ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the early development of mastery in infancy in the light of a new life-span model of primary and secondary control. Mastery of behaviour-event contingencies, that is primary control, is conceived as a fundamental concern in human functioning. The striving for and development of primary control are promoted by self-evaluative aspects of mastery motivation. However, self-evaluation in case of repeated failure can also endanger basic motivational and emotional resources, and thus jeopardize primary control. In order to buffer such detrimental effects of failure, the individual needs self-protective strategies of secondary control, which probably start evolving in childhood.
