The idea for this book grew out of the conference "Motivational Psychology of Ontogenesis" held at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin, Germany, in May 1998. This conference focused on the interface of development and motivation and therefore brought together scholars from three major areas in psychology - developmental, motivational and lifespan.This combination of fields represents the potential influence of development on motivation and the potential role motivation plays in development and its major contexts of family, work and school. Thus, contributors were chosen to apply motivational models to diverse settings of human everyday life and in various age groups across the life span, ranging from early childhood to old age.

Understanding developmental processes in the individual as well as in aggregates of individuals is an important aim of many of the social and behavioral sciences. This book presents a theoretical framework for this endeavor - an architecture for the study of human development across different disciplines. This architecture describes two major sources of human development (biology and culture) and posits three central developmental mechanisms (selection, optimization, and compensation).

Motivation is that which moves us to action. Human motivation is thus a complex issue, as people are moved to action by both their evolved natures and by myriad familial, social and cultural influences. The Oxford Handbook of Human Motivation collects the top theorists and researchers of human motivation into a single volume, capturing the current state-of-the-art in this fast developing field. The book includes theoretical overviews from some of the best-known thinkers in this area, including chapters on Social Learning Theory, Control Theory, Self-determination theory, Terror Management theory, and the Promotion and Prevention perspective. Topical chapters appear on phenomena such as ego-depletion, flow, curiosity, implicit motives, and personal interests. A section specifically highlights goal research, including chapters on goal regulation, achievement goals, the dynamics of choice, unconscious goals and process versus outcome focus. Still other chapters focus on evolutionary and biological underpinnings of motivation, including chapters on cardiovascular dynamics, mood, and neuropsychology. Finally, chapters bring motivation down to earth in reviewing its impact within relationships, and in applied areas such as psychotherapy, work, education, sport, and physical activity. By providing reviews of the most advanced work by the very best scholars in this field, The Oxford Handbook of Human Motivation represents an invaluable resource for both researchers and practitioners, as well as any student of human nature.

The Handbook of Moral Motivation offers a contemporary and comprehensive appraisal of the age-old question about motivation to do the good and to prevent the bad. From a research point of view, this question remains open even though we present here a rich collection of new ideas and data. Two sources helped the editors to frame the chapters: first they looked at an overwhelmingly fruitful research tradition on motivation in general (attribution theory, performance theory, self-determination theory, etc.) in relationship to morality. The second source refers to the tension between moral judgment (feelings, beliefs) and the real moral act in a twofold manner: (a) as a necessary duty, and, (b) as a social but not necessary bond. In addition, the handbook utilizes the latest research from a wide range of disciplinary perspectives, wishing to suggest by this that the answer to the posed question will likely not come from one discipline alone. Furthermore, our hope is that the implicit criticism that the narrowly constructed research approach of the recent past has contributed to closing off rather than opening up interdisciplinary lines of research becomes in this volume a strong counter discourse. The editors and authors of the handbook commend the research contained within in the hope that it will contribute to better understanding of humanity as an inherently moral species.

This comprehensive and exhaustive reference work on the subject of education from the primary grades through higher education combines educational theory with practice, making it a unique contribution to the educational reference market. Issues related to human development and learning are examined by individuals whose specializations are in diverse areas including education, psychology, sociology, philosophy, law, and medicine. The book focuses on important themes in education and human development. Authors consider each entry from the perspective of its social and political conditions as well as historical underpinnings. The book also explores the people whose contributions have played a seminal role in the shaping of educational ideas, institutions, and organizations, and includes entries on these institutions and organizations. This work integrates numerous theoretical frameworks with field based applications from many areas in educational research.

Psychology in India, Volume I: Basic Psychological Processes and Human Development comprises six original essays and analyses research conducted on psychological processes. It integrates biological and ecological approaches to the study of behaviour; recent research in developmental psychology; studies on language acquisition and language processes, reading, and bilingualism and multilingualism; contributions from neuroscience, cognitive science, and cultural psychology towards the knowledge of cognitive processes; research on affective and motivational processes; and studying personality. Concepts, methods and theories have been covered.

Examines seven prominent theories of motivation, including research on self-efficacy, achievement goal theory, expectancy-value theory, self-determination theory, self-concept research, implicit motives, and interest. This book also examines the associations between motivation and other constructs, such as emotion and self-regulation.

Part of the authoritative four-volume reference that spans the entire field of child development and has set the standard against which all other scholarly references are compared. Updated and revised to reflect the new developments in the field, the Handbook of Child Psychology, Sixth Edition contains new chapters on such topics as spirituality, social understanding, and non-verbal communication. Volume 1: Theoretical Models of Human Development, edited by Richard M. Lerner, Tufts University, explores a variety of theoretical approaches, including life-span/life-course theories, socio-culture theories, structural theories, object-relations theories, and diversity and development theories. New chapters cover phenomenology and ecological systems theory, positive youth development, and religious and spiritual development.

Motivation is a pervasive force that can affect well-being in a variety of life situations, from the more minor through to the ability to overcome addictions and other serious psychological problems. This book presents empirically supported theories (featuring current concerns theory), questionnaires based on these theories (highlighting the Motivational Structure Questionnaire) and varied interventions based on these, with special emphasis on Systematic Motivational Counselling but also including chapters on such approaches as Personality Systems Interaction Theory, expectancy-based approaches, Motivational Interviewing, logotherapy and several others.

The ability to regulate and control our behaviors is a key accomplishment of the human species, yet the psychological mechanisms involved in self-regulation remain incompletely understood. This book presents contributions from leading international researchers who survey the most recent developments in this fascinating area. The chapters shed new light on the subtle and often subconscious ways that the people seek to regulate their thoughts, feelings and behaviors in everyday social life. The contributions seek answers to such intriguing questions as: How can we improve our ability to control our actions? How do people make decisions about which goals to pursue? How do we maintain and manage goal-oriented behavior? What happens when we run out of self-regulation resources? Can we match people and the regulatory demands of to specific tasks so as to optimize performance? What role does self-regulation play in sports performance, in maintaining successful relationships, and in managing work situations? The book offers a highly integrated and representative coverage of this important field, and is suitable as a core textbook in advanced courses dealing with social behavior and the applications of psychology to real-life problems.