The Routledge International Handbook of Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Character Development: Two Volume Set

Drawing from philosophy, religion, biology, behavioral and social sciences, and the arts, the Routledge International Handbooks of Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Character Development, Volumes I and II, present cutting-edge scholarship about the concept of character across the life span, the developmental and contextual bases of character, and the key organizations of societal sectors, within and across nations, that promote character development in individuals, families, and communities.

This first volume, Conceptualizing and Defining Character explores the foundations of the field by providing an array of interdisciplinary approaches to character development including economics, education, law, literature, military science, philosophy, and many more. This second volume, Moderators, Threats, and Contexts focuses on the moderators and covariates of character development with chapters pertaining to cultural- and contextual-based exemplars of character development; grit, achievement, and resilience; hope for the future; and parenting and self-regulation. With contributions from international experts, special attention is paid to the centers of excellence at universities around the world that specialize in character development research and character education.

These comprehensive publications are essential references for researchers and graduate students in behavioral sciences, biology, philosophy, theology, and economics, as well as practitioners leading or evaluating character education or character development programs around the world.

Michael D. Matthews, Ph.D., is Professor of Engineering Psychology at the United States Military Academy. He has been a military psychologist since 1980. In the past 40 years he has served on active duty as an Air Force officer (as a behavioral sciences officer), as a psychology professor at Drury University, as a research psychologist for the Army Research Institute and, since 2000, in his current capacity at West Point.

Richard M. Lerner, Ph.D. is the Bergstrom Chair in Applied Developmental Science and the Director of the Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development at Tufts University. He went from kindergarten through Ph.D. within the New York City public schools, completing his doctorate at the City University of New York in 1971 in developmental psychology. Lerner has more than 800 scholarly publications, including more than 80 authored or edited books.