The Personality Puzzle offers everything students need to gain a sure understanding of personality psychology—balanced coverage of classic and contemporary theories, accessible organization and pedagogy—and the lively, often humorous prose of experienced teacher David Funder. Organized around the field's major domains/paradigms—trait, biological, psychoanalytic, humanistic and crosscultural, and cognitive and learning—the text outlines the foundations of personality psychology and emphasizes the significance of contemporary research. A new capstone chapter on personality disorders synthesizes these domains/paradigms.

The Fourth Edition adds a new chapter on cognition and the self, new coverage of the "Big Five" personality traits and of personality in a developmental context, and a new Student Website to enable effective study and review.