Change Processes in Relationships: A Relational-Historical Research Approach

Description

Just as each person develops from infancy to adulthood, all interpersonal relationships have a life history that encompasses the changes in how people communicate with each other. This book is about how a relationship transforms itself from one pattern of communication to another. The authors present a unique research method called 'relational-historical research', based on advances in dynamic systems theory in developmental psychology, and qualitative methods in life history research. It rests on three premises: that the developing relationship (not the individual) is the unit of analysis; that change emerges from, but is not entirely constrained by, the patterns of the past; and that the developmental process is best revealed by making frequent observations within a particular case before, during, and after a key developmental transition. Looking specifically at the mother-infant relationship, this is a compelling piece of research that will appeal to an international audience of intellectuals and practitioners.

Alan Fogel is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Utah. He is the author of Developing through Relationships (1993), Infancy, Family and Society, 4th Edition (2001) and co-editor, with Gavin Bremner, of Handbook of Infant Development (2001). Andrea P. Garvey is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Psychology at the American River College. Hui-Chin Hsu is an Associate Professor at the Department of Child and Family Development at the University of Georgia. Delisa West-Stroming holds a Research Master's degree in Child Development and Family Studies from Purdue University. She is currently active in home schooling.

"By reading this book, one can obtain a tangible advancement in the theoretical understanding of early infant development, with a focus on the social relations we all first encounter with our caregivers." - PsycCritiques Francis C. Staskon