The essential reference for human development theory, updated and reconceptualized The Handbook of Child Psychology and Developmental Science, a four-volume reference, is the field-defining work to which all others are compared. First published in 1946, and now in its Seventh Edition, the Handbook has long been considered the definitive guide to the field of developmental science.

Volume 3: Social, Emotional, and Personality Development presentsup-to-date knowledge and theoretical understanding of the several facets of social, emotional and personality processes. The volume emphasizes that any specific processes, function, or behavior discussed in the volume co-occurs alongside and is inextricably affected by the dozens of other processes, functions, or behaviors that are the focus of other researchers’ work. As a result, the volume underscores the importance of a focus on the whole developing child and his or her sociocultural and historical environment.

Understand the multiple processes that are interrelated in personality development Discover the individual, cultural, social, and economic processes that contribute to the social, emotional, and personality development of individuals Learn about the several individual and contextual contributions to the development of such facets of the individual as morality, spirituality, or aggressive/violent behavior Study the processes that contribute to the development of gender, sexuality, motivation, and social engagement

The scholarship within this volume and, as well, across the four volumes of this edition, illustrate that developmental science is in the midst of a very exciting period. There is a paradigm shift that involves increasingly greater understanding of how to describe, explain, and optimize the course of human life for diverse individuals living within diverse contexts. This Handbook is the definitive reference for educators, policy-makers, researchers, students, and practitioners in human development, psychology, sociology, anthropology, and neuroscience.