyclopedia concludes with a comprehensive subject Index.