Beneath the Mask presents classic theories of human nature, much as each theorist might if the theorist were to teach his or her ideas to people encountering them for the first time. Through a theorist-by-theorist approach, this Eighth Edition continues to explore the ideas of personality theorists developmentally, incorporating the personal origins of ideas to illuminate links between the psychology of each theorist and that theorist's own psychology of persons. Beneath the Mask presents the "sequence of thinking" for more than 20 theorists and demonstrates how the thinking that led to major theories is nested in the life experience of the theorists within the context of the surrounding culture. The authors emphasize each theorist's life history as the basis for the ideas that constitute his or her theories, making them easier to understand as "pictures of human nature."

John P. Wilson has revised the text in a manner that preserves and improves upon the best features of the late Robert N. Sollod and Christopher Monte's work.

Robert Sollod is currently Professor of Psychology at Cleveland State University. His research interests include personality theories and their origins, psychotherapy integration, and the relation of spirituality to psychotherapy. He is a member of the American Psychotherapy Association and the Society for the Exploration of Psychotherapy Integration.