The Development and Organization of Meaning

‘The Development and Organization of Meaning is a joy to read. It is incredibly clear and accessible. At the same time, the book offers a profound perspective on fundamental questions about how people develop and the meaning we make of our own lives and our connections with others.’ Robbie Duschinsky, Professor of Social Science and Health, University of Cambridge, UK
‘L. Alan Sroufe is one of the most insightful and important child psychologists in the world. This brilliant book is a must-read for anyone interested in how children develop.’ Johann Hari, author of Stolen Focus and Lost Connections
‘This wonderful book, robustly grounded in rigorous theoretical, empirical, and clinical scholarship, proposes an original, fresh, and innovative unifying theme: the construct of ‘meaning’. The creative synthesis of vast research in developmental psychology and psychopathology through this unique lens is inspiring and thought provoking. Highly recommended!’ Grazyna Kochanska, Dewey B. Stuit Professor, University of Iowa, USA
‘How do we become the person we are? How do we come to see the world and the people in it the way we do? How do we make meaning of our lives? These profound questions anchor Alan and June Sroufe’s brilliant and elegant synthesis of 50 years of groundbreaking developmental and clinical study. As human beings, searching for and finding meaning is who we are. And, as the Sroufes so beautifully demonstrate, it is our earliest experiences with those who care for us, experiences of being loved or neglected, seen or unseen, cherished or abandoned that shape our capacity to love, hope, and create, across decades and generations. We make – as did our forebears, and as will our children – meaning from what we have known.’ Arietta Slade, Professor Adjunct, Yale Child Study Center, USA
‘This book will not be surpassed for a lifetime. Alan and June Sroufe’s volume belongs alongside the work of Erik Erikson, John Flavell, Louis Breger, John Bowlby, Mary Ainsworth, Seymour Epstein, and Michael Tomasello, who opened our eyes to the fundamental questions: what are the development of thought, emotion, and relationships the development of, and how are they related?’ Everett Waters, Emeritus Professor of Psychology, Stony Brook University, USA
‘From cradle to grave, it is this search for meaning that guides individual development.’ So write L. Alan Sroufe and June Sroufe in this rich and compelling exploration of the development of meaning across the lifespan. Alan, a premier attachment theorist and researcher, and June, a profoundly wise clinician, guide us from infancy through adulthood, illuminating the profound ways in which we seek and construct meaning in our lives. As always, Sroufe and Sroufe’s writing is sublime.’ Mary Dozier, Unidel Amy E. du Pont Chair and Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, USA

Alan Sroufe, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus at the University of Minnesota, is a renowned expert in emotional development and developmental psychopathology. With eight books and 160 articles on these subjects, he has received numerous awards, including the Distinguished Scientist Award from the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) and the Mentor Award from the Developmental Psychology Division of the American Psychological Association.

June Sroufe, Ph.D., is a family and child therapist, specializing in relationship theory and clinical uses of the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). With eight published articles, she is recognized for her expertise in family functioning and AAI applications.

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