For undergraduate/graduate courses in Theories of Development, Child Development, and Lifespan Development.

The result of extensive scholarship and consultation with leading scholars, this text introduces students to twenty-four theorists and compares and contrasts their theories on how we develop as individuals. Emphasizing the theories that build upon the developmental tradition established by Rousseau, this text also covers theories in the environmental/learning tradition.

From Locke and Rousseau to Piaget and Bandura, scholars have advanced our understanding of psychological development. In this lively and readable book, Crain introduces the concepts of a number of outstanding theorists, giving special attention to the practical applications of their thought.

This Fifth Edition features new discussions of:

-Piaget and his critics

-Freud's mechanisms of defense

-Werner and today's push for early literacy instruction

-Schachtel's views on why adults forget early childhood experiences

-The standards movement that dominates contemporary education

William Crain is professor of psychology at The City College of New York. A social activist, Dr. Crain served nine years on the Teaneck, NJ, school board and works for student access to higher education and the protection of nature and animals.  He and his wife Ellen F. Crain, a pediatrician, have three grown children.