The Human Spark: The Science of Human Development - Hardcover

Kagan, Jerome

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0465029825 ISBN 13: 9780465029822

Publisher: Basic Books, 2013

Synopsis

As infants we are rife with potential. For a short time, we have before us a seemingly infinite number of developmental paths. Soon, however, we become limited to certain paths as we grow into unique products of our genetics and experience. But what factors account for the variation -- in skills, personalities, values -- that results? How do experiences shape what we bring into the world?

In The Human Spark, pioneering psychologist Jerome Kagan offers an unflinching examination of personal, moral, and cultural development that solidifies his place as one of the most influential psychologists of the past century. In this definitive analysis of the factors that shape the human mind, Kagan explores the tension between biology and the environment. He reviews major advances in the science of development over the past three decades and offers pointed critiques and new syntheses. In so doing, Kagan calls out the shortcomings of the modern fad for neuroscience, shows why theories of so-called attachment parenting are based on a misinterpretation of research, and questions the field's reflexive tendency to pathologize the behavior of the young. Most importantly, he reminds us that a life, however influenced by biology and upbringing, is still a tapestry to be woven, not an outcome to be endured.

A profound exploration of what is universal and what is individual in human development, The Human Spark is the result of a scientist's lifelong quest to discover how we become who we are. Whether the reader is a first-time parent wondering what influence she, her genes, and the wider world will have on her child; an educator seeking insight into the development of her students; or simply a curious soul seeking self-knowledge, Kagan makes an expert and companionable guide.

About this title

About the Author

Jerome Kagan is emeritus professor of psychology at Harvard University and one of the pioneers of the field of developmental psychology. The author of numerous books including The Nature of the Child and Galen's Prophecy, he received the William James Award from American Psychological Association. In 2009 he was featured in a New York Times Magazine cover story about anxiety.

Reviews

*Starred Review* Kagan has heard neuroscientists boasting that the biochemistry of genes and synapses will soon explain all human emotions and behavior. He does not believe them. Here he advances a sophisticated perspective on the human condition, situating the latest findings of neuroscience within a much broader matrix of psychological, social, and cultural considerations. When explaining the emergence of human morality, for instance, Kagan acknowledges a biological-genetic priming for empathy, but he insists that the forms that empathy takes depend on the psychological development of the individual and on the cultural context in society. Readers further discern the limits of biological science as they see how the same biochemical—oxytocin—can foster openness to new ideas in some, while intensifying suspicion in others. An analyst’s eye for complexity also informs Kagan’s treatment of social class as a determinant of beliefs and conduct: upper-class children in Madagascar look remarkably unlike upper-class children in the U.S., yet share their cognitive profile. A capacity for dealing with complicated issues serves Kagan and his readers well when he confronts the twin epidemics of mental illness and moral confusion afflicting the twenty-first-century world. A rare inquiry allowing general readers to see how cutting-edge research clarifies ordinary human hopes—and fears. --Bryce Christensen

Edition details

• Publisher: Basic Books
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0465029825
• ISBN 13: 9780465029822
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 352