Higher Stages Of Human Development

Can significant advances in development occur after adolescence? What are the highest possible states or stages of human development and how can they be realized? These and related critical issues are addressed in this volume by leading researchers and theorists in adult development. How we conceive of the endpoint, or highest state of development is crucial because it shapes our understanding of the direction, possibilities, and mechanisms of human growth. Even a decade ago, most psychologists believed that qualitative advances in development did not occur after adolescence. Based on recent research on adults, however, psychologists now question whether growth of fundamental human capacities necessarily culminates prior to adulthood. This new volume explores a variety of endpoints beyond the ordinarily proposed limits of human development. In addition to describing advanced forms of cognitive functioning , contributors also discuss other domains integral to adult growth--including affective, moral, self, and consciousness development.

A passionate conversation among the best minds in transpersonal studies about the ideas of Ken Wilber, the prominent contemporary thinker whose first book, The Spectrum of Consciousness, published by Quest in 1977, launched the transpersonal psychology movement. Transpersonal thinkers taking part in this dynamic dialogue combine Eastern and Western spirituality with mainstream fields such as psychology, medicine, physics, and ecology to map the human drive toward Spirit. Contributors include best-selling authors Jack Kornfield (A Path with Heart), Joseph Goldstein (Insight Meditation), Michael Murphy (The Future of the Body), Stanislav Grof (The Holotropic Mind), and Jeanne Achterberg (Rituals of Healing). Wilber's spirited response to each probing assessment of his ideas and the authors' rebuttals give readers ringside seats at an engaging sparring match among intellectual and spiritual superstars.

The author proposes a theory of the development of consciousness in which ego is the central agent of socialization and culture and the driving force behind individual self-control and self-regulation. He reviews the literature on identity and narrative; outlines the fields of intellectual, self, moral, and consciousness development; and discusses the evidence indicating that the development of consciousness trancends the limitations of conventional ego development.

There is a gentle but profound revolution in human consciousness happening throughout the world — it has affected millions of people from all walks of life, and the numbers continue to multiply exponentially. The breakthroughs they have experienced are startlingly similar and are marked by a new sense of well-being, increased joy in life, diminished fear, and a natural impulse to serve and contribute to the world in a real way. For more than a decade, Arjuna Ardagh has studied this worldwide advance in human consciousness marked by what he calls “translucents” — individuals who have undergone a spiritual awakening deeply enough that it has permanently transformed their relationship to themselves and to reality, while allowing them to remain involved in ordinary life. The Translucent Revolution draws on the author's dialogues with thousands of writers, teachers, and workshop participants around the world who display characteristics of “translucence.” He blends observation, anecdote, and research, including commentaries from leading pioneers in the field of human consciousness.

A thorough, comprehensive, topical introduction to human development. In rejecting classic "age" and "stage" treatments of human development, these authors take an approach that better shows the continuity of the developmental process. They emphasize the interdisciplinary nature of the field by integrating pertinent ideas from such diverse sources as sociology, biology, and cultural anthropology. This edition embraces more discussion of infancy, greater coverage of the adult, and a more thorough look at the role of women in a person's growth and development than the previous edition.

Adolescenceâ€"beginning with the onset of puberty and ending in the mid-20sâ€"is a critical period of development during which key areas of the brain mature and develop. These changes in brain structure, function, and connectivity mark adolescence as a period of opportunity to discover new vistas, to form relationships with peers and adults, and to explore one's developing identity. It is also a period of resilience that can ameliorate childhood setbacks and set the stage for a thriving trajectory over the life course. Because adolescents comprise nearly one-fourth of the entire U.S. population, the nation needs policies and practices that will better leverage these developmental opportunities to harness the promise of adolescenceâ€"rather than focusing myopically on containing its risks. This report examines the neurobiological and socio-behavioral science of adolescent development and outlines how this knowledge can be applied, both to promote adolescent well-being, resilience, and development, and to rectify structural barriers and inequalities in opportunity, enabling all adolescents to flourish.

This book explores the integral vision of human development contained in the original works of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother. It delves into multiple layers of the human personality as envisaged by Sri Aurobindo and The Mother and explores a new developmental science of consciousness based on the practice of Integral Yoga. The book examines the major metatheoretical conceptions that shape the contemporary discipline of developmental psychology and discusses the ways in which Sri Aurobindo’s philosophical and psychological perspective can help break fresh ground for developmental theorisation and research by extending the current understanding of the human evolutionary potential. The author proposes a new agenda for human development which brings together the key ideas of integral individual and collective development and informs practices in the areas of counselling, education, parenting and self-development. This book will be of special interest for researchers of developmental psychology, human development, counselling psychology, philosophy, social work and education.

Jazz, America's original art form, can be a catalyst for creative and spiritual development. With its unique emphasis on improvisation, jazz offers new paradigms for educational and societal change. In this provocative book, musician and educator Edward W. Sarath illuminates how jazz offers a continuum for transformation. Inspired by the long legacy of jazz innovators who have used meditation and related practices to bring the transcendent into their lives and work, Sarath sees a coming shift in consciousness, one essential to positive change. Both theoretical and practical, the book uses the emergent worldview known as Integral Theory to discuss the consciousness at the heart of jazz and the new models and perspectives it offers. On a more personal level, the author provides examples of his own involvement in educational reform. His design of the first curriculum at a mainstream educational institution to incorporate a significant meditation and consciousness studies component grounds a radical new vision.