On the basis of a theologically grounded understanding of the nature of persons and the self, Jack O. Balswick, Pamela Ebstyne King and Kevin S. Reimer present a model of human development that ranges across all of life's stages: infancy, childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, middle adulthood and elder adulthood. They do this by drawing on a biblical model of relationality, where the created goal or purpose of human development is to become a reciprocating self—fully and securely related to others and to God.
Along the way, they provide a context for understanding individual development issues—concerns, tensions, worries or crises encountered by the self in the context of change. Awareness of these issues is most pronounced at developmental transitional points: learning to talk and walk, beginning to eat unassisted, going to school, developing secondary sexual physical features, leaving home, obtaining full-time employment, becoming engaged and then married, having a child for the first time, parenting an adolescent, watching children move away from home, retiring, experiencing decline in physical and mental health, and, finally, facing imminent death. The authors contend throughout that, since God has created human beings for relationship, to be a self in reciprocating relationships is of major importance in negotiating these developmental issues.
Critically engaging social science research and theory, The Reciprocating Self offers an integrated approach that provides insight helpful to college and seminary students as well as those serving in the helping professions. Those in Christian ministry will be especially rewarded by the in-depth discussion of the implications for moral and faith development nurtured in the context of the life of the church.
In this revised and expanded second edition, Balswick, King and Reimer have added research from developmental neuroscience and neuropsychology, which connects transitional behavior to a changing brain. They have also included a wealth of research on the moral, spiritual and religious dimensions of human development, in which they introduce the notion of reciprocating spirituality. In addition the authors engage with the burgeoning fields of positive and evolutionary psychology.
Christian Association for Psychological Studies (CAPS) Books explore how Christianity relates to mental health and behavioral sciences including psychology, counseling, social work, and marriage and family therapy in order to equip Christian clinicians to support the well-being of their clients.
Table of Contents:
Preface
Part 1: Toward an Integrated Model of Human Development
1. The Developmental Dilemma
2. The Reciprocating Self: A Trinitarian Analogy of Being and Becoming
3. Reciprocating Relationships
4. The Reciprocating Self and Developmental Theory
5. The Reciprocating Self in Social Context
Part 2: Life-Span Stages
6. Infancy: The Emergence of the Reciprocating Self
7. Childhood: The Reciprocating Self Goes to School
8. Adolescence: More Reciprocity Than You Think
9. Emerging Adulthood and Young Adulthood: The Solidifying of the Reciprocating Self
10. Middle Adulthood: The Generativity of the Reciprocating Self
11. Late Adulthood:The Senescing of the Reciprocating Self
Part 3: Building the Scaffold: Applications for Ministry
12. Special Issues in Human Development: Morality
13. Differentiated Faith: Spiritual and Religious Development
14. Turning Steeples into Scaffolds: The Reciprocating Religious Community
Appendix
Bibliography
Names Index
Subject Index
About the Author :
Jack O. Balswick (PhD, University of Iowa) is senior professor of sociology and family development at Fuller Theological Seminary. He has twice received an American Senior Fulbright Scholar Fellowship. He is author or coauthor of seventeen books,including Men at the Crossroads, The Reciprocating Self, and A Model for Marriage.
Pamela Ebstyne King (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) is associate professor of marital and family studies and the Peter L. Benson Chair of Applied Developmental Science in the School of Psychology at Fuller Theological Seminary. She is ordainedin the Presbyterian Church (USA).
Kevin S. Reimer (PhD, Fuller School of Psychology) is a program administrator and faculty member in the School of Education, University of California, Irvine.
Review :
This interdisciplinary attempt to understand the unfolding mystery of human development is worth careful study.
William J. Sneck, S.J., Theological Studies 68/1, March 2007
"I was a big fan of The Reciprocating Self. It is a rare book that delivers a scientific vision of human development through the logic of the spirit, working hard to show the reader how the depth of the human developmental experience is spiritual. So you can imagine this fanboy's glee with the release of this updated second edition! If you missed it the first time, you're in for a treat. This book will broaden your vision and deepen your understanding. I think it is a must for everypastor, youth worker, and children's minister. And if you read the first edition—say, in a seminary class—now is the time to reread it. This updated version promises you and your ministry new insights."
Andrew Root, Luther Seminary, author of Bonhoeffer as Youth Worker
"It would be difficult to imagine a book that does a better job of weaving together the very best science on human development over the life course with a reliable Christian theology of the Trinity. This deep integrative writing at the interface of lifespan psychology and theology is extraordinary. Throughout, the book has a wonderful practical emphasis that makes it a remarkable resource for pastoral counseling and for the Christian psychologist. The authors deserve immense credit for creating an integrative vision that will be of great use to the competentpsychologist who is also the committed Christian."
Stephen G. Post, Ph.D., Professor, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, and President, Institute for Research on Unlimited Love--Altruism, Compassion, Service
"Combining years of experience, breadth of scholarship and theological insight, the authors present a coherent and cohesive new paradigm for understanding the process of human development as simultaneously including social, spiritual and psychological reciprocity of personal being. Drawing upon the relevant theories of human development as well as of current theological reflection on the nature of human personhood as a dynamic 'imaging' of a trinitarian Creator God, this book sets a new baseline for the next generation of students and scholars who wish to study, practice and write as Christians who are also caregivers. This book ought to be required reading for those preparing to be Christian-oriented counselors and therapists and mustreading for those who already are."
Ray S. Anderson, Senior Professor of Theology and Ministry, Fuller Theological Seminary
This book is an excellent resource for anyone interested in human development from a Christian perspective. . . . This book has much to offer and I recommend this book as supplemental reading for the graduate courses I teach.
David P. Mann, Ashland Theological Journal 2006
"The Reciprocating Self offers an outstanding integration of theological anthropology and social scientific theories of human development. The authors demonstrate a hermeneutical sensitivity to the philosophical turn to 'relationality' that has so deeply impacted contemporary discourse, as well as a passionate concern for facilitating transformation in religious communities. Both theologians and psychologists will benefit from this interdisciplinary exploration of the dynamics of reciprocity that shape the relations of human persons to each other in fellowship with the trinitarian God."
F. LeRon Shults, Ph.D., Professor of Theology, Bethel Theological Seminary
"For the student, layperson, or professional, this book reframes human development and serves as a tool for both instruction and transformation in strengthening one's soul, increasing self-clarity, and bolstering one's sense of personal worth, while motivating a passion for the meaning of life in relationship. The authors' expertise in the social sciences, anthropology, theology, and family studies provides a strong platform for this extraordinary and long overdue integration of lifespan psychology and theology."
Ava Oleson, Encounter: Journal for Pentecostal Ministry, Fall 2014, Vol. 11
"The Reciprocating Self by Balswick, King, and Reimer easily gets my vote as the best book integrating human development and theology. I have been teaching human development for nearly twenty years, and it's rare to find a volume on the lifespan that synthesizes multiple theoretical frameworks and a healthy consideration of diversity and social contexts. Moreover, the motif of the reciprocating self serves to illuminate crucial dimensions of moral, spiritual, and relational development. They have grounded this work in sound research while also offering ample practical applications. This second edition offers integrative engagement with the latest developments in psychology and neuroscience and will inform much of my own teaching and research in the years ahead."
Steven J. Sandage, Albert and Jessie Danielsen Professor of Psychology of Religion and Theology, professor of psychological and brain sciences, director, the Danielsen Research Center, senior staff psychologist, Danielsen Institute, Boston University
