Human Resilience

Tackling some of the most important ideas in child psychology and human development, Human Resilience presents key theories from Ann and Alan Clarke's pioneering work in this field. The Clarkes discuss major interacting influences on development, including genetic and environmental effects, chance events and the tendency for people to influence their environments in ways that reinforce their personal characteristics. In particular, they address the controversial issues surrounding the heritability of IQ and outline factors affecting the success of various intervention programs, including fostering and adoption.

The emerging importance of resilience as a concept in child development and psychology will make this book of great significance to psychology academics and students. Anyone working with disadvantaged children and those with learning disabilities will be interested in Human Resilience's practical implications: how resilience can be improved both by personal characteristics such as self esteem, problem-solving ability or sociability, and by external support.