Future Orientation: Developmental and Ecological Perspectives / Edition 1

by Rachel Seginer

Overview

By contemporary I mean a present with an anticipated future, for we must do our best to overcome clinical habits which make us assume that we have done our part if we have clarified the past. (Erikson, 1968, pp. 30–31). The scope of time ahead which influences present behavior, and is therefore to be regarded as part of the present life-space, increases during development. This change in time perspective is one of the most fundamental facts of development. Adolescence seems to be a period of particularly deep change in respect to time perspective. (Lewin, 1939, p. 879). I chose to open this book with two excerpts from Erikson’s and Lewin’s writings because they indicate that future orientation has had its deep roots in psychol- ical thinking, and call readers’ attention to the long standing interest in two f- damental issues: the motivational power of constructed future images and their development across age. More specifically, Erikson and Lewin’s writings und- score the importance of future thinking for influencing present behavior tendencies, and point out that the ability to think about the future and realize the “scope of time ahead” increase with age, and reach a special developmental significance in adolescence.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780387886404
Publisher:	Springer US
Publication date:	03/13/2009
Series:	The Springer Series on Human Exceptionality
Edition description:	2009
Pages:	258
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.30(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Professor Rachel Seginer's research focuses on the development of adolescents and emerging adults. Although her main interest in recent years has focused on future orientation in ecological perspective, her work also examines sibling relationships and parents’ educational involvement and its effect on educational outcomes. Her studies have been published in leading developmental and cross-cultural journals and edited volumes. She serves on the editorial boards of two journals: the Journal of Research on Adolescence and the Journal of Adolescent Research. Professor Seginer received her Ph.D. in Psychology from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. She is the former Dean of the Faculty of Education, University of Haifa, Israel, where she is currently teaching developmental and adolescent development courses.

Table of Contents

Future Orientation: A Conceptual Framework.- The Evolvement of Future Orientation: Infancy Through Middle Childhood.- Future Orientation in Personality Contexts.- Future Orientation Sex Differences.- The Effect of Parenting on Future Orientation.- The Effect of Contemporaries: Siblings and Peers.- Future Orientation Outcomes.- Summary, Conclusions and Future Directions for Research and Action.

Editorial Reviews

From the reviews:

"Future orientation, its antecedents, and its outcomes are the focus of Rachel Seginer’s book Future Orientation: Developmental and Ecological Perspectives. The book provides a comprehensive review of the theoretical approaches to future orientation, focusing primarily on adolescent development. … Readers … will find the book a useful reference on the topic of future orientation." (Shelia M. Kennison, PsycCRITIQUES, Vol. 54 (45), November, 2009)

From the Publisher