The highly respected first edition with its strong research base and clear exposition is thoroughly updated to include new coverage of biological theories and the recent attribution and social information processing approaches. There is an extensive update of empirical literature with more than half the references dating from the 1980's, new coverage on the development of the self, self esteem and social cognition, a new chapter on the family, and updated coverage of achievement, aggression (including Dodge's social-information processing theory of aggression), altruism, moral development, and sex typing (including Martin and Halversons social information theory of sex typing and contemporary assessment of the literature on psychological androngy). It teaches students to evaluate social science research critically and examines their own assumptions about child rearing. Using four theoretical perspectives - psychodynamic, behavioural, cognitive and ethological - Shaffer integrates and examines the research in each area of social development and its implications for child rearing and working with children. This book should be of interest to degree and diploma students on courses in social and personality development in departments of psychology.