The Development of Emotional Competence

Synthesizing the latest research and theory with compelling narratives and case vignettes, this book explores the development of emotional competence in school-age children and young adolescents. Saarni examines the formation of eight key emotional skills in relation to processes of self-understanding, socialization, and cognitive growth. The cultural and gender context of emotional experience is emphasized, and the role of moral disposition and other individual differences is considered. Tracing the connections between emotional competence, interpersonal relationships, and resilience in the face of stress, the book also explores why and what happens when development is delayed.

Carolyn Saarni received her PhD from the University of California at Berkeley, specializing in developmental psychology. She began her academic career at New York University, but after a number of years returned to the West Coast. Since 1980, she has been on the faculty of the Department of Counseling at Sonoma State University in California, where she trains prospective marriage, family, child, and school counselors. Professor Saarni's research has focused on how children learn that they can adopt an "emotional front," that is, what they express emotionally need not match what they really feel. She has also investigated how children use this knowledge strategically in their interpersonal relations with others as well as when coping with aversive feelings. Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation and the Spencer Foundation, among others. In addition to Lying and Deception in Everyday Life (with Dr. Michael Lewis), Dr. Saarni's other edited volumes include The Socialization of Emotion (also with Dr. Michael Lewis) and Children's Understanding of Emotion (with Dr. Paul L. Harris). She has also written numerous chapters and articles on children's emotional development. Dr. Saarni is a licensed clinical psychologist and is regularly consulted by the popular media on topics concerning emotional development in children and youth.