Sample Topics:
Central Descriptive Psychology Concepts

Click the citation titles below for the article abstract, and a link to the full text in PDF format, if available.

In order to avoid redundancy, many publications are not included below that focus primarily on pathology, case formulation, or psychotherapeutic policies and techniques. Please consult
Sample Topics: Clinical and Therapy” for those papers.

Bergner, R.M. (2010). What is Descriptive Psychology? An introduction. In K. E. Davis, F. Lubuguin, & W. Schwartz (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol.9, (pp. 325-358). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.

Davis K.E., & Roberts M.K. (1999). Relationships in the real world: The Descriptive Psychology approach to personal relationships. In Gergen K.J. & Davis K.E. (Eds.), The Social Construction of the Person. Springer Series in Social Psychology. New York: Springer.

Jeffrey, H.J. (1998). Consciousness, experience, and a Person’s world. In H.J. Jeffrey and R.M. Bergner, (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 7, (pp. 67-106). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.

Ossorio, P. G. (1967). Outline of behavior description (LRI Report No. 4a). Los Angeles, CA & Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.

Ossorio, P. G. (1972/1973). Never smile at a crocodile. Journal for the Theory of Social Behavior, 3, 131–140. (Original work published 1972 as LRI Report No. 17. Los Angeles, CA and Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.

Ossorio, P. G. (1971/1978). State of affairs systems (LRI Report No. 14). Whittier, CA & Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute. (Original work published 1971 as RADC–TR–71–102, Rome Air Development Center, New York.)

Ossorio, P. G. (1969/1981). Notes on behavior description. In K. E. Davis (Ed.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 1, (pp. 13-36). Greenwich, CN: JAI Press. (Original work published 1969 as LRI Report No. 4b. Los Angeles, CA & Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.)

Ossorio, P. G. (1970/1981). Outline of Descriptive Psychology for personality theory and clinical applications. In K. E. Davis (Ed.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 1, (pp. 57-82). Greenwich, CN: JAI Press. (Original work published 1970 as LRI Report No. 4d. Whittier, CA & Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.)

Ossorio, P. G. (1979/1981). Conceptual-notational devices: The PCF and related types. In K. E. Davis (Ed.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 1, (pp. 83-104). Greenwich, CN: JAI Press. (Original work published 1979 as LRI Report No. 22. Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.)

Ossorio, P. G. (1983). Why Descriptive Psychology? (LRI Report No. 35). Los Angeles, CA & Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute

Ossorio, P.G. (1983/1985). An overview of Descriptive Psychology. In K. Gergen and K. E. Davis (Eds.), Social construction of the person, (pp. 19-40). New York: Springer Verlacht.

Ossorio, P. G. (1986/1990). Appraisal. In A. O. Putman and K. E. Davis (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 5, (pp. 155-171). Ann Arbor, MI. Descriptive Psychology Press. (Original work published 1986 as LRI Report No. 37. Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.)

Ossorio, P. G. (1990). The human condition: Some formal aspects. LRI Report No. 47a. Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.

Ossorio, P. G. (1986/1997). Three minute lectures on emotion. In Essays on clinical topics. The collected works of Peter G. Ossorio, Vol. II, (pp. 99-128). Ann Arbor, MI. Descriptive Psychology Press. (Original work published 1986 as LRI Report No. 36a. Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.)

Ossorio, P. G. (1986/1997). More three minute lectures on emotion. In Essays on clinical topics. The collected works of Peter G. Ossorio, Vol. II, (pp. 131-161). Ann Arbor, MI. Descriptive Psychology Press. (Original work published 1986 as LRI Report No. 36b. Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.)

Ossorio, P.G. (2006). In a world of persons and their ways. In K. E. Davis, & R. M Bergner (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 8, (pp. 11-42). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.

Ossorio, P.G. (2006). Out of nowhere. In K. E. Davis, & R. M Bergner (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 8 (pp. 108-143>. Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.

Ossorio, P.G. (1982/1998/2012). Place. Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. (Original work published 1982 as LRI Report No. 30a. Boulder, CO: Linguistic Research Institute.)

Ossorio, P.G. (2006/2013). The Behavior of Persons. Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press. (Previously published as Ossorio, P.G. (2006). The Behavior of Persons: The Collected Works of Peter G. Ossorio (Vol. V). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.)

Putman, A.O. (1981). Communities. In K. Davis (Ed.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 1, (pp. 195-209). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.

Putman, A.O. (2010). Ordinary magic: What Descriptive Psychology is, and why it matters. In K. E. Davis, F. Lubuguin, & W. Schwartz (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol.9, (pp. 9-39). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.

Roberts, M. (1985). Worlds and world reconstruction. In K. Davis and T. Mitchell (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol. 4, (pp. 17-52). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.

Roberts, M.K. (2013). Knowing the world. In K.E. Davis, R.M. Bergner, F. Lubuguin, & W. Schwartz, (Eds.), Advances in Descriptive Psychology: Vol.10, (pp. 37-54). Ann Arbor, MI: Descriptive Psychology Press.

Shideler, M.M. (1988). Persons, Behavior, and the World: The Descriptive Psychology Approach. Lanham, MD: University Press of America.

Stone, C.J. (2017). One bite at a time: A glossary of Descriptive Psychology concepts.

Schwartz, W. (2019). Descriptive psychology and the person concept. (to be published by Academic Press in Spring, 2019).

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Descriptive Psychology. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 2, 2019.