Psychology Revivals Emotion and Early Interaction

Originally published in 1982, Emotion and Early Interaction is a collection of papers by investigators who had been attempting to integrate emotion and interaction processes in early development. None professed to have all the answers, yet each paper challenges us to question some of our notions about the boundaries between the individual and society. The first part includes chapters on the face-to-face interaction of infants and others during early infancy. These early interactions had become miniature natural laboratories in which many investigators found a wealth of opportunities to study infant emotions and their development. The second part covers play interactions in older infants and toddlers. Here the methods and concepts are different due to the increasing complexity of the infant’s behavior, and the increasing use of linguistic, in addition to non-verbal expressions of emotion. The final part on methodology covers a wide range of issues in the study of early interactions. Today it can be read in its historical context.