Addresses five research themes with at-risk populations that have begun to transform traditional understanding of normative human development. These themes are: protective forces inherent in developmental delay, loss involved in progressive development, symptoms as signs of developmental complexity, rediscovery of biography as an essential…

Argues that an "as-if" mode of making sense of the world is an important characteristic of human development across all age groups. Illustrates the role of as-if functioning in adults following loss of a loved one, maintaining that self-reorganization centers on the grave as a physical and symbolic entity and the deceased as an…

Maintains that Josephs (1998) identifies a new and significant research question: how individuals relate to loved one's death through an imaginary dialog created in an "as-if" manner. Discusses the issues of how adults' as-if activities are related to children's pretend play and how such dialogs might transform the self over time.…

Reviews Josephs's (1998) article connecting play as a discourse in metaphorical transformations with narrative and identity development, focusing on using narrative as a discourse of accounting for self and others in space and time and the role of self-thematization, death, and play in development. Concludes that Josephs advocates the cancellation…

Examines the representations of mental functioning in terms of images and stories of gender relations. Suggests that the rational pole of the mind is often stereotyped as "hard" and "masculine," while the nonrational pole is considered "soft" and "feminine." Reviews evidence suggesting that these dynamics…

Underlines the importance of investigating development within concrete thinking. Points out the importance of taking seriously the need for epistemological pluralism respecting and rewarding the labor-intensive methods of inquiry that embody the kind of concrete, contextual thinking researchers try to understand. (AA)