First published in 1987. There is a wide gap between life-span research and mainstream social psychology, and this book strikes a bright spark between these poles. promising as a corrective to narrowness and sterility. The chapters reflect a wide variety of approaches in social psychology, as well as considerable breadth in the range of ideas from life-span human development that are brought to bear.

First published in 1987. There is a wide gap between life-span research and mainstream social psychology, and this book strikes a bright spark between these poles. promising as a corrective to narrowness and sterility. The chapters reflect a wide variety of approaches in social psychology, as well as considerable breadth in the range of ideas from life-span human development that are brought to bear.

Social development over one's lifetime is a complex area that has received consider able attention in the psychological, social-psychological, and sociological literature over the years. Surprisingl~ however, since 1969, when Rand McNally published Goslin's Handbook of Socialization, no comprehensive statement of the field has appeared in book form. Given the impressive data in this area that have been adduced over the last two decades, we trust that our handbook will serve to fill that gap. In this volume we have followed a lifespan perspective, starting with the social interactions that transpire in the earliest development stages and progressing through childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and, finall~ one's senior years. In so doing we cover a variety of issues in depth. The book contains 21 chapters and is divided into five parts: I, Theoretical Perspectives; II, Infants and Toddlers; ill, Children and Adolescents; Iv, Adults; and V, The Elderly. Each of the parts begins with introductory material that reviews the overall issues to be considered. Many individuals have contributed to the final production of this handbook. Foremost are our eminent contributors, who graciously agreed to share with us their expertise. We also thank our administrative and technical staff for their assistance in carrying out the day-to-day tasks necessary to complete such a project. Finall~ we thank Eliot Werner, Executive Editor at Plenum, for his willingness to publish and for his tolerance for the delays inevitable in the development of a large handbook.

Although there has been a significant increase in studies of stress and coping processes in recent years, researchers have often approached these topics from rather narrow and constrained perspectives. Furthermore, little communication has occurred across disciplines and research directions, resulting in the emergence of several relatively isolated literatures. An outgrowth of the Eleventh Biennial West Virginia University Conference on Life-Span Development, this volume emphasizes two major themes: the importance of taking a life-span approach to the study of stress and coping, and the development of new and more complete conceptual models of stress and coping processes. The first to approach these subjects from a life-span perspective, this book includes papers by distinguished researchers from each of the major periods of the life-span, and brings together the cognitive and socioemotional traditions in the study of dealing with pressures. The editors hope that this facilitation of communication among researchers with diverse views will help create a broadening and integration of perspectives.

The psychology of health is a rapidly expanding field within psychology. It draws upon a number of areas of psychology for its theoretical base but, whilst the contribution of social and cognitive psychology is widely acknowledged, that of lifespan psychology is perhaps less well recognised. However, a lifespan perspective has much to offer the health psychologist in the search for a more comprehensive understanding of health and illness. This book brings together European, American and Australian researchers whose interests in health psychology can be located within a lifespan context. The book explores the relevance of developmental and ageing processes to such issues as health and illness perception, illness prevention and health promotion, the experience of chronic illness, health and illness behaviour and the costs and consequences of illness. It does so by addressing specific health concerns within each of five stages in the life-cycle-childhood, adolescence, early adulthood, middle adulthood and old age. Thus, for example, the implications of emergent sexuality for health are addressed within the section on adolescence, psychological aspects of reproductive failure and the new technologies are considered within the section on early adulthood whilst issues of social support, social control and health are explored in the section on old age. Taken as a whole, the book offers the reader an interesting and informative illustration of the ways in which a lifespan perspective can enhance our understanding of health and illness.

Life-Span Developmental Psychology: Normative Life Crises is a compilation of papers that deals with various points of view between the academic perspective — studies in developmental psychology and applied perspective — and the practical efforts of social workers to help individual clients. Part I discusses normative life crises from the two perspectives that include human behavior theory in social work education. This part also includes an interdisciplinary approach covering developmental, social, sociological, economic, and psychological fields. Part II covers the normative life crises in individual development such as discussions on death, ego development, and a practioner's response on models of ego development. The book also discusses an abstract model versus an actual individual experience in dealing with crises, as well as the meanings of adaptation and survival during old age. Part III presents the normative life crises in the family circle covering topics such as parenthood, sex roles, depression, widowhood, and an example of situational stress. Part IV deals with the normative life crises and the social system, including socialization, life course, changing work cycles, and public policy on death. This book will prove valuable for psychologists, psychiatrists, sociologists, social workers, and behavioral scientists.