The Developing Mind, Second Edition: How Relationships and the Brain Interact to Shape Who We Are 2nd Edition

Book Preface

Welcome to the fascinating world of interdisciplinary thinking. I invite you to join me on this journey to explore the intricate intertwining of mind, brain, and relationships. Since the publication of the first edition of The Developing Mind over a dozen years ago, much has emerged from the objective study of science and the subjective knowledge of internal reflection. This book honors these distinct but equally important realms of knowledge that will inform our travels.

In this second edition, I have had the deep honor to incorporate what I’ve learned from scientists, psychotherapists, educators, philosophers, contemplative practitioners, and community leaders. The field that the first edition of this book introduced—“interpersonal neurobiology,” or simply “IPNB”—has grown in wonderful ways since then. It now has its own organizations (see the Global Association for Interpersonal Neurobiology Studies, or GAINS), in-depth educational programs (see www.mindsightinstitute.com), and a professional library of over two dozen textbooks.

My goal in thoroughly updating the references and revising the text for this edition is to make the ideas of IPNB and its scientific foundations as clear and concise as possible. I have had the good fortune of having 15 dedicated and bright research interns work by my side during the initial phases of this revision process. Their assignment was twofold: to “prove the first edition of this book and the ideas behind IPNB to be wrong” so that we could discard any proposals that were outdated or unfounded in the literature, and to offer any new research that presented alternative views. In this effort, over two thousand new scientific papers were reviewed; each paragraph of the book (projected on the wall at the Mindsight Institute) was collectively examined; and any necessary changes were made. In this process, we had the advantage of fresh minds exploring the foundations of IPNB to see whether any of the hypotheses set forth over a dozen years ago had since been proven with new studies and emerging technology. When we found that the majority of propositions were in fact supported by new findings, the shared experience was exhilarating.

We also had the opportunity to interview several readers of the first edition—many of them teachers of the book for over a decade now—and to ask them, “What should be changed in the second edition?” Their virtually uniform response was “Nothing, except to update the scientific references.” So to stay true to the positive reception of the first edition, here in the second edition you’ll find that the text has been thoroughly updated to reflect the research advances in various fields. I have also added special discussions of culture, gender, temperament, genetics, and the role of consciousness and its neural correlates in various mental and social processes. Most of the proposals have been supported by research findings enabled by recent technological advances, and for those that remain hypotheses, the text still reflects their status as educated guesses. Keeping the distinction between implications and data-supported findings clear was an important feature of the original text and remains a goal for this edition, and for the field of IPNB as a whole. This new edition also has an epilogue reflecting on various practical and scientific aspects of this approach, as well as a glossary of terms to improve access to some of the intricate ideas and their vocabulary. In addition, there are new figures and frequent “pullout” quotations to support those who enjoy and benefit from these visual aids to learning. In discussing examples throughout the book, I alternate between the third-person singular pronouns “she” and “he” to avoid sexist usage. Naturally, all examples of individuals are presented without identifying features.

The Developing Mind has become a favorite book in a variety of programs;I hope that this second edition continues to be as well received. I love writing books, and returning to this first work to create a second edition has been a labor of love. This edition may have roughly the same sequence of chapters, but it is filled with fresh material and the integration of many new ideas and applications. I am grateful for all of the input we have received from readers from around the globe, and also to the many authors and conference co-faculty members who share in the passion for creating a consilient approach to this work. Marion Solomon and Bonnie Goldstein have been a wonderful team in bringing IPNB to the professional audience at our annual UCLA gatherings, and I thank them for their leadership in our professional community. Kitty Moore, the initial editor at The Guilford Press who brought this work into the world, is a joy to work with, and I am thankful for all of her support and wisdom over the years. Barbara Watkins worked with me on the day-to-day, line-by-line editing, and I cannot say enough in gratitude for her superb skills and for the way she kept the whole in mind while also paying such careful attention to detail and continuity. We had the exciting challenge of taking something people loved, updating it completely, and maintaining the essence of its heart and soul, while also refining the message with clear and integrated prose. It has been a pleasure to pore over these pages with her to get the book ready to go to press. Marie Sprayberry again magnificently copyedited the manuscript, and Martin Coleman served as production editor.

I would also like to thank the wonderful individuals who are a part of the Mindsight Institute, which serves as an intellectual home for IPNB. Our global online course participants’ international perspective on the field and its application is invaluable for seeing the many ways in which this work can be applied across cultures. Input from students, both local and at a distance, has been a driving force for this work and motivates all of us to keep the field current. The members of our staff, including Stephanie Hamilton and Whitney Stambler, have made working here a pleasure. Whitney was devoted to making the extensive references and notes well integrated throughout the book, and I thank her for those efforts. I am also grateful for the assistance of Eric Bergemann and Aubrey Siegel in helping to do some of the final copyediting of the manuscript. Caroline Welch, our CEO, has been both an inspiration and a powerful presence in helping us to organize our work and create a vision for the many possible applications of IPNB in the world. I thank her for her leadership, which is at the heart of this second edition’s message.

To dive into over a dozen disciplines of science and explore the consilient findings that emerge is naturally quite a challenge. For the first edition, the library was my second home, where I’d spend long hours wading into the stacks of periodicals. Since then, there has been an exponential increase in the number of journals and research articles accessible through our interconnected digital library via the Internet. Taking on this goal of updating the book was a joy with the fabulous group of interns who joined in on the intellectual adventure. Working together, we could explore research data, cross-reference a wide range of studies, integrate ideas, and weave all of these together in creating the second edition. I am deeply grateful for the companionship of this “mindful bunch”: Lisa Baldini, Kimberly Clark, Hannah Farber, Julien Fyhrie, Victoria Goldfarb, Riley Kessler, Cyrus Nahai, Benjamin Nelson, Karen Olivares, Suzanne Parker, Francesca Reinisch, Gregory Sewitz, Katey Solzberg, Lucy Walsh, and Anabel Young. We went on a creative journey of discovery together, and I am thankful for their dedication to this project. It is my sincerest wish that this book you hold in your hands will maintain its usefulness as a solid resource, helping us to support the development of healthy and resilient minds throughout our lives.