ABSTRACT
In the World Library of Psychologists series, international experts present career-long collections of what they judge to be their most interesting publications—extracts from books, key articles, research findings, and practical and theoretical contributions.
Professor Richard M. Lerner has been prominent in the application of developmental science across the life span for half a century, investigating dynamic, relational development systems, and their potential impact on positive youth development (PYD) and social justice. In this collection, Professor Lerner presents the development of his theory of, and research about, relations between life-span human development and contextual or ecological change, exploring the mutually influential relations between humans and their peer, family, school, and community contexts.
Including a specially written introduction, in which Professor Lerner reflects on the importance of mentorship and contextualises both the field and the evolution of his wide-ranging career, this collection will be a valuable resource for students and researchers of developmental psychology.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part I|25 pages
Introduction
part II|24 pages
Empirical Beginnings
part III|120 pages
The Evolution of Dynamic, Relational Developmental Systems-Based Models
chapter 5|12 pages
Changing Organism–Context Relations as the Basic Process of Development
chapter 6|12 pages
Relative Plasticity, Integration, Temporality, and Diversity in Human Development
chapter 8|22 pages
Toward Enhancing the Role of Idiographic-Based Analyses in Describing, Explaining, and Optimizing the Study of Human Development
part IV|104 pages
Theory-Predicated Applications of Developmental Science and the Positive Youth Development Perspective
chapter 9|16 pages
Toward a Science for and of the People
chapter 10|13 pages
Applying Developmental Science in the 21st Century
chapter 11|22 pages
Using Positive Youth Development to Predict Contribution and Risk Behaviors in Early Adolescence
chapter 12|26 pages
The End of the Beginning
part V|76 pages
Exposing the Counterfactual Nature of Genetic Reductionism
chapter 16|10 pages
Complexity Embraced and Complexity Reduced: A Tale of Two Approaches to Human Development
chapter 17|21 pages
Reduction to Absurdity
part VI|34 pages
Developmental Theory and the Promotion of Social Justice