The Development of Emotional Competence [Hardcover]

Carolyn Saarni (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 19, 1999 | ISBN-10: 1572304332 | ISBN-13: 978-1572304338 | Edition: 1

Synthesizing the latest research and theory with compelling narratives and case vignettes, this book explores the development of emotional competence in school-age children and young adolescents. Saarni examines the formation of of eight key emotional skills in relation to processes of self-understanding, socialization, and cognitive growth. Tracing the connections between emotional competence, interpersonal relationships, and resilience in the face of stress, the book also explores why and what happens when development is delayed.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Drawing on the latest research and an abundance of case material, Carolyn Saarni vividly explores the range of skills that lead to emotional competence--awareness of self and others, sensitivity to masked as well as expressed emotion, the ability to put feelings into words, and strategies for coping with adversity. She eloquently situates that competence in its wider social, cultural, and moral context. Anyone who wants to nurture or understand the development of emotional competence should read this book." --Paul L. Harris, PhD, Department of Experimental Psychology, Oxford University, Oxford

"The Development of Emotional Competence advances our understanding of the rich tapestry of human emotion, and of the skills that emerge as we learn to live with its influence in daily life. It is a valuable resource to students as well as professionals in psychology, counseling, social work, and education. As a developmentalist, clinician, parent, and astute observer of human emotion, Carolyn Saarni has presented a complex and essential feature of human experience in a comprehensible and compelling manner." --From the Foreword by Ross A. Thompson, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska

"The best treatment of emotional competence in the literature. Well written, thoroughly researched, and engagingly illustrated, this book is 'must' reading for anyone interested in the contemporary issues surrounding the concept of emotional intelligence." --Joseph J. Campos, PhD, University of California at Berkeley

From the Back Cover

Drawing on the latest research and an abundance of case material, Carolyn Saarni vividly explores the range of skills that lead to emotional competence awareness of self and others, sensitivity to masked as well as expressed emotion, the ability to put feelings into words, and strategies for coping with adversity. She eloquently situates that competence in its wider social, cultural, and moral context. Anyone who wants to nurture or understand the development of emotional competence should read this book (Paul L. Harris, PhD, Department of Experimental Psychology, Oxford University, UK) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 381 pages
• Publisher: Guilford Press; 1 edition (March 19, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572304332
• ISBN-13: 978-1572304338
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,309,397 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Elegant and thoughtful..., August 29, 2002

By 

Stephen Armstrong (Hadley, Ma USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Development of Emotional Competence (Paperback)

...and sometimes hard to penetrate, this book is Prof. Saarni's most complete statement of how children develop emotional competence. She grounds the book in developmental psychology, and listens very carefully to children as they state or "explain" how they think and feel. Her theory is largely constructionist, but also is framed by neo-Piagetian theory.

She outlines the development of 8 skills that make up for and "create" emotional competence: (1) Awareness of one's own emotions, (2) Ability to discern and understand others' emotions, (3) ability to use the vocabulary of emotion and expression, (4) capacity for empathic involvement, (5) ability to differentiate internal experience from external expression, (6) capacity for coping with aversive emotions and distressing circumstances, (7) awareness of emotional communication in relationships, and (8) capacity for emotional self-efficacy.

While this is a lot (!) and her writing is very precise, I loved her descriptions of children and their thinking and feeling. I left this book with a sense of someone who genuinely cares for children and their development. She listens very carefully.

I think clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and school psychologists or guidance counselors will get a lot from this book, but there is nothing "practical" or "applied" in her descriptions of children. This is a book on normal social and emotional development, not intervention. Nevertheless, much of the recent interest in social emotional learning must rest on the concepts she presents, so the book's usefulness is apparent.

1 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and conclusive work on an important subject., December 4, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Development of Emotional Competence (Paperback)

Dr. Saarni problematizes this issue with stunning clarity and remarkable insight. A delineation of lucid dimensionality, overcoming the otherwise commonplace factor of distanciated, historicist interpretations of emotionality and its discontents. A must-buy for the holiday season.