The process by which human beings, as they grow toward maturity, develop values is not an automatic one. The process can be fostered by a number of teaching strategies. The strategies include the techniques of self-discovery, the provision of learning environments that encourage growth, and the practice of specific skills. This volume provides a…

The concept of autonomous identity, derived from Piaget's theory of personality, is distinguished from other applications of the term "autonomy" in psychological theory. Introductory comments suggest that both biological and mental development express autonomy in the same two senses: as self-regulating and progressively self-liberating.…

Updating a 1977 review, this review of the research concerning parents' effects on their children's development asks what progress has been made in understanding such effects during the last decade. After presenting findings of the earlier review, discussion focuses on five areas of research: temperament, attachment, cognitive development,…

The perennial issues of which historians remind us are issues of pressure - those we experience as adults and those we put on our children. The recurrent ambivalences concern progress. Every generation imagines itself the first to be forced to confront the pellmell pace of modern life. History is nothing if not a study in unintended consequences.…

It is becoming clear that the difficulties which people experience in most areas of life are closely connected with the ways in which they see themselves and the world in which they live. There is considerable evidence that student failures in the basic school subjects, as well as misdirected motivation and lack of commitment (characteristic of…

Ways in which the vocational teacher, supervisor, and administrators may assist the student in his or her pursuit of self-improvement. (HD)

This book examines socialization science, which is the empirical effort to understand how children acquire traits from their families and cultures. This work proposes that one part of the family influence process--broad differences in family environments, except for those that are neglectful, abusive, or without opportunity--may exert little…

Based on intense observations of one child's development from 1 to 3 years of age, this book describes how children acquire the knowledge they need to become persons. The book has 13 chapters, divided chronologically. Topics covered include: (1) personhood and social identity, and methodological issues; (2) 15-16 months, doing a lot with a little,…

This paper reports on a study to investigate measurement of moral reasoning with respect to age. Additional potential influencing factors, including ethnicity, gender, and influence of early environmental factors, also have been included for analysis in this study. Twenty-seven nontraditional students participating in a new student orientation…

This forum identified some of the factors influencing the emergence of identity during the critical childhood years. To help a child develop a healthy identity which is both favorable and realistic, he must be taught almost from birth about his own individuality. The many aspects of total identity include family, physical self, sex, ethnic and…

This study analyzed how authors of selected books present their main character with regard to his personal development problems, how he resolves them, and what happens to his personal development in the process. On the basis of which Newbery Medal Award books were best suited for a study of how the main character develops, "Up A Road…

Based on research which has followed the behavioral development of 133 subjects from infancy to early adulthood, discusses incidence of behavior disorders, defines the concept of temperament, and briefly discusses findings. Remarks on the usefulness of the "goodness of fit" concept for tracing developmental sequences. (GC)

Considers the qualities of awareness of responsibility and capacity for self-evaluation, which teachers should have, how these qualities develop in a person, and whether they can be taught. Relates Dabrowski's theory of positive disintegration to teachers' self-profiles and lists five levels of development defined by the theory. (MF)

Offers a trenchant critique of Jean Piaget and Lawrence Kohlberg, both of whom claimed to identify stages in moral development that are "universal, culturally invariant, and nonregressive." Explains some inadequacies in these theories, which have become so influential in education, and offers suggestions for further investigation. (MJP)

This paper synthesizes a variety of perspectives, with an emphasis on attachment theory, on the agency/communion polarity as first defined by David Bakan (1966). The question researchers sought to answer was whether or not agency/communion is best approached as a polarity--opposite and opposing forces, forces in the personality which have often…