ABSTRACT
Since the 1960s, the decade of the cognitive–developmental “revolution” in psychology, a riddle has intrigued, even plagued many developmental scholars and practitioners. In fact, researchers pursued many paths and were unable to “crack the code.” The question: How are we to understand the relationship between social–cognitive development (i.e., self, ego, morality, and perspective-taking) and mental health, involving positive adaptation, a sense of well-being, and an absence of symptoms? The riddle: The stepwise progression from immature thought and impulsivity to complex, self-reflective, and tolerant forms of maturity consists of many components of mental health. And yet, many people at mature levels of development struggle with mental illness, neurosis, and dysfunctional adaptations to life. How is that possible?
