Journals in Personality

The academic field of personality has an extensive literature of scholarly journals, in which researchers, theorists, and clinicians describe their work for others in the field. Over time, these communications advance and change the field. As in other academic areas, the scholarly literature is different from the articles written for the general public, which can be found in many popular magazines and newspapers.

Peer-reviewed journals are those where scholars in the field (“peers”) read articles that have been submitted to the journal. Editors consider the advice of these peers when they decide whether to accept an article for publication. Often, recommendations by these peer reviewers guide revision of a paper to improve it, before publication. You can look at the beginning pages of printed journals for information about the editing and peer review process.

Here are some of the scholarly journals in personality. Some specialize more in empirical research, while others emphasize clinical applications.

• American Journal of Psychoanalysis
• Behaviour Research and Therapy
• Cognitive Therapy and Research
• European Journal of Personality
• Journal for the Psychoanalysis of Culture and Society
• Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry
• Journal of Constructivist Psychology
• Journal of Personality
• Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
• Journal of Personality Assessment
• Journal of Rational-Emotive and Cognitive-Behavior Therapy
• Journal of Research in Personality
• Journal of Social Behavior and Personality
• Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association
• Modern Psychoanalysis
• Personality and Individual Differences
• Personality and Social Psychology Review
• Progress in Experimental Personality Research
• Psychoanalytic Psychology
• Psychoanalytic Quarterly
• Psychoanalytic Study of the Child
• Social Behavior and Personality

In addition to these specialized journals, more general psychology journals, such as the American Psychologist, also publish some articles related to personality.

Students often find that scholarly journals are more difficult to read and understand than are more popular articles, or even textbooks. This should not be surprising, since these journals are targeted at those who have specialized in the study and practice of this field, and who have extensive background in the language and concepts of the field. Though it takes more time to read these journals, the outcome is a better understanding of the basis for claims in the field.

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