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This book emphasizes the pivotal role of 'meaning' in shaping human experiences and relationships. Drawing from extensive developmental research, it explores how meaning influences the emergence of self, self-regulation, peer dynamics, and adaptation across the lifespan. Ideal for psychology professionals and researchers alike.
List of contents
Preface; Part I. The Beginning of Meaning: 1. The place of meaning; 2. Four features of meaning and its development; 3. The cradle of meaning; 4. Attachment theory: the rise of meaning in psychology; 5. Toddlerhood: the meaning of me; Part II. The Growth of Meaning: 6. The preschooler: the emergence of the person; 7. Middle childhood: me and my friends; 8. Adolescence:finding personal meaning; Part III. The Organized and Organizing Nature of Meaning: 9. Meaning as the currency of development; 10. The role of meaning in intergenerational transmission effects; 11. Competence, resilience, and the fate of early experience; Part IV. Meaning and Disturbance: 12. On the meaningfulness of disturbance; 13. Trauma and meaning; Part V. Integration and Conclusion: 14. Integration; 15. Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.
About the author
Alan Sroufe Ph.D., Professor Emeritus at the University of Minnesota, is a renowned expert in emotional development and developmental psychopathology. With eight books and 160 articles on these subjects, he has received numerous awards, including the Distinguished Scientist Award from the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) and the Mentor Award from the Developmental Psychology Division of the American Psychological Association.June Sroufe Ph.D., is a family and child therapist, she specializes in relationship theory and clinical uses of the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). With eight published articles, she is recognized for her expertise in family functioning and AAI applications.
Summary
Drawing from extensive developmental research, this book highlights the significance of meaning in shaping individual worldviews within relationships, from infancy onwards. By focusing on behavior and experience, it reshapes our understanding of pertinent psychological phenomena, tracing the emergence of self, self-regulation, causality comprehension, peer relationships, adolescent experiences, and lifelong adaptation. Using developmental psychology and compelling clinical cases, the authors emphasize the central role of 'meaning' as a unifying theme, addressing diverse topics such as resilience, intergenerational behavior patterns, trauma impacts, and existential meaning. Ideal for students and professionals in psychology, counselling, and social work, as well as researchers and clinicians in related fields, this book integrates existing theories and empirical evidence to illuminate various aspects of human development and adaptation.
Foreword
From infancy to adulthood, this book reveals how individual world views develop, drawing from rigorous research and case material.
