DRISHTI IAS Psychology Book-I | Optional Course for Civil Services Examination

• Comprehensive coverage of core Psychology concepts for Civil Services Psychology Optional preparation
• Begins with the Introduction, Meaning, Scope and Historical Development of Psychology
• Detailed coverage of Personality, including major approaches, theories and personality measurement
• Covers Psychoanalytic, Neo-Freudian, Interactionist, Interpersonal, Behaviouristic and Trait approaches
• Includes Learning Theories based on Behaviourist, Gestalt and Cognitive perspectives
• Covers Classical Conditioning, Operant Conditioning, Reinforcement and Social Learning
• Includes Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory
• Covers Programmed Learning, Probability Learning and Cognitive Development
• Detailed section on Memory, including Encoding, Storage and Retrieval
• Covers Sensory, Short-Term and Long-Term Memory
• Includes Multistore Model, Levels of Processing and Theories of Forgetting
• Covers Sensation, Attention and Perception
• Includes Selective Attention, Vigilance, Depth Perception and Perceptual Organisation
• Structured as Psychology Book-I for Civil Services Optional Course preparation

The PDF is titled Psychology (Book-I) and is presented as an Optional Course for Civil Services Examination.

About this Book

Drishti IAS Psychology Book-I is a focused study resource designed for aspirants preparing Psychology as an Optional subject for the Civil Services Examination.

The book covers five major areas: Introduction to Psychology, Personality, Learning, Memory, and Sensation-Attention-Perception. The contents are organised chapter-wise, beginning with foundational psychological concepts and moving into major theories and cognitive processes.

The introductory section explains Psychology as the scientific study of mental processes and behaviour and discusses its development as a scientific discipline, along with important schools such as Functionalism, Structuralism, Behaviourism, Gestalt Psychology and Psychoanalysis.

The later chapters provide detailed coverage of personality theories, learning processes, memory systems and perceptual processes, making the book useful for concept-building and systematic Optional preparation.

Key Areas Covered

• Introduction to Psychology
• History & Development of Psychology
• Major Schools of Psychology
• Concept & Definition of Personality
• Approaches & Theories of Personality
• Psychoanalytic Approach
• Freud’s Theory of Personality
• Neo-Freudians
• Adler’s Individual Psychology
• Interpersonal Approach
• Behaviouristic Approach to Personality
• Development of Self-Concept
• Functional Autonomy
• Trait & Type Approach
• Measurement of Personality
• Learning – Concepts & Theories
• Classical Conditioning
• Operant Conditioning
• Schedules of Reinforcement
• Social Learning
• Programmed Learning
• Piaget’s Cognitive Development
• Insight Learning
• Probability Learning
• Memory
• Encoding, Storage & Retrieval
• Short-Term Memory
• Long-Term Memory
• Sensory, Iconic & Echoic Memory
• Multistore Model
• Levels of Processing
• Mnemonic Techniques
• Theories of Forgetting
• Sensation
• Attention
• Selective Attention
• Perception
• Depth & Space Perception
• Perceptual Organisation
• Perceptual Constancies
• Vigilance

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

The book begins with the foundations of Psychology and explains Psychology as the scientific study of mental processes and behaviour. It discusses how psychologists use scientific methods to understand, explain and predict behaviour.

The historical section traces important philosophical roots and the development of Psychology into an independent scientific discipline. It discusses thinkers such as Aristotle, Descartes and empiricist philosophers, followed by the emergence of experimental Psychology.

The PDF also covers major schools of Psychology such as Functionalism, Structuralism, Behaviourism, Gestalt Psychology and Psychoanalysis.

2. Personality

Concept & Definition of Personality • Approaches & Theories of Personality • Psychoanalytical Approach • Development of Superego • Intra-Psychic Struggle • Levels of Consciousness • Critical Evaluation of Freud’s Psychoanalytical Theory • Neo-Freudians • Adler’s Individual Psychology • Interactionist Approach • Harry Stack Sullivan • Behaviouristic Approach • Development of Self-Concept • Functional Autonomy • Propium • Trait & Type Approach • Trait Theory • Measurement of Personality

This section brings together multiple major perspectives on personality formation, personality structure and individual differences.

3. Learning

The syllabus covers:

Behaviourist, Gestalt and Information-Processing Models • Extinction • Discrimination • Generalization • Programmed Learning • Probability Learning • Self-Instructional Learning • Reinforcement • Escape • Avoidance • Punishment • Modeling • Social Learning.

The book defines learning as a relatively permanent change in behaviour resulting from practice or experience, while distinguishing learning from temporary change, maturation, reflex action and instinctive behaviour.

4. Classical & Cognitive Learning

The notes discuss major learning approaches including:

Classical Conditioning • Operant Conditioning • Multiple Response Learning • Cognitive Learning.

The Classical Conditioning section explains Unconditioned Stimulus, Unconditioned Response, Conditioned Stimulus and Conditioned Response, using Pavlov’s experiment as the core illustration.

The chapter contents also include Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory, Programmed Learning, Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory, Insight Learning and Probability Learning.

5. Memory

The Memory chapter covers:

Encoding & Remembering • Short-Term Memory • Long-Term Memory • Sensory Memory • Iconic Memory • Echoic Memory • Multistore Model • Levels of Processing • Mnemonic Techniques • Theories of Forgetting • Interference • Retrieval Failure • Metamemory • Anterograde & Retrograde Amnesia.

The PDF explains memory through three central processes:

Encoding → Storage → Retrieval.

The diagram on the Memory page visually presents these three processes as the basic structure connecting learning and memory.

The text also distinguishes Immediate Memory, Short-Term Memory and Long-Term Memory, and discusses how information is processed and transferred across memory systems.

6. Approaches to Study Memory

The book distinguishes between Structural and Process approaches to memory and includes the information-processing perspective associated with sensory register, STM and LTM.

The accompanying diagram shows the flow from Sensory Input → Sensory Register → STM → LTM, along with attention, recognition, rehearsal, retrieval and information loss.

7. Sensation, Attention & Perception

The syllabus covers:

Attention • Factors Influencing Attention • Sensation • Absolute & Difference Threshold • Signal Detection • Vigilance • Perception • Biological Factors in Perception • Perceptual Organisation • Past Experience • Perceptual Defence • Space & Depth Perception • Size Estimation • Perceptual Readiness.

The book defines attention as a process through which selected stimuli are brought into focus while distracting stimuli are resisted.

8. Selective Attention

The section explains the alerting and selective functions of attention and discusses limitations in human information-processing capacity.

It also covers the Cocktail Party Problem and Cherry’s Dichotic Listening Experiment, explaining how people selectively attend to one auditory message while filtering others.

The later discussion introduces theories and models of selective attention and examines how physical characteristics such as voice, intensity and location influence auditory selection.

Suitable For

Psychology Optional • UPSC Psychology Optional • Civil Services Examination • Psychology Book 1 • Personality Psychology • Learning Psychology • Memory Psychology • Sensation Attention and Perception • Cognitive Psychology