MSI Press Blog

  When we talk about deep versus shallow processing today—especially in education or language learning—it can sound like a modern pedagogical slogan. But the idea has far deeper roots, both in cognitive psychology and in philosophy. The distinction itself was formally introduced by Fergus I. M. Craik and Robert S. Lockhart in their landmark 1972 paper, Levels of Processing: A Framework for Memory Research . Their central claim was deceptively simple: memory is not determined by where information is stored, but by how it is processed. They proposed a continuum: Shallow processing : attention to surface features—sound, appearance, structure Deep processing : attention to meaning—interpretation, association, integration The deeper the processing, the more durable the memory trace. This framework challenged the dominant model of the time, developed by Richard Atkinson and Richard Shiffrin in 1968, which treated memory as a set of discrete storage systems (sensory, sh...

  Positive psychology is the study of what makes life worth living. It asks not only how people survive hardship, but how they flourish — how they find joy, purpose, and resilience even amid difficulty. Traditional psychology often focuses on illness and dysfunction: anxiety, depression, trauma. Positive psychology complements that by exploring strengths, virtues, and well‑being. It’s not about ignoring pain; it’s about understanding the forces that help us heal and grow. The Core Idea At its heart, positive psychology studies the conditions that allow humans to thrive. It looks at gratitude, hope, compassion, courage, creativity, and meaning — qualities that build psychological strength and deepen our sense of connection. Researchers like Martin Seligman and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi helped shape the field, emphasizing that happiness is not a fleeting emotion but a cultivated state rooted in engagement, relationships, and purpose. The Science of Flourishing Positive psychology ident...

  Today's publisher's pride is  Understanding the People around You  by Ekaterina Filatova, which reached #137 in psychology of personalities.  Book description: A Groundbreaking Introduction to Socionics—Now in English from the Founder of the Field Understanding the People Around You  by Dr. Ekaterina Filatova is the definitive guide to socionics—the personality type system rooted in Jung’s original theories and expanded by Russian psychologists into a dynamic model of human behavior, cognition, and relationships. Dr. Filatova, widely credited as the mother of modern socionics in Russia, brings her seminal work to English-speaking readers for the first time. With clarity and warmth, she offers a complete, accessible primer to the 16 socion personality types, their traits, and how they interact in real life. Inside you’ll find: – A self-scoring test to help you identify your socion type – Detailed portraits of each of the 16 types, linked to familiar literary an...