1st Edition

Handbook of Personality Development

Edited By Daniel K. Mroczek, Todd D. Little Copyright 2006
    540 Pages
    by Psychology Press

    540 Pages
    by Psychology Press

    This handbook is the first volume to provide a comprehensive look at personality development. It features a state-of-the-art examination of the field, an area that is enjoying a resurgence in popularity. Five major types of advances, all of which are represented in this volume, are the result of the recent burst in research activity in this area: 1) new theoretical perspectives, 2) higher-quality empirical studies, 3) more sophisticated research designs and analyses, 4) attention to development across the lifespan, and 5) the growing prominence of interdisciplinary approaches to personality development.

    The Handbook of Personality Development is comprehensive across the lifespan, in its range of personality constructs, and in its coverage of theoretical and methodological frameworks. It is the first volume to address the most important personality development theoretical frameworks in one location--the evolutionary, physiological, behavioral genetic, and socio-cultural perspectives. The book also reviews new statistical techniques that allow for the estimation of individual differences in stability and the analysis of change. The latter part of the book focuses on personality development over the lifespan, from infancy to older adulthood. The authors address personality variables such as emotion regulation, temperament, and self-concept across the lifespan. The book concludes with a compelling capstone chapter by Dan McAdams on how personality develops. The Handbook of Personality Development provides an historical account of, and summary of, the most significant and important findings in the area, along with suggestions for future research.

    Intended for researchers and advanced students in personality, developmental, social, clinical, and educational psychology, as well as related fields such as family studies, sociology, education, nursing, behavioral genetics, neuropsychology, and psychophysiology, the handbook also serves as a valuable resource in advanced courses that address personality development.

    Contents: Preface. Part I: Introduction. D.K. Mroczek, T.D. Little, Theory and Research in Personality Development at the Beginning of the 21st Century. Part II: Theoretical and Methodological Perspectives on Personality Development. B.W. Roberts, D. Wood, Personality Development in the Context of the Neo-Socioanalytic Model of Personality. W. Fleeson, S. Jolley, A Proposed Theory of the Adult Development of Intraindividual Variability in Trait-Manifesting Behavior. T.D. Little, C.R. Snyder, M. Wehmeyer, The Agentic Self: On the Nature and Origins of Personal Agency Across the Life Span. R.F. Krueger, W. Johnson, K.C. Kling, Behavior Genetics and Personality Development. G. Saucier, J. Simonds, The Structure of Personality and Temperament. R.R. McCrae, P.T. Costa, Jr., Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Adult Personality Trait Development. P.H. Hawley, Evolution and Personality: A New Look at Machiavellianism. D.K. Mroczek, D.M. Almeida, A. Spiro III, C. Pafford, Modeling Intraindividual Stability and Change in Personality. T.D. Little, J.A. Bovaird, D.W. Slegers, Methods for the Analysis of Change. Part III: Personality Development in Childhood and Adolescence. R.L. Shiner, Temperament and Personality in Childhood. T.A. Walls, S.H. Kollatt, Agency to Agentic Personalities: The Early to Middle Childhood Gap. C. Saarni, Emotion Regulation and Personality Development in Childhood. R.M Tobin, W.G. Graziano, Development of Regulatory Processes Through Adolescence: A Review of Recent Empirical Studies. M.B. Donnellan, K.H. Trzesniewski, R.W. Robins, Personality and Self-Esteem Development in Adolescence. S. Harter, Developmental and Individual Difference Perspectives on Self-Esteem. Part IV: Personality Development in Middle and Older Adulthood. R. Helson, C.J. Soto, R.A. Cate, From Young Adulthood Through the Middle Ages. A.M. Freund, M. Riediger, Goals as Building Blocks of Personality and Development in Adulthood. M. Diehl, Development of Self-Representations in Adulthood. C. Wrosch, J. Heckhausen, M.E. Lachman, Goal Management Aross Adulthood and Old Age: The Adaptive Value of Primary and Secondary Control. M.R. Levenson, C.M. Aldwin, Change in Personality Processes and Health Outcomes. F.R. Lang, F.S. Reschke, F.J. Neyer, Social Relationships, Transitions, and Personality Development Across the Lifespan. Part V: Capstone. D.P. McAdams, J.M. Adler, How Does "Personality" "Develop"?

    Biography

    Daniel K. Mroczek

    "Written by developmental psychologists, this handbook provides a thorough overview of the state of the field of personality development....the book assumes a sophisticated understanding of personality theory. Highly recommended."
    CHOICE

    "There is much to learn in paging through the 'Handbook,' and Mroczek and Little have provided an important service in bringing such a talented group of authors together."
    PsycCRITIQUES

    "This handbook does a very fine job of conveying the current excitement and progress in the scientific study of personality development...The editors have done an excellent job of assembling some of the strongest and most articulate spokespersons for the major developments in the field today."
    Dan P. McAdams
    From the capstone chapter of the Handbook of Personality Development

    "There is rising interest in the topic, and ... there is no single volume that addresses it as fully."
    Robert R. McCrae, Ph.D.
    National Institute on Aging

    "I was particularly impressed by the breadth of coverage… "
    Eddie Harmon-Jones, Ph.D.
    University of Wisconsin/Madison