The Development of the Person: The Minnesota Study of Risk and Adaptation from Birth to Adulthood

by L. Alan Sroufe, Byron Egeland, Elizabeth A. Carlson

The definitive work on a groundbreaking study, this essential volume provides a coherent picture of the complexity of development from birth to adulthood. Explicated are both the methodology of the Minnesota study and its far-reaching contributions to understanding how we become who we are. The book marshals a vast body of data on the ways in which individuals' strengths and vulnerabilities are shaped by myriad influences, including early experiences, family and peer relationships throughout childhood and adolescence, variations in child characteristics and abilities, and socioeconomic conditions. Implications for clinical intervention and prevention are also addressed. Rigorously documented and clearly presented, the study's findings elucidate the twists and turns of individual pathways, illustrating as never before the ongoing interplay between developing children and their environments.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Education, Science

384 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will admit, this is not an easy read. The general gist is that attachment and other early influences related to security, fear, and internal working models of relationships and the world are critical...but operate in context and are malleable if situations change and are subtly changed and influenced throughout the lifespan. Seems like that pretty much covers everything, from early influences through stability and change...but they've got the research to prove it. I did archival research on this longitudinal study when I was an undergraduate, and it influenced everything I've learned about kids, development, families, and therapy since then. (And as a bonus, Sroufe is a slightly awkward, genuinely nice guy in a bow tie who I remember as a marvelous professor, a brilliant and creative researcher, a caring and supportive advisor to the grad students I knew, and the sort of guy who would wander into the windowless file room on some other errand entirely on a hot August day, look at the little knot of undergraduate research assistants, and decide he absolutely had to find us a fan. Though that last bit doesn't necessarily come through in the book.)

[Georgeanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

As others have said, not an easy read, and not for the general reader. Complex methodology and painstaking distinctions and clarifications may make it seem redundant to some, but encapsulates some of the most important research in this area since Mary Ainsworth.

[Elizabeth Webber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very dense read, but the information in invaluable. This knowledge has helped me to better understand the importance of infant mental health and early intervention. It also offers some critical views into how we become who we are. I think what I have been able to apply most are the findings on which kinds of parenting behaviors lead to which kinds of attachment behaviors. As an early interventionist this is very helpful. I refer back to this book often and recommend it to peers regularly.

[Kevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very detailed review of the Minnesota study. Unfortunately, much of the flow of the forest of presentation findings gets lots in the trees of specific comparisons. The last few chapters are quite the nice overview of study implications, though.