ABSTRACT
Another main theme in this book from the very beginning is social relevance, which has to do with an involved stance. Here I pursue this theme further and also discuss at length the political implications of an involved stance. In the following two chapters, two different applied topics are presented. They constitute important cases in point for the present discussions. Chapter 8 deals with intervention involving the early enrichment of children’s lives for their overall healthy psychosocial development and well-being. It integrates some of the points made in chapters 2 and 3 with the views presented in this chapter. Chapter 9 presents a specific longitudinal intervention research and its follow up covering a 22-year period. This research that I conducted with my colleagues demonstrates that early intervention can have sustained positive effects over a considerable period of time. Chapter 10 deals with immigration and acculturation as a topic of much current interest. My treatment of it will be in the light of the conceptualizations put forward in chapters 4, 5, and 6. The final chapter attempts an overall integration of theory and policy-relevant application. It attempts to synthesize and put a closure on the research, theory, and applied emphasis of the volume.
