In this book Jan D. Sinnott synthesizes her 20 years of research on
lifespan cognitive development to describe the growth of complex (or
`postformal') thought in adults. She shows specifically how adults
improve mentally over a lifetime and learn to think in more complex and
wiser ways. Applications of postformal thought are demonstrated in such
diverse areas as - family relations - adult education - personal
identity - and spirituality. Chapters examine relations between
postformal thought and pertinent variables such as age, health, memory,
and vocabulary. Other sections deal with issues in humanistic psychology
such as - guided imagery - mind - body medicine - and creative
intentionality.