Descripciones mejoradas de Syndetics:

To what degree is the course of human life prefigured by the childhood and adolescent years? John A. Clausen, long associated with the now famous Berkeley Longitudinal Studies, draws on sixty years of research from this, the largest long-term inquiry into human lives ever conducted, to answer this question.

Reseñas proporcionadas por Syndetics

Library Journal Review

In Berkeley in the late 1920s, a group of children were recruited into a study on child and adolescent development that would last more than 60 years and be the subject of at least five books and countless journal articles. Clausen, director of the Institute for Human Development, which oversees this study, has contributed this final volume. He contends that the degree to which adolescents exhibit ``planful competence''--a combination of dependability, intellectual involvement, and self-confidence--is highly predictive of their success in later life. Despite this clear thesis, Clausen spends too many pages on the life histories of several participants and presents all manner of data not directly related to his main argument. The resulting book is too long by half yet still provocative enough to deserve a place on the shelf of academic social science collections.-- Eric Hinsdale, Trinity Univ. Lib., San Antonio (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly Review

This solid report attempts to assess what makes happy, successful lives. Based on the 60-year Berkeley Longitudinal Studies, involving residents of Berkeley and Oakland, Calif., Clausen argues that adolescents who exhibit ``planful competence,'' who know generally what they want, assess their abilities realistically and consider the consequences of their choices, are more likely to do well. He offers many details about the organization of the project, which is funded by the National Institute of Health and the MacArthur Foundation, and which he has directed since 1960, and provides several lengthy case studies of individuals who seem planfully competent. There are few revelations, although Clausen observes that among his respondents, occupational shifts tended to occur before age 35, a finding that calls into question the work of Gail Sheehy and others who emphasize mid-career crises. Of interest primarily to experts. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

CHOICE Review

Various longitudinal studies have finally reached a point where there are data from childhood well into old age for many individuals. Clausen's report analyzes some of the information collected in the Berkeley Longitudinal Study. Many researchers have contributed to the collection of data from more than 300 people born in the Bay area since the 1920s. Clausen combines sparse summaries of some of the data with extensive analysis and six case studies. He emphasizes "planful competence," a concept combining self-confidence, intellectual investment, and dependability as an organizing principle, predicting adult competence from its presence in adolescents, particularly adolescent males. Individuals interested in the contributions of early experience to adult development will find interesting information in this volume. The case studies will help in understanding the source of the data as well as in providing vivid examples of the concepts discussed, making the information more accessible to general readers. This thick volume should be a part of the background of contemporary developmental psychologists. S. Shapiro; Indiana University East

Notas de autor provistas por Syndetics

John A. Clausen is Professor of Sociology Emeritus and former Director of the Institute of Human Development at the University of California, Berkeley.