Psychology

David Shaffers  Katherine Kipps Developmental Psychology Childhood and Adolescence is a book which provides a comprehensive discussion regarding child and adolescent development. The book is not a mere professional discussion regarding the psychological development of children and adolescents, for it also discusses how various information, theories, and researches can be applied to real-life settings.

The goal of the book is to be able to provide the reader with a description and explanation of development. It also aims to help the reader aid developing individuals optimize their developmental processes (Shaffer  Kipp, 2010). The book is divided into five parts, each with chapters focusing on specific issues regarding development. Each part has a thorough discussion of concepts and theories which may enlighten an individual on how the psychological development of a child occurs.

The first part of the book is Part I Introduction to Developmental Psychology. This part focuses on the thorough understanding of what developmental psychology is there are discussions as to how it may be understood and researched, as well as information on the ethical considerations that have to be taken into notice when one is conducting an analysis of psychological development (Shaffer  Kipp, 2010).

This part of the book also presents several theories regarding it developmental psychology, such as the psychoanalytic viewpoint, learning viewpoint, the cognitive-developmental viewpoint, the ethological and evolutionary viewpoints, and the ecological systems viewpoint. These aforementioned theories have each had major impacts on the science of human development (Shaffer  Kipp, 2010, p. 42) which makes it necessary to understand them.

The second part of the book is Part II Biological Foundations of Development this part consists of the various psychological factors which can affect development, such as heredity, prenatal development, infancy, and the development of the individuals body, with focus on the development of the brain, the body, various motor skills, as well as sexual development (Shaffer  Kipp, 2010).

The following part of the book is Part III Cognitive Development. This discusses the other theories regarding psychological development which are the Piagets Theory and Vygotskys Sociocultural Viewpoint. This part also has a chapter on how the information-processing part of an individuals brain works, as well as chapters on intelligence and the development of language and communication skills (Shaffer  Kipp, 2010, p. 387).

Following this part is Part IV Social and Personality Development. This part of the book discusses how the various emotions develop, as well as how attachment and temperament works. There is also a chapter regarding the development of an individuals Self and the development of social cognition. Apart from these, there are also discussion regarding how developing individuals know sex differences and how they are able to construe their gender-roles. This part also brings into focus the various psychological developments regarding morality, aggression and altruism (Shaffer  Kipp, 2010).

Finally, the last chapter of the book Part V The Context of Development discusses the various external factors which can affect the development of an individual. It is stated that parents, peers, school, and even television can highly influence the psychological development of an individual (Shaffer  Kipp, 2010).

Relation to Course
This book is related to the course because the courses description states that the course involves the discussion of child growth and development. Apart from this, the course description also states that the course aims to analyze the psychological, biological, socioeconomic and cultural aspects of the individuals developmental process.

The information which the course aims to discuss may be derived from the book apart from this, the book can provide a good introduction regarding child growth and development, for it tackles the various psychological developments that occur in a human being from infancy to adolescence.
If one is to break down the course description, it will be seen that David Shaffers  Katherine Kipps Developmental Psychology Childhood and Adolescence provides most of the information which the course aims to explain and analyze. The first one is the psychological aspect of the developmental process the book, in a whole, aims to analyze psychological development, and it is given that it will be able to provide the first aspect of the course description. The book contains a thorough discussion of developmental psychology, cognitive development, personality development, and social development, all of which are related to the psychological development of an individual.

The second is the biological aspect of the course. This aspect is also discussed in Shaffers  Kipps book, for they have dedicated Part II Biological Foundations of Development for this discussion. The book has given an explanation of how an individuals biological or physiological development can affect his or her psychological development, and this information is vital to the biological aspect of this course.

Another aspect of the course description is the cultural aspect of the developmental process. This is tackled in Part IV Social and Personality Development, wherein the authors discuss how attachment and other developmental states can vary depending on the individuals culture. Also the cultural aspect of psychological development may also be found in Part V The Context of Development, for this is where the authors discuss the various external factors which can greatly affect the development of an individual.

However, it is necessary to state that while the book may be able to provide the aforementioned information, it does not provide anything regarding how socioeconomic aspects or factors can affect a human beings psychological development. It is, then, important to state that this book may be related to the course and may provide useful information, but it does not encompass everything which the course attempts to cover.

Opinion
David Shaffers  Katherine Kipps Developmental Psychology Childhood and Adolescence is a recommended book for the course for it is able to provide most of the information which the course aims to tackle. The book contains thorough descriptions and discussions which can aid the reader throughout the process of understanding the concept of psychological development.
Apart from this, the book can provide various benefits to psychologists, pediatricians, day-care workers, teachers, nurses, and even to parents. Not to mention that the book can help students whom are taking up Childhood Studies, Child Psychology and Education to fully understand the psychological development of children.

Also, the book is written in a conversational format (written with a language structure which speaks to the reader) and this manner of presentation of information encourages a thorough understanding of the principles regarding the development of children and adolescents. Since the book is in a conversational format, it does not complicate things for individuals whom are not well-versed in the field of psychology even if they are not in the field of psychology, they may be able to understand how the mind of a developing child works.

Apart from this, the book enables the reader to gain the knowledge which is necessary not only to understand developing individuals, but also knowledge which will enable the reader to be able to appropriately influence the life and development of children and adolescents. This information is very powerful, for it will enable people to understand and decipher how a child thinks and they may be able to interact with the child in an appropriate manner (e.g. when the child is crying because he or she misses their parents, it can be explained with the concept of attachment).

It is also necessary to stress that since the book is not intended merely for the consumption of experts and professionals within the field. As seen in the aforementioned paragraph, the book not only speaks to psychologists, nurses, and pediatricians, but also to day-care workers, teachers, and most importantly, the book also speaks to parents. This is very important because the book will enable parents (whom are major external influences to an individuals development) to aid their children throughout their psychological development.

David Shaffers  Katherine Kipps Developmental Psychology Childhood and Adolescence is not only a great contribution to the field of psychology but also the field of literature, for it not merely aims to communicate with the professionals, but also with individuals from other fields of expertise. Although the book does not encompass all aspects of psychological development, it is able to provide the reader with the vital information regarding the fact that psychological development is a fragile state, and it should be addressed appropriately in order for the developing individual to progress through life as a fully-functional human being.