Straight and Devious Pathways from Childhood to Adulthood

Childhood personality and behaviour forecast adult life - but many children with severe behaviour problems nevertheless turn into competent and successful adults. Who recovers, and who goes on to become a schizophrenic, a criminal, or an alcoholic? This book presents the findings from major longitudinal studies in psychopathology, extending from childhood into adulthood.

Table of Contents:
Introduction; Part I. Survival To Follow-Up: Part II. Adult outcomes: Index.

Review :
'The names of Robins and Rutter must rank as two of the most influential in this area, so I turned to this book with keen anticipation. Many of the chapters are of a very high standard and the material as a whole provides a remarkable summary of the hopes, achievements and the failures of those who have devoted many years of their professional lives to studying the pathways of human development … This book … represents an in-depth progress report in a field of research having implications for many branches of psychology. It is challenging and stimulating, raising such fundamental questions to do with psychopathology and human experience that, in spite of its rather unprepossessing format, it has to be acknowledged as a key text in the field.' The Psychologist 'Robins and Rutter, the giants of long-term studies of children, have joined together to glean the latest findings on the pathways from child to adult psychiatric and behavioural disorders. Having the celebrities of the field edit a volume has several advantages. The most obvious it that they have been able to select from among the best work from leading authorities … [who] show that their celebrity status is well earned. They are methodologically sophisticated and well aware of the pitfalls of longitudinal studies of children, namely, that the children, the investigators, and/or the funding may disappear over long periods of time. Perhaps more importantly, they are not ideologically bound to any one concept or etiology.' American Journal of Psychiatry 'These are exciting times for the field of developemental psychopathology, and these are exciting books [Straight and Devious Pathways from Childhood to Adulthood and The Emergence of a Discipline] for the student and professional with such interests. Actually, they are exciting books for all mental health professionals and students whether they work primarily with children, adolescents, or adults. The perspective contained in these volumes will enrich our understanding of adult pathologies as well as those occuring in children and adolescents.' Contemporary Psychology