Overview
In this volume, Jay Belsky, Avshalom Caspi, Terrie Moffitt and Richie Poulton share what they have learned about childhood, adolescence, and adulthood; about genes and parenting, and about vulnerability, resilience, and success.
Evidence drawn from three major longitudinal studies, two in the UK and one in the USA, makes clear that human development is not subject to ironclad, deterministic laws but instead is a matter of possibilities and probabilities—multiple forces that together shape the direction a life will take.
A child’s early years do predict who they will become later in life, but they do so imperfectly. For example, genes and trouble families play a combined role in both violent male behavior and mid-life health while childhood adversity and severe bullying in adolescence can affect even physical well-being decades after the teen years.
Painstaking and revelatory, the discoveries emanating from these major investigations as presented in The Origins of You, holds promise to help schools, parents, and all people who seek to foster well-being and ameliorate or prevent developmental problems.
Endorsements
“The Origins of You brings the groundbreaking research of the top developmental psychologists of the past quarter-century to a wider audience. The book captures the genius and visionary stature of its authors and illustrates their profound influence on the current and future thinking in the field. A masterpiece!”
“It's hard to imagine a better introduction to the way that contemporary developmental scientists think than The Origins of You, and it is hard to think of a more qualified group of writers, themselves among the most important, creative, and accomplished scholars in the field, to serve as guides. In much the same way that Bronfenbrenner's The Ecology of Human Development forever changed the way we think about the environment, this book will change the way we think about the process of development itself. The Origins of You is destined to become a classic”
“The Origins of You deserves to be read by everyone who wants to understand human development”
“Poses a question that is both timely and timeless: how does each of us become the unique person we are? Drawing upon the most authoritative psychological studies ever conducted on the topic, the authors offer a treasure trove of remarkable insights that both underscore the complexity of human development and affirm the power of human resilience”
“A fascinating book from an outstanding team of scientists, dedicated to answering the central question about how lives develop.”