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“There is no other book like this on the market. It goes deeper into the emergence of human emotion than general textbooks, avoiding superficiality while remaining accessible. The book is full of compelling ideas about an array of carefully selected topics, allowing readers to benefit from the author’s keen judgment and many decades of research. I admire the way Camras shows students what is changing as emotions develop across the lifespan, while also including some topical themes to help students synthesize material. Distinctive in its breadth and depth, this state-of-the-science text integrates multiple perspectives on emotion, treating different approaches, theories, and methods in an evenhanded and engaging way.”

—Seth Pollak, PhD, College of Letters and Science Distinguished Professor of Psychology, University of Wisconsin–Madison


“The book fills an important gap in the literature—a large body of research and theoretical models are reviewed, underscoring the complexities of universal features and individual differences in emotion across age, family and social context, and culture. I am not aware of any other book that begins in infancy and ends in old age while also addressing the multiple biological, social, and cultural influences on emotion expression, emotion knowledge, and emotion regulation. The discussion of both historical and current views of emotion and the organization of chapters around recurrent themes provides a framework for organizing disparate conceptual models and empirical studies. This comprehensive volume will be relevant to faculty and graduate students in developmental, lifespan, and clinical psychology.”

—Susan B. Campbell, PhD, Department of Psychology (Emerita), University of Pittsburgh


“This book would be great for a graduate or upper-level undergraduate course on emotional or socioemotional development. The coverage is wide and deep, and the reader gains an excellent understanding of the current state of the field.”

—Stuart I. Hammond, PhD, School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Canada


“This book balances the classic studies and theories of emotional development with current research findings, methods, and applications. You can tell from the strong coverage of such a range of material that the author really knows this field. I would recommend this book for a senior seminar in lifespan or child emotional development. I think students will love it!”

—Ashley Maynard, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Hawaii

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Table of Contents

1. Theories of Emotion and Emotional Development

2. Infancy: The First 2 Years

3. Childhood: 2-9 Years

4. Adolescence: 10–17 Years

5. Adulthood: 18–65 Years

6. Later Adulthood: 65+ Years

7. Some Specific Emotions

8. Adversity, Adaptation, Problems, and Interventions

9. Some Final Considerations

Glossary

References

Index

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About the Author

Linda A. Camras, PhD, is Professor Emerita at DePaul University, where she taught both graduate and undergraduate courses on developmental psychology and social and emotional development. In 2021, she was appointed Co-Editor in Chief of the journal Affective Science. She has served as Associate Editor for both Emotion Review and Cognition and Emotion. Dr. Camras’s research has focused on the development of emotional expression in infants and children from both Western and Asian cultures. Her work has contributed to the recent revival of interest in constructivist approaches to emotion and emotional development. More recently, she has investigated how American and Chinese children’s perceptions of their parents’ behaviors affect their emotional well-being.

• Author's website

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Audience

Students and researchers in psychology, human development and family studies, and social work; also of interest to mental health professionals.

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Course Use

Will serve as a core text or supplement in advanced undergraduate- and graduate-level courses in social and emotional development, lifespan development, human development, and developmental psychology.