Boundary Areas in Social and Developmental Psychology

Boundary Areas in Social and Developmental Psychology is based largely on the proceedings of a conference at Vanderbilt University in June 1981. One of the goals is to highlight some examples of research that illustrate facets of the important boundary area between social and developmental psychology. The book opens with a chapter that deals with the broad issues of boundary areas in psychology, ending with specific consideration of the boundary between social and developmental psychology. This is followed by separate chapters that consider general propositions regarding the importance of integrating concepts and methods from social and developmental psychology in the study of social relationships; show how integrating social and developmental considerations can assist in the understanding of relationships between parents and children; and apply developmental and social concepts to identify and study some of the aspects of the marital relationship that may lead to its dissolution. Subsequent chapters deal with boundary area issues focusing primarily on children's social behavior. These include the complexity of social processes inherent in children's peer relationships and the role of social exchange processes in social relationships from infancy to adulthood.