Drawing upon extensive theoretical knowledge and decades of empirical research by the author and others, this volume traces changes in the structure and content of self-representations from the preschool years through late adolescence. Harter provides a trenchant analysis of the cognitive and social processes responsible for the development of each person's unique sense of self. Throughout, normative-developmental and individual difference variables are clearly identified and clinical applications spotlighted. This authoritative work will be read with interest by scholars, clinicians, and students interested in understanding the causes and consequences of low self-esteem, or in designing interventions to promote more adaptive self-evaluations.
Over recent years, it has become clear that group-based approaches cannot directly be used to understand individual adolescent development. For that reason, interest in dynamic systems theory, or DST, has increased rapidly. Psychosocial Development in Adolescence: Insights from the Dynamic Systems Approach covers state-of-the-art insights into adolescent development that have resulted from adopting a dynamic systems approach. The first chapter of the book provides a basic introduction into dynamic systems principles and explains their consequences for the study of psychosocial development in adolescence. Subsequently, different experts discuss why and how we should apply a dynamic systems approach to the study of the adolescent transition period and psychological interventions. Various examples of the application of a dynamic systems approach are showcased, ranging from basic to more advanced techniques, as well as the insights they have generated. These applications cover a variety of fundamental topics in adolescent development, ranging from the development of identity, morality, sexuality, and peer networks, to more applied topics such as psychological interventions, educational dropout, and talent development. This book will be invaluable to both beginner and expert-level students and researchers interested in a dynamic systems approach and in the insights that it has yielded for adolescent development.
The Encyclopedia of Adolescence breaks new ground as an important central resource for the study of adolescence. Comprehensive in breath and textbook in depth, the Encyclopedia of Adolescence – with entries presented in easy-to-access A to Z format – serves as a reference repository of knowledge in the field as well as a frequently updated conduit of new knowledge long before such information trickles down from research to standard textbooks. By making full use of Springer’s print and online flexibility, the Encyclopedia is at the forefront of efforts to advance the field by pushing and creating new boundaries and areas of study that further our understanding of adolescents and their place in society. Substantively, the Encyclopedia draws from four major areas of research relating to adolescence. The first broad area includes research relating to "Self, Identity and Development in Adolescence". This area covers research relating to identity, from early adolescence through emerging adulthood; basic aspects of development (e.g., biological, cognitive, social); and foundational developmental theories. In addition, this area focuses on various types of identity: gender, sexual, civic, moral, political, racial, spiritual, religious, and so forth. The second broad area centers on "Adolescents’ Social and Personal Relationships". This area of research examines the nature and influence of a variety of important relationships, including family, peer, friends, sexual and romantic as well as significant nonparental adults. The third area examines "Adolescents in Social Institutions". This area of research centers on the influence and nature of important institutions that serve as the socializing contexts for adolescents. These major institutions include schools, religious groups, justice systems, medical fields, cultural contexts, media, legal systems, economic structures, and youth organizations. "Adolescent Mental Health" constitutes the last major area of research. This broad area of research focuses on the wide variety of human thoughts, actions, and behaviors relating to mental health, from psychopathology to thriving. Major topic examples include deviance, violence, crime, pathology (DSM), normalcy, risk, victimization, disabilities, flow, and positive youth development.
The study of and interest in adolescence in the field of psychology and related fields continues to grow, necessitating an expanded revision of this seminal work. This multidisciplinary handbook, edited by the premier scholars in the field, Richard Lerner and Laurence Steinberg, and with contributions from the leading researchers, reflects the latest empirical work and growth in the field.
This welcome resource traces the evolution of self-concept clarity and brings together diverse strands of research on this important and still-developing construct. Locating self-concept clarity within current models of personality, identity, and the self, expert contributors define the construct and its critical roles in both individual and collective identity and functioning. The book examines commonly-used measures for assessing clarity, particularly in relation to the more widely understood concept of self-esteem, with recommendations for best practices in assessment. In addition, a wealth of current data highlights the links between self-concept clarity and major areas of mental wellness and dysfunction, from adaptation and leadership to body image issues and schizophrenia. Along the way, it outlines important future directions in research on self-concept clarity. Included in the coverage: Situating self-concept clarity in the landscape of personality. Development of self-concept clarity across the lifespan. Self-concept clarity and romantic relationships. Who am I and why does it matter? Linking personal identity and self-concept clarity. Consequences of self-concept clarity for well-being and motivation. Self-concept clarity and psychopathology. Self-Concept Clarity fills varied theoretical, empirical, and practical needs across mental health fields, and will enhance the work of academics, psychologists interested in the construct as an area of research, and clinicians working with clients struggling with developing and improving their self-concept clarity.
Adolescenceâ€"beginning with the onset of puberty and ending in the mid-20sâ€"is a critical period of development during which key areas of the brain mature and develop. These changes in brain structure, function, and connectivity mark adolescence as a period of opportunity to discover new vistas, to form relationships with peers and adults, and to explore one's developing identity. It is also a period of resilience that can ameliorate childhood setbacks and set the stage for a thriving trajectory over the life course. Because adolescents comprise nearly one-fourth of the entire U.S. population, the nation needs policies and practices that will better leverage these developmental opportunities to harness the promise of adolescenceâ€"rather than focusing myopically on containing its risks. This report examines the neurobiological and socio-behavioral science of adolescent development and outlines how this knowledge can be applied, both to promote adolescent well-being, resilience, and development, and to rectify structural barriers and inequalities in opportunity, enabling all adolescents to flourish.
Of related interest... SOCIAL ORIGINS OF MENTAL ABILITY —Gary Collier This volume is the first comprehensive, systematic survey of research into the non-hereditary influences on intelligence. Focusing on the cultural, environmental, and social influences on the development of mental abilities, Dr. Collier helps to advance the nurture side of the "nature vs. nurture" debate. He also offers a viable synthesis of supporting facts and ideas from the worlds of psychology, the psychology of personality, and cognitive psychology. This book will have a profound influence upon academe, the psychological community, educators, and policymakers. 1993 (0-471-30407-7) 320 pp. EGO DEFENSES: Theory and Measurement —Edited by Hope R. Conte and Robert Plutchik This book explores the nature and manifestations of defense mechanisms and traces ego defense theory and research from Freud's initial conceptualization through recent work in object-relations theory and other psychoanalytically oriented approaches. It provides clinical guidelines for diagnosing, assessing, and dealing with defenses, reviews empirical research techniques, and indicates their value in development and in psychotherapy. This volume should be of value to theoreticians, clinicians, and researchers interested in finding appropriate tools for measurement of defense mechanisms. 1994 (0-471-05233-7) 352 pp. A THEORY OF PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT —Luciano L'Abate with Charles H. Bryson Luciano L'Abate's theories are rooted in social interactions and life experiences, unlike the more traditional, somewhat metaphysical theories of personality development. In this groundbreaking work, he brings to light the heart of his theory, that the ability to love and to negotiate are the sine qua non of personal competence, with the family as the major determinant of both. This book is essential reading for personality researchers, students, and all psychologists in clinical, developmental, abnormal, and social psychology. 1993 (0-471-30303-8) 336 pp. Handbook of Self-Concept "If we could see ourselves as others see us, we would vanish on the spot." —E. M. Cioran It is one of the most intimate of realities and the slipperiest of abstractions. For Sartre it was a double negative and for B. F. Skinner, a set of learned responses. Among exponents of artificial intelligence it is the Oz at the end of the rainbow, while for Voltaire it was an unavoidable pathology. And, ever since William James first identified consciousness of self as a discrete psychological phenomenon, more than a century ago, it has been the source of intense speculation and debate among psychologists. In the past twenty years alone, over 11,000 studies have been conducted on various aspects of self-concept. Much progress has been made, and a general consensus has been reached about many of its aspects, yet, many fundamental questions remain unanswered, such as: What exactly do we mean when we say "self"? Is self-concept an aspect of a broader cognitive self-system, or is it best defined in behavioral terms? How valuable is self-concept to clinical practice? What roles do age, race, gender, and sociocultural variables play in self-concept? Bringing together contributions from leading researchers and clinicians from a broad range of psychological disciplines, this book provides answers to these and other important questions concerning self-concept. It explores all theoretical and applied aspects of self-concept, offering a balanced synthesis of the vast body of information on the subject that has accumulated since the 1970s. Chapters address each of the six primary self-concept domains (competence, social, affect, academic, family, and physical) with an emphasis on the clinical significance of each. In the chapter on clinical assessment, existing self-concept scales are subjected to in-depth quantitative and qualitative review, and readers are provided with standardized tables for organizing the principal characteristics reviewed and comparing individual test results. In the concluding chapter, Dr. Bracken describes the clinical applications of a multidimensional, context-dependent model that facilitates the synthesis of information across instruments (including more than 70 psychoeducational tests and scales provided in an appendix) and informants. Providing practical answers to many of the most important questions about self-concept, Handbook of Self-Concept is essential reading for personality psychologists as well as researchers and educators in developmental, clinical, and social psychology.
Over 5,000 high-school students of different social, religious, and national backgrounds were studied to show the effects of family experience, neighborhoods, minority groups, etc. on their self-image and response to society. Originally published in 1965. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.
Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a baffling, troubling, and hard to treat phenomenon that has increased markedly in recent years. Key issues in diagnosing and treating NSSI adequately include differentiating it from attempted suicide and other mental disorders, as well as understanding the motivations for self-injury and the context in which it occurs. This accessible and practical book provides therapists and students with a clear understanding of these key issues, as well as of suitable assessment techniques. It then goes on to delineate research-informed treatment approaches for NSSI, with an emphasis on functional assessment, emotion regulation, and problem solving, including motivational interviewing, interpersonal skills, CBT, DBT, behavioral management strategies, delay behaviors, exercise, family therapy, risk management, and medication, as well as how to successfully combine methods.
