Making Human Beings Human: Bioecological Perspectives on Human Development / Edition 1

by Urie Bronfenbrenner

Overview

Bronfenbrenner (emeritus human development and psychology, Cornell U.) has compiled 19 papers, one by colleagues, written between 1942 and 2001 on the nature of bioecological theory and research, and using the ecology of human development to enhance the human condition. His main thesis is that to a greater extent than for any other species, humans create the environments that shape the course of human development; that their actions influence the multiple physical and cultural tiers of the ecology that shapes them; and that this agency makes humans active producers of their own development. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Product Details

ISBN-13:	2900761927128
Publication date:	06/28/2004
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Urie Bronfenbrenner is the Jacob Gould Schurman Professor Emeritus of Human Development and Psychology at Cornell University. He is best known as the founder and principal protagonist of his ground-breaking theory of the "Ecology of Human Development." Bronfenbrenner is one of the founders of Head Start and the recipient of numerous distinguished awards including six honorary degrees, three from European universities. He was the first recipient of the American Psychological Association's annual Bronfenbrenner Award for Lifetime Contribution to Developmental Psychology in the Service of Science and Society. He has taught, lectured, consulted, and carried out research in the United States and all over the world, mainly in both Eastern and Western Europe, Japan, and Australia. His publications have been extensive and far-reaching . Urie Bronfenbrenner is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, American Psychological Society, American Psychological Association, Society for Research in Child Development, National Academy of Education, and the International Society for the Study of Behavioral Development. Bronfenbrenner received his Bachelor's degree in Psychology and Music from Cornell University, his Master's Degree from Harvard University, and his Doctorate from the University of Michigan. After service in the Armed Forces and a brief period at the University of Michigan, he returned to Cornell University for a long productive life of research and teaching, as well as assisting with the raising of his six children. Since his retirement in 1987, he has continued to research, to write, to teach, and to travel extensively.

Table of Contents

	Acknowledgments	vii
	Dedication	viii
	Foreword	ix
	Introduction	xxvii
Section I	On the Nature of Bioecological Theory and Research	1
	Section Introduction	1
1.	The Bioecological Theory of Human Development (2001)	3
2.	Social Ecology Over Time and Space (1995)	16
3.	Social Status, Structure, and Development in the Classroom Group (1942)	22
4.	The Social Ecology of Human Development: A Retrospective Conclusion (1973)	27
5.	Lewinian Space and Ecological Substance (1977)	41
6.	A Future Perspective (1979)	50
7.	Toward a Critical History of Development: A Propaedeutic Discussion (1986)	60
8.	Interacting Systems in Human Development. Research Paradigms: Present and Future (1988)	67
9.	The Developing Ecology of Human Development: Paradigm Lost or Paradigm Regained (1989)	94
10.	Ecological Systems Theory (1992)	106
11.	Heredity, Environment and the Question "How": A First Approximation (1993)	174
12.	Growing Chaos in the Lives of Children, Youth, and Families: How Can We Turn It Around? (2001)	185
Section II	Using the Ecology of Human Development to Enhance the Human Condition	199
	Section Introduction	199
13.	The Split-Level American Family (1967)	201
14.	Minority Report of Forum 15: 1970 White House Conference on Children (1970)	210
15.	Two Worlds of Childhood: U.S. and U.S.S.R. (1970)	215
16.	Is 80% of Intelligence Genetically Determined? (1975)	234
17.	The Future of Childhood (1985)	246
18.	Strengthening Family Systems (1988)	260
19.	Child Care in the Anglo-Saxon Mode (1992)	274
	Afterword	283
	Author Index	285
	Subject Index	291
	About the Author	303
	About the Foreword and Afterword Authors	305

Editorial Reviews

"This volume is a remarkable compilation of several critical writings of one of the most influential developmental psychologists of the 20th, and now 21st, century. Making Human Beings Human is an essential reader for all students of human development, whether they are undergraduates, graduate students, teachers, practitioners, or policy makers. . . . To read this book is to be a passenger on an exhilarating six-decade-long journey of discovery which, for those interested in the landscape of human development, is every bit as exciting as a Lewis and Clark expedition. "

John Eckenrode

In his latest book, Dr. Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological theory of human development offers an important framework upon which to examine the effectiveness of our early childhood policies, programs, and practices on the lives of America’s children and families. In the unfolding of his theory, we find evidence that what, when, and how we do our work does make a critical difference in the developmental outcomes of young children and their families, especially those who are most vulnerable. As a result, we are honor bound to examine our own beliefs and practices in whatever field we find ourselves in the realm of human development work to ensure that our approaches respect and recognize the unlimited potential of all human beings and provide the resources and support that all families need to engage in healthy and productive lives.

Evelyn Moore

"Making Human Beings Human tells the remarkable scientific story of Urie Bronfenbrenner's journey toward 'a bioecology of human development'- a dynamic perspective of individuals in ever-changing, multi-level contexts. Building upon years of distinguished teaching and research at Cornell, the author skillfully weaves each part of his story together, highlighting the puzzles and fresh insights that enhance understanding. This is a marvelous book to read and cherish from one of our giants in the field of human development. "

Glen H. Elder

"Making Human Beings Human tells the remarkable scientific story of Urie Bronfenbrenner′s journey toward ′a bioecology of human development′- a dynamic perspective of individuals in ever-changing, multi-level contexts. Building upon years of distinguished teaching and research at Cornell, the author skillfully weaves each part of his story together, highlighting the puzzles and fresh insights that enhance understanding. This is a marvelous book to read and cherish from one of our giants in the field of human development."

--Glen H. Elder (3/8/2004 12:00:00 AM)

"This volume is a remarkable compilation of several critical writings of one of the most influential developmental psychologists of the 20th, and now 21st, century. Making Human Beings Human is an essential reader for all students of human development, whether they are undergraduates, graduate students, teachers, practitioners, or policy makers. . . . To read this book is to be a passenger on an exhilarating six-decade-long journey of discovery which, for those interested in the landscape of human development, is every bit as exciting as a Lewis and Clark expedition."

--John Eckenrode (3/8/2004 12:00:00 AM)

In his latest book, Dr. Bronfenbrenner's bioecological theory of human development offers an important framework upon which to examine the effectiveness of our early childhood policies, programs, and practices on the lives of America's children and families. In the unfolding of his theory, we find evidence that what, when, and how we do our work does make a critical difference in the developmental outcomes of young children and their families, especially those who are most vulnerable. As a result, we are honor bound to examine our own beliefs and practices in whatever field we find ourselves in the realm of human development work to ensure that our approaches respect and recognize the unlimited potential of all human beings and provide the resources and support that all families need to engage in healthy and productive lives.--Evelyn Moore (4/21/2004 12:00:00 AM)

From the Publisher