My Top 5 Psychology Books That Aided in My Marketing Education

It is no secret that the basis of marketing has a strong history and roots from psychology. I have always been reading psychology books from famous psychologist such as Viktor Frankl, Sigmund Freud, and many more since I was a junior in high school. These books has sparked a light in my mind and ever since it has been a field I want to continue my studies in. After five years of reading a multitude of psychology books, I have here listed my top 5 psychology books that have helped me in my educational career as a Marketing undergraduate as well as a Master of Science Marketing candidate!

1) How to Argue With a CAT

by Jay Heinrichs

Any person who has encounter a cat knows how stubborn they can be. Cat owners battle everyday to try to get their cats off the counter or to stop them from scratching their leather couches. But surprisingly, this is not a book about how to train your cat but rather the psychological theory of the art of persuasion. One of the most popular careers within marketing a person will think of is sales. Persuasion is one of the most desirable qualities a sales recruiter is looking for. But this book dives deeper into the brain by using a friendly animal as an example, a cat! After reading this book and having a job in sales, I realized it was not my calling. Persuasion can be applied to all parts of marketing and not only sales. I inspire to be a market research analyst and having a deeper understanding of how persuasion works, it has allowed to me present my research findings with more accuracy.

2) Man's Search for Meaning

By Viktor Frankl

One of the first terms any person will learn in a psychology course is logotherapy. To put it simply, logotherapy is to help a you find a meaning to your life. Like said above, I have worked in sales and very quickly realized that it not something I enjoy doing. And before picking my emphasis in business, I did not know what major I wanted to do at all. My mom has always encouraged me to go into business and to actually take a path into finance rather than marketing. But there a multitude of fields in marketing that I was not aware of. After taking research and analytical courses, I found something I found intriguing and wanted to find my meaning in my career. Of course, this book can be applied to any educational field and anyone's life, but I truly think this book has changed my perspective on myself and others.

3) Thinking, Fast and Slow

by Daniel Kahneman

This psychologist wrote this book with the main purpose for the reader to understand and breakdown the two systems presented. The two systems are: System 1 (Thinking Fast) & System 2 (Thinking Slow). When I would think of quick thinking, I used to think it was always irrational, but that is not always the case. But the majority of your life you will be mostly operating in the first system. You will make quick decisions even when there is no need to. But there is a good balance when it comes to thinking fast and slow. Thinking fast keeps us to stay in an automatic thinking, such as jumping to conclusions (which is almost never the best when it comes to marketing). But when thinking fast runs into an issue, it calls onto system two, thinking slow. Thinking slow is the art analysis, problem solving, and rational thinking. The book is around 500 pages but I think it is very applicable to everyday life as well as taking on different perspectives of the consumer. How will this consumer think about your product immediately, and how do long-term consumers feel a certain way. All of this can be applied to every field in marketing.

4) Growth Mindset

By Carol Dweck

One of the most impactful books that I have ever read is Growth Mindset. Growing up I always wanted to improve but I never thought I was actually operating in a fixed mindset in my academic life. In high school I was lucky enough to never really have to sit down and hardcore study in my honors and AP courses, except one, AP Calculus. This was the first class that made me feel unintelligent. When I tried to study for my first exam in the course, I studied to how I think I should, and ultimately the exam grade came back at a 73%. My first C on any exam in high school. I was crushed, I did not know how to improve. I told myself I did everything I could, but in reality did I? This book has taught me to learn from my downfalls, instead of having the feelings that I could never improve because "I did everything I could," I started telling myself that when there is room to improve, there is room for self-growth. I have always told myself I never wanted to peak, I always wanted to continuously improve but when it came to hard-hitting experiences, I made excuses for my lack of hard work. This book will change the perspective on your life and become a better teammate.

5) Meditations

By Marcus Aurelius

What a book to end off with. One of my ultimate favorite books I have ever read in my life. This book is actually a series of novels but the first book in the series is amazing on its own. This book gives valuable insight of a powerful leader and even though the book is written between 170 - 180 BC, it is still one of the most recommended reads. When you look up the book, it will say that is a book about Stoicism but it is truly a personal journal for his thoughts. One of the most important themes that the book expresses is death and the shortness of life. Life is short, it is important to take advantages of the opportunities presented to you. But again, life is short, when you have the option to choose, pick what you want whether or not someone deems your options better or not.