This is the most comprehensive and in-depth overview of the foundational theoretical contributions to understanding human development and the influence of these contributions for contemporary research and application in developmental science. It is an essential resource for graduate students and professionals. "Richard M. Lerner presents a totally up-to-date picture of the contemporary tenets of Developmental Science; including its metatheoretical, theoretical, methodological, empirical, and applied dimensions. This is an enormously important contribution that represents a sea change in our thinking about and investigating human development. Lerner is perfectly positioned to present this sea change as his work has been at its leading edge. This is a must-read book for anyone interested in developmental processes. It will be of particular value to psychologists, philosophers, biologists, sociologists, economists, and the medical and educational communities." - Willis F. Overton, Temple University, USA "In this masterful fourth edition of his Concepts and Theories of Human Development, Lerner continues to set the bar for 'what every good developmentalist should know' about the field. More than other 'concepts and theories' types, Lerner not only understands and appreciates the role of methods in developmental research, he relentlessly promotes it." - John R. Nesselroade, University of Virginia, USA "In his seminal book Lerner discusses and evaluates crucial theoretical approaches to developmental science and their conceptual history, and analyzes examples of theoretically well-taken and ill-fated studies. The advice for gaining better insights in the complex dynamics of development is a must for every young and seasoned researcher and interventionist in the field." - Rainer K. Silbereisen, University of Jena, Germany