Understanding Emotion: Conceptual Development

Reviews the book, Children and Emotion: The Development of Psychological Understanding by Paul L. Harris (see record 1990-98182-000). Developmental psychologists, clinicians, and experimental psychologists alike will find Harris's volume an exciting, timely, succinct, and yet surprisingly comprehensive introduction to research and theory on children's understanding of emotion. The book begins with emotional expressive behavior in infancy and proceeds next to preschool displays of empathy and aggression. More complex emotional states are discussed next, followed by children's strategic manipulation of emotions and their comprehension of more complex emotional phenomena such as ambivalence and mixed feelings. The volume ends with a surprise: The social-emotional difficulties of autistic children are discussed from the unique perspective of how emotion understanding is limited in these children. This comparison between atypical and normal development leaves the reader with a vivid contrast and brings home the richness and flexibility of emotional development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)