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Stanley I. Greenspan is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Behavioral Sciences and Pediatrics at George Washington University School of Medicine and a supervising child analyst at the Washington Psychoanalytic Institute in Washington, DC. He earned the American Psychiatric Association's highest award for contributions to child psychiatry by directing important clinical research
projects. He also has written books and articles for the general public. His message in The Growth of the Mind, written with Beryl Lieff Benderly, is that lack of attention to affect undermines the best development of intelligence and that only adequate attention to affect as a child develops prepares the child for thoughtful instead of ill-considered action.
My guess is that this book is meant for an intelligent lay audience. A good deal of the material appears in the context of published research. Such a readership might make good use of it. The recurrent theme of the book is the necessity for infants and children to be nurtured by at least one committed caregiver who will provide warmth, understanding of feelings, stimulation, and firm guidance without rigidity. Greenspan gives examples of what he means in a nice, Reader's Digest sort of style. From the standpoint of the message we might like to see gain importance in our society, this is a very useful book.
Comprising 15 chapters, each well organized into sections, the book is overall in two parts. The first part looks at the factors that affect child development, especially in relation to the flourishing of creativity and empathy for others. The second part is devoted to societal implications. It even includes a brief chapter on marriage. Especially, it carries on a theme that is important from the beginning of the book: that violent, unfeeling human behavior stems from a traumatic and deprived childhood.
There are references throughout the book, often taken from previous compilations by Greenspan, to research done by others. A fine list f