Individual Development and Social Experience

What elements in our psychological make-up direct our behaviour, and what social influences mould our reactions from day to day? In Individual Development and Social Experience (originally published in 1975, reissuing the revised 1981 edition now with a new preface by the authors), two experienced psychologists explore the diverse influences that shape human behaviour and examine the psychological and social needs of individuals from birth to death.

Psychology and sociology often over-compartmentalise or rely on unnecessary jargon. By describing how children, adolescents, middle-aged people, and the elderly respond to everyday situations, the authors present a comprehensive and absorbing analysis of human behaviour and the strains and stresses of modern life.

Written in a remarkably readable and lucid manner, this book will appeal to anyone interested in human experience and behaviour. It provides an excellent introduction to social and individual psychology for psychology students as well as teachers, doctors, nurses, police officers, social workers, and all those who need an understanding of psychology in their professional lives.