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The four concluding books or monographs already published on outcomes or results in various aspects of the project endeavors—the study of life situation and environment; the study of (repeated) psychological testing; the formal Prediction Study; and the study of the quantitative (statistical and mathematical) aspects—have already been mentioned. Each work, of course, represents the perceptions of its particular author(s); however, coming out of a vast pool of shared data and (varyingly) shared outlook, each work to some extent must also represent the project as a whole. I have, of course, been closely familiar with each publication in its creation as well as in its final shaping, and have the advantage of this overview (and of hindsight) in writing this book after all the other works and in the light of their contributions. At the same time it should be clear, given the particular data base used in each work and the particular focus and bias reflected in those who labored in that area of the total project design, that inevitably perspectives and conclusions might be reached within one framework and advanced in one book that might be at some variance with the perspectives and conclusions reached within another framework and advanced in another book.
It seems appropriate, therefore, that for orienting purposes, I briefly sketch out in advance at this point how I see this book and its focus in relation to those other books, outlining my perspectives both of general agreement and of disagreement. I return to all of these issues in more detail in the final section of this book, where I present my own overall conclusions in the light of the kinds of documentation that I am able to marshal in the body of my text.