This best-selling book builds on the strengths of existing theoretical systems and clinical methods to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the field of abnormal psychology. It focuses on maladaptive behavior as a product of the interaction between personality vulnerabilities and resilience and the amount of stress one encounters and the situations and experiences that mark human lives. Written in a clear, involving style that focuses attention on basic concepts and significant issues, this book directs the reader's attention to what people bring to situations as they move through life, as well as the situations themselves. It emphasizes the concepts of vulnerability and resilience as they influence the risk of maladaptive behavior and response to therapy. It also features excellent clinical material, including first-person accounts of the experience of mental illness as well as several first-person accounts that illustrate the nature and challenges of clinical practice and clinically.