{"product_id":"culture-and-the-development-of-childrens-action-a-theory-of-human-development-hardback-9780471135906","title":"Culture and the Development of Children's Action; A Theory of Human Development (Hardback) 9780471135906","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003eCulture and the Development of Children's Action\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cfont size=\"5\"\u003eA Theory of Human Development\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eJaan Valsiner (Author)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9780471135906, Wiley\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eHardback, published 2 July 1997\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e384 pages\u003cbr\u003e23.8 x 16.2 x 2.6 cm, 0.689 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eIn this deeply probing, intellectually challenging work, Dr. JaanValsiner lays the groundwork for a dynamic new cultural-historicalapproach to developmental psychology. He begins by deconstructingtraditional developmental theory, exposing the conceptual confusionand epistemological blind spots that he believes continue toundermine the scientific validity of its methodologies. Hedescribes the ways in which embedded cultural biases shapeinterventional goals and influence both the direction researchtakes and the ways in which research data are interpreted. And hesuggests ways in which researchers and clinicians can become moreaware of and transcend those biases.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Dr. Valsiner then develops a hierarchical, systemic model thatportrays development as an open-ended, dialectical process. Centralto Valsiner's approach is the premise that, since each child isunique--as are his or her life conditions--deviations in functionor the rate of development from a prescribed norm are just aslikely to be constructive adaptations to changing environmentalpressures as symptoms of psychological disorder. Drawing uponsources as varied as linguistic philosophy, structuralanthropology, thermodynamics, and systems theory, as well as thework of many of the leading figures in twentieth-centurydevelopmental theory, Valsiner argues convincingly for an approachto developmental psychology mature enough to recognize thedifference between healthy variability and dysfunction.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e In later chapters the focus shifts from development in the abstractto the everyday challenges encountered by the developing child.Case histories illustrate the subtle interplay of cultural,physiological, and psychological factors in shaping childhoodbehavior.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Called an \"intellectual tour de force\" by the Bulletin of theMenninger Clinic, Culture and the Development of Children's Actionis important reading for developmental psychologists, childpsychologists, and all child clinicians.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \"Of course, no science progresses in a linear fashion. It movesinterdependently with the society in which it is embedded, makinguse of the narrative forms in describing itself to its insiders andoutsiders. The rhetoric of scientists about their science istherefore necessarily inconsistent. Sciences are both socialinstitutions within a society and social organizations that attemptto build universal knowledge. It is a complicated task forpsychology to be both knowledge-constructing and self-reflexive atthe same time. Nevertheless, it is the latter kind of reflexivitythat guides the actual construction of knowledge.\" -- JaanValsiner\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \"[This book] is a fascinating and important work that challengesmuch of contemporary developmental psychology. The Second Editionhas changed in a number of respects, and much new material has beenadded, but at root, Valsiner grapples with the question 'how shallwe understand development?' He continues to struggle also with whathe describes rather vividly as the 'epistemological windmills ofpsychology.' His challenge is summed up succinctly in two linesfrom a poem by T. S. Eliot:\u003cbr\u003e * Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?\u003cbr\u003e * Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?\" -- -- fromthe Foreword by Kevin Connolly\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eDevelopmental and Nondevelopmental Orientations in Psychology, andTheir Contexts.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Basic Assumptions Underlying Psychological Research.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Crossroads of the Deductive and Inductive Lines of KnowledgeConstruction in Psychology.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Theoretical Bases for a Theory of \"Bounded Indeterminacy\" ofDevelopment.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e The Theoretical System.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Actions in Culturally Organized Contexts: Settings ofMealtimes.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Cultural Regulation and the Development of Children's Actions atMealtimes.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Cultural Autoregulation of the Self: Semiotic Mediation of theIntrapsychological Realm.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Conclusions: \"Bounded Variability\" in Human PsychologicalDevelopment, and the Methodology for Its Study.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e References.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Index.\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eSubject Areas: Psychology [\u003ca title=\"See our other books on Psychology\" href=\"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/search?q=%22Psychology%20%5BJM%5D%22\"\u003eJM\u003c\/a\u003e]\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"Wiley","offers":[{"title":"Brand New","offer_id":52278207217944,"sku":"9780471135906","price":69.89,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0730\/2037\/5320\/files\/9780471135906.jpg?v=1781460371","url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/culture-and-the-development-of-childrens-action-a-theory-of-human-development-hardback-9780471135906","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}