Lea Pulkkinen – författare

This 2006 book is based on two longitudinal studies of behavior development, both conducted in Finland, a living laboratory setting for longitudinal research. Much of the book reports results from a longitudinal study begun in Jyväskylä, Finland, in 1968, when its participants were school children. This longitudinal study is complemented by two Finnish twin-family studies, with parallel measures and overlapping aims, to yield insights into genetic and environmental sources of variation in early development and later outcomes. An array of findings from the two sets of longitudinal studies are presented, set within a theoretical framework of socioemotional development, and focused on both individual and familial predictors of health-related outcomes from childhood to early adulthood. Many contributors to this edited volume represent a second-tier of Finnish-USA collaborators. They analyzed data from the longitudinal studies as part of their advanced training, and their contributions to the book report results of such analyses.

The influence of the lifespan approach has been an important feature of recent research in developmental psychology, as has a growing interest in the relationship between personality and development. This important new book, edited by two distinguished psychologists, explores the relationship between personality and development from a life-course perspective. The book presents current theoretical approaches and new empirical findings from ongoing studies conducted by leading researchers in North America and Europe. It is unique in focussing on successful personality development, where developmental psychology in the past seems to have focussed almost entirely on problem behaviour and risk of maladaption. The book has a multidisciplinary appeal and will be of interest to students and researchers in the fields of developmental psychology, adult development and aging, and personality and social psychology.

This 2006 book is based on two longitudinal studies of behavior development, both conducted in Finland, a living laboratory setting for longitudinal research. Much of the book reports results from a longitudinal study begun in Jyväskylä, Finland, in 1968, when its participants were school children. This longitudinal study is complemented by two Finnish twin-family studies, with parallel measures and overlapping aims, to yield insights into genetic and environmental sources of variation in early development and later outcomes. An array of findings from the two sets of longitudinal studies are presented, set within a theoretical framework of socioemotional development, and focused on both individual and familial predictors of health-related outcomes from childhood to early adulthood. Many contributors to this edited volume represent a second-tier of Finnish-USA collaborators. They analyzed data from the longitudinal studies as part of their advanced training, and their contributions to the book report results of such analyses.

This seminal work focuses on human development from middle childhood to middle adulthood, through analysis of the research findings of the groundbreaking Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Personality and Social Development (JYLS). The JYLS project, which began in 1968, has generated extensive publications over many years but this is the first comprehensive summary that presents the conceptual framework, the research design and methodology, and the findings. The study looks at the development over time of issues related to personality, identity, health, anti-social behavior, and well-being and is unparalleled in its duration, intensity, comprehensiveness and psychological richness.The thorough synthesis of this study illustrates that there are different paths to adulthood and that human development cannot be described in average terms. The 42-year perspective that the JYLS provides shows the developmental consequences of children’s differences in socioemotional behavior over time, and the great significance of children’s positive socioemotional behavior for their further development until middle age. Not only will the book be an invaluable tool for those considering research methods and analysis on large datasets, it is ideal reading for students on lifespan courses and researchers methodologically interested in longitudinal research.