Emotional Development: The Organization of Emotional Life in the Early Years

Cambridge Studies in Social and Emotional Development

by L. Alan Sroufe

In the past, researchers have treated the development of the emotions and the task of emotional regulation as two separate topics, the former emphasizing "normative" questions and the latter emphasizing "individual" differences. Until now, understanding the first topic has never been seen as relevant for the second. This is the area pioneered by Emotional Development. This book presents the early phases of emotional life from a developmental perspective. It argues that emotional generation hinges on the developing ability to express arousal or "tension" in accordance with one's context. It reveals the common core processes underlying the emergence of specific emotions and the capacity for emotional regulation. The book also explains the timing of emotional emergence, why emotions function as they do, and individual styles of emotional regulation. Close ties between emotional development, cognitive, social and CNS development are discussed, as well.

Paperback

First published January 26, 1996

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book amazes me in its scope and complexity. The first couple of chapters are exceedingly daunting, starting at the level of neurochemistry. I remember first picking this book up at the age of 22, as an undergraduate, when all his grad students had gone and bought their own copies and the U of M library copy was finally available. I didn't get very far. Even after I've finished a couple of graduate degrees in clinical psych, I don't consider this book easy. Sroufe is to developmental psychology what Einstein is to physics. Sometimes he takes the most complex and overwhelming information and synthesizes it so it's clear and simple. It's almost like E=MC^2. At other times you know he's talking about something you mostly follow, but he's so far beyond you that all you can say for sure is that you want more than anything to understand like he does. You understand just enough to know he's right.

So really, I'd have given him five stars if I were smarter.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Technical (and citations interrupt flow), but detailed and interesting.