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Counseling & Psychology

A research guide for topics in counseling & psychology

Finding Theories and Theorists

Find Theories and Theorists 

Depending on the theory and theorist, this information can be difficult to find. Keep in mind that some theories were developed some time ago even if they are still in use today. This may mean that information is limited or that you will need to request items through Interlibrary Loan (ILL).  

Articles and Ebooks 

The best place to start to find theory and theorist information is the library catalog through the library homepage. Use precise language such as theory titles and theorist names to see resources that are related to those topics and people. You will find a variety of resources including: academic articles, newspaper articles, videos, transcripts, and ebook chapters. 

For primary resources written by the theorists: 
  • Use “Advanced Search” 

  • Use the drop-down menu to change “All Fields” to “Author” 

advanced search screen searching the Author field for the name Erik Erickson

Videos 

The video databases linked below contain videos of theorists and theory information. Search by theorist name or theory name. For example, here is a search in Psychotherapy.net:

search results for Erik Erikson in Psychotherapy.net

Using Google Scholar

Google Scholar can be an important tool to add to your scholarly research. It will not replace library research, but it can enhance your knowledge about a topic while showing you resources that may not typically appear in an academic library. Make sure that you have connected the CityU library to your Google Scholar account:

Use the search bar to search by theorist or theory. Request items that we do not have at CityU through Interlibrary loan. You can also set alerts for topics and keep track of the research on your topic for future use.