Description
Book SynopsisThe definitive work on a groundbreaking study, this essential volume provides a coherent picture of the complexity of development from birth to adulthood. Explicated are both the methodology of the Minnesota study and its far-reaching contributions to understanding how we become who we are. The book marshals a vast body of data on the ways in which individuals' strengths and vulnerabilities are shaped by myriad influences, including early experiences, family and peer relationships throughout childhood and adolescence, variations in child characteristics and abilities, and socioeconomic conditions. Implications for clinical intervention and prevention are also addressed. Rigorously documented and clearly presented, the study's findings elucidate the twists and turns of individual pathways, illustrating as never before the ongoing interplay between developing children and their environments.
Trade ReviewThis is the book that developmental psychologists and clinicians have been awaiting for more than 25 years - even if they didn't know it. We finally have a systematic prospective study from birth to young adulthood of nearly 200 people, using state-of-the-art measures and including all the probable variables affecting development. At the same time, the authors keep an eye on the clinical implications of this developmental sweep. This book is a monumental achievement. It not only summarizes a decades-long programmatic study, but will also be the starting point for the next generation of developmental research with clinical relevance. Essential reading for all in the field. - Daniel Stern, MD, Department of Psychology, University of Geneva, Switzerland, and Department of Psychiatry, Weill Medical College of Cornell University
This is the book that developmental psychologists and clinicians have been awaiting for more than 25 years - even if they didn't know it. We finally have a systematic prospective study from birth to young adulthood of nearly 200 people, using state-of-the-art measures and including all the probable variables affecting development. At the same time, the authors keep an eye on the clinical implications of this developmental sweep. This book is a monumental achievement. It not only summarizes a decades-long programmatic study, but will also be the starting point for the next generation of developmental research with clinical relevance. Essential reading for all in the field. - Daniel Stern, MD, Department of Psychology, University of Geneva, Switzerland, and Department of Psychiatry, Weill Medical College of Cornell University
Four stars for this remarkable book! It offers a detailed picture of a varied set of children as they move from infancy to adulthood, noting how early interactions between parent and child play out in subsequent social relationships. It shows how each developmental phase adds new relational elements, which nevertheless emerge from, and depend on, what came before. It identifies some of the childhood roots of pathology, while also highlighting the kinds of parent-child interactions that underlie a child's growing competence and emotional well-being. Any serious teacher or student of psychosocial development will want to have this book within arm's reach. - Eleanor E. Maccoby, PhD, Stanford University
The Minnesota Study is one of the classic longitudinal studies in the history of the field of developmental psychology. Moreover, the theoretical approach utilized has been extremely influential in the emergence of the discipline of developmental psychopathology. Developmental and clinical psychologists, developmental psychopathologists, educators, and social policy advocates all will profit from and be interested in this work. Likewise, it is an excellent text for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses in developmental psychology and psychopathology. - Dante Cicchetti, PhD, Mt. Hope Family Center, Rochester, New York
Table of ContentsI. Understanding Development
1. The Challenge
2. A Perspective on Development
3. Inception
4. The Follow-Up Strategy
II. Development and Adaptation
5. Adaptation in Infancy
6. Adaptation in the Toddler Period: Guided Self-Regulation
7. Adaptation in the Preschool Period: The Emergence of the Coherent Personality
8. Adaptation in Middle Childhood: The Era of Competence
9. Adaptation in Adolescence: Autonomy with Connectedness
10. The Transition to Adulthood
III. Development and Psychopathology
11. The Developmental Process
12. Behavioral and Emotional Disturbance
13. Clinical Implications
14. The Tasks Ahead
Appendix A. Longitudinal Study Assessments
Appendix B. Life Stress Scale
Appendix C. 12-Month Interview
Appendix D. Tool Problem-Solving Task Ratings: 24 Months
Appendix E. Teacher Nomination Procedure
Appendix F. Capacity for Vulnerability: Camp Reunion Rating
Appendix G. Selected References by Topic
