Psychology and the Challenges of Life

Brings theory and research together to help students adapt to sources of stress in their everyday and academic lives 

Adjustment and Growth: Psychology and the Challenges of Life reveals the many ways that psychology relates to our lives while illustrating how psychological concepts and principles can help us adapt to the real-world issues we face. With a lively and conversational writing style, authors Spencer Rathus and Jeffrey Nevid show us how to apply psychology to confront a variety of life challenges, such as managing time, developing self-identity, building and maintaining relationships, adopting healthier lifestyles, coping with stress, strengthening financial responsibility, and dealing with emotional problems and psychological disorders.   

Each easy-to-follow chapter begins with Did You Know That…?, a series of engaging and thought-provoking questions that pique the reader’s interest before they dive into the chapter. The modular format of the textbook helps students organize their study time by presenting information in manageable units and providing brief Review Questions at the end of each section to enable self-evaluating mastery of learning objectives.  

Now in its fifteenth edition, this market-leading textbook is fully updated to meet the needs and concerns of the next generation of students. Expanded chapters address psychology in the digital age, social media, sexuality and gender, stress and the immune system, and the current opioid crisis. An entirely new chapter covers adapting to contemporary sources of stress, such as social and political tensions, public health in light of the COVID-19 crisis, gun violence and mass shootings, climate change, the treatment of immigrant and migrant families.