The goal of this 1989 volume is to enhance our understanding of human development in an evolving social context. It presents advances in theory and research on two central topics: how environments influence individuals in the course of development and how individuals select and shape the very environments that influence their development.

Social changes, including women’s entry into the labour force and higher rates of divorce and remarriage, have dramatically altered family life and raised complex questions about how individuals develop in the ever changing contexts of family, community and society. The goal of this volume is to enhance our understanding of human development in an evolving social context. Featuring contributions by eminent scholars in developmental, clinical and personality psychology, behavioural genetics and sociology, Persons in Context: Developmental Processes presents advances in theory and research on two central topics: how environments influence individuals in the course of development and how individuals select and shape the very environments that influence their development. The volume assembles a theoretically convergent body of research on how individuals and environments are linked in the course of development, including studies of genetics - environment relations, social interns, social interchanges in family systems, and linkages between the family and other major settings, such as peer groups, communities, and the larger social structure. Designed for scholars and researchers in developmental psychology, the volume will also serve as an excellent source for those interested in personality and social psychology, family psychology, and human ecology.