Successful professional work in social professions requires a solid understanding of the determinants of human experience and behavior. What central developmental processes can be distinguished throughout the lifespan? How do genetic and environmental factors interact? In what ways do people learn? How does our memory work? This textbook presents essential psychological foundational knowledge in a compact and clear format to develop practice-relevant competencies in the social field. With the formulation of learning objectives, numerous opportunities for reflection, and tasks to verify acquired knowledge, the content is conveyed to readers in a clear and pedagogically appealing manner. This way, the transfer to professional practice is supported.