Unstable Ideas: Temperament, Cognition and Self - Hardcover

Kagan weaves philosophy, physics, and psychology into a persuasive...form. His book should be required reading for anyone concerned with our children, or who they become.--Patricia L. Linn "Antioch Review " Jerome Kagan...sets forth an elegantly reasoned and well-written argument for events, functions, and dynamisms rather than things as explanatory notions in psychology. What he calls for is a more complex understanding of the interaction between personality and environment--and the master concept through which he explores such interaction is the notion of 'temperament.'--Richard M. Restak "New York Times Book Review " The author marshals vast erudition and scholarship...The domain [Kagan] surveys in this series of essays is vast. It includes trends in developmental psychology across the twentieth century; it takes in the cognition, temperament, and self of his subtitle, and touches as well on issues of epistemology, methodology, morality and ethics, and creativity in science...This is a book of varied, sometimes far-flung, themes developed in an integrated and unified manner. It is an ambitious undertaking, but the author realizes his intentions admirable, even spectacularly.--Alexander Thomas "Readings: A Journal of Reviews and Commentary in Mental Health "

Discusses temperament, cognitive development, and consciousness, and suggests new research techniques for studying child development.