Today's psychologist is apt to be very different from the image most people conjure up when asked to picture one - an image that almost always suggests Sigmund Freud or someone like him, complete with leather couch.

But as indebted as they may be to Freud's landmark explorations of our psychological landscape, modern psychologists are involved in far more than helping people cope with their inner demons. Instead, they are working in areas that now encompass every part of the process by which we develop and function as people:

• How we perceive, remember, and learn
• How we select our friends and partners and retain their affection and love
• The things that motivate us

Now you can gain a basic introduction to psychology - beginning with its historical context and looking ahead to some of the directions it is likely to take in the future - in this fascinating series of 36 lectures from an acclaimed teacher and author. It explores all of the many new areas that now fit comfortably beneath psychology's umbrella and the sophisticated new research methods that have emerged.

These lectures are both an excellent summary of a transformed profession and an ideal starting point for those eager to expand their understanding of the human mind.