Child Advocacy : Psychological Issues and Interventions Book

Like many areas of psychological inquiry, the study of emotion is cyclical. Relatively stagnant since the 1930s, the area is currently experiencing a resurgence of research interest. As often occurs, this new research has rekindled old controversies related to the study of emotion and has also raised many new issues regarding emotional development.

In Children's Emotions and Moods, Lewis and Michalson accomplish two tasks. First, the authors examine emotional development from its theoretical perspective. Although a great deal of research exists on children's emotions, virtually no comprehensive theories of emotional development have yet been formulated. This lack of theory is due in part to the confusion surrounding the meaning of "emotion." Through a structural analysis of the term, Lewis and Michalson outline a theory of emotional development that will be valuable to others interested in the topic.

Second, the authors present a new measurement system for assessing emotional development in young children. The arguements have been well made that individual children and social programs should not be evaluated solely in terms of children's intellectual gains. Although making children smarter may enhance social organization and individual productivity, making children happy may have the same effect. The authors meet the need for a measurement system that goes beyond assessing individual differences in cognitive development by constructing and instrument based on situation-specific assessments of children's emotional behaviors. The five socioemotional dimensions tapped in the assessment include fear, happiness, competence, affiliation, and anger. The measurement system is particularly useful because it allows observers to assess emotional development in the child's natural environment.

This volume, unique in its focus on both theory and measurement, presents for the first time a comprehensive theory of emotional development, in addition to providing a measurement system for assessing individual differences in the emotions of young children.