Handbook Of Child Psychology, Volume One: Theory, 7Th Edition

The essential reference for child psychology theory, updated and reconfigured

Handbook of Child Psychology and Developmental Science is the field-defining work to which all others are compared. Representing the state-of-the-art in developmental science, this edition has been completely re-conceptualized to reflect significant advances in the field.

First published in 1931, Handbook of Child Psychology and Developmental Science has long been considered the definitive guide to the field of child development. Part of a four-volume reference, this book emphasizes theoretical knowledge as explained by experts in the field.

• Understand the biology, neuroscience, ethology, and embodiment of human development
• Discover how socialization, culture, and emotional development affect personal identity
• Examine the methods of neuroscience and developmental research in children
• Learn analytical and person-oriented methodological approaches to working with development and psychopathology

This essential guide is the ultimate reference for educators, policy-makers, researchers, students, and practitioners in human development, psychology, sociology, anthropology, and neuroscience. The collaboration between known experts and rising stars, providing complete, detailed guidance on every aspect of child development is what makes Handbook of Child Psychology and Developmental Science a must-read for anyone in the field.

The seventh continues and strengthens the trends towards specific theoretical analyses of multiple developmental processes, even highlighting this focus by including the term “processes” in each of the four volume’s titles, a designation new to the Handbook’s history. The volumes present a rich mix of classic and contemporary theoretical perspectives, but the dominant views throughout are marked by an emphasis on the dynamic interplay of all developmental systems that interact across the life span, incorporating the range of biological, perceptual, cognitive, linguist, emotional, social, cultural, and ecological levels of analysis. At the same time, the chapters together consider a vast array of topics and problems, ranging from sexuality and religiosity to law, medicine, war, poverty, and education. The emerging world of digital experience is also given a fuller treatment than in any previous Handbook Edition, commensurate with our present-day technological revolution. All this gives this seventh edition of the Handbook a timely feel.

We believe that the scholarship within this volume and, as well, across the four volumes of this edition, attest to the fact that we are in the midst of a very exciting period within the development of developmental science. The paradigm shift that we are witnessing involves increasingly greater understanding of how to think about and how to describe, explain, and optimize the course of human life for diverse individuals living within diverse contexts. The years ahead in developmental science hold great promise for profound advances in knowledge about the bases, and evidence for enhancing, human development across the life span.

Volume One: Theory explores a variety of theoretical approaches, including life span/life course, socio-culture, structural, dynamic, object-relations, neuroscientific, evolutionary and diversity and development theories. Theory, methodology , and applications are presented together to provide a quick overview of the subfield, and each succinct chapter provides an authoritative survey of the current best knowledge in the field, a review of the issues central to the discipline, and a discussion of where the field is headed. Readers will find guidance toward developmental systems, research, and methods, the factors that shape identity, and the tools that help professionals best serve young clients.