About the Book
Lifespan Development in Context corresponds to the organization of most lifespan development and developmental psychology textbooks, beginning with issues involving birth and infancy, continuing with childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, and concluding with issues concerning dying and death. Each chapter contains 4-6 personal narratives, and each narrative covers a different concept, issue, or topic within a given age period.
Table of Contents:
1. Birth, Infancy, and Toddlerhood Madeleine's First Months of Life, Brian Hall. Developmental Concepts: reflexes, motor development, early object relations, language development, toilet training Birth Ceremonies of the Quiche Community, Rigoberta Menchu. Developmental Concepts: cross-cultural views of pregnancy and childbirth, gender preferences Caring for a Premature Infant, T. Berry Brazelton and Bertrand G. Cramer. Developmental Concepts: premature birth, primitive reflexes, attachment, parental expectations, parent-child interactions The Fussy, High-Need Baby, William Sears and Martha Sears. Developmental Concepts: temperament, child's role in shaping parenting style, development of empathy Perpetual Motion: A Curious Baby, Anne Lamott. Developmental Concepts: gross motor development, sensorimotor period, object permanence, autonomy 2. Early Childhood Madeleine's Understanding of Gender and Time, Brian Hall. Developmental Concepts: gender identity, preoperational thought, understanding time Mollie in Preschool, Vivian Gussin Paley. Developmental Concepts: pretend play, preoperational period, peer relationships, symbolic thinking Fantasy and Storytelling: Children at Play, Harry Crews. Developmental Concepts: dramatic play, family and cultural influences Angela's Ashes: Memoir of a Childhood, Frank McCourt. Developmental Concepts: poverty; family, community, and cultural factors influencing development Night Visitors: Imagination or Reality? Annie Dillard. Developmental Concepts: imagination, reality testing, problem solving Coping with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Ann Colin. Developmental Concepts: attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (formerly called attention-deficit disorder), behavior problems, parenting skills 3. Middle Childhood A Young Boy Becomes Man of the House, Russell Baker. Developmental Concepts: achievement motivation, influence of mother and single-parent home, discipline styles Sibling Rivalry, Sibling Love, Nancy Samalin with Catherine Whitney. Developmental Concepts: children's adjustment to a new sibling, sibling conflict, family relationships A Bilingual Childhood, Richard Rodriguez. Developmental Concepts: bilingualism: cognitive and social effects The Spatial Child, John Philo Dixon. Developmental Concepts: special abilities, learning to read, motivation Handed My Own Life, Annie Dillard. Developmental Concepts: industry, achievement, intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, sense of self, curiosity Helping Children Avoid Depression, Martin E. P. Seligman with Karen Reivich, Lisa Jaycox, and Jane Gillham. Developmental Concepts: childhood depression, coping skills, applied research 4. Adolescence Shaping Up Absurd, Nora Ephron. Developmental Concepts: physical development, body image, conformity Dying to Be Bigger, D. H.. Developmental Concepts: physical development, body image, achievement motivation, substance abuse, peer pressure One Foot Out the Door: Facing the Challenges of Late Adolescence, Sydney Lewis: An interview with Gretchen Dee. Developmental Concepts: independence, dieting, self-image, importance of family and relationships Michael Huang: From Vietnam to America, Sydney Lewis: An interview with Michael Huang. Developmental Concepts: differentiation, individuation, relationships with parents, multicultural identity Our America: Life and Death on the South Side of Chicago, LeAlan Jones and Lloyd Newman. Developmental Concepts: coping with poverty, gangs, substance abuse, violence; moral development; courage Flight of Passage, Rinker Buck. Developmental Concepts: Sibling relationships, father-son relationships, initiative, individuation, independence 5. Early Adulthood E-mail Romance, Megham Daum. Developmental Concepts: intimate relationships, dating and technology, self-disclosure, love What Makes a Successful Marriage? One Couple's Story, Judith Wallerstein and Sandra Blakeslee. Developmental Concepts: marriage, family, and career; love; marital equality; marital satisfaction Balancing Work and Family, Bill McCoy. Developmental Concepts: work and family, parenthood, gender roles, family and stress and stressors The Heart of Parenting, John Gottman with Joan DeClaire. Developmental Concepts: parenting, emotional interaction between parent and child, emotional intelligence, empathy Life After Divorce, Mayumi Tsutakawa. Developmental Concepts: single parenthood, divorce, shared custody, extended family support, cohabitation, multicultural identity, effects of divorce on children 6. Middle Adulthood The Squeezed Generation, H. Michael Zal. Developmental Concepts: Midlife transition, midlife crisis, social clock, generativity versus stagnation stage Making Peace in Your Stepfamily, Harold H. Bloomfield. Developmental Concepts: stepparenting; second marriage, blended families Is Success Worth Dying For? Robert S. Eliot and Dennis L. Breo. Developmental Concepts: Stress, type A behavior pattern, career goals Celebrating Fifty, Karen Blaker. Developmental Concepts: menopause, midlife crisis, empty nest Coping with Sexual Dysfunction, Lloyd Van Brunt. Developmental Concepts: sexual dysfunction, impotency 7. Late Adulthood Life at Sixty, Joseph Epstein. Developmental Concepts: attitudes toward aging, physical and cognitive changes, coping with change, integrity versus despair, wisdom The Virtues of Aging, Jimmy Carter. Developmental Concepts: work and retirement, relationships with family and friends, exercise, interests, wisdom Widowhood, Joyce Brothers. Developmental Concepts: widowhood, loneliness, grief, bereavement Caring for a Spouse, June Lund Shiplett. Developmental Concepts: dementia, spouse as caregiver 8. Dying, Death, and Bereavement Tuesdays with Morrie: A Professor Undertakes the Last Great Journey, Mitch Albom. Developmental Concepts: facing one's own death, integrity The Right to Choose One's Own Death, George Howe Colt. Developmental Concepts: euthanasia, assisted suicide Just Say Something, Betsy Okonski. Developmental Concepts: bereavement, grief, loss of a child Celebrating Death--and Life, Nsedu Onyile. Developmental Concepts: funeral and ritual practices, cross-cultural funeral practices
