PrefaceHuman Development in Adulthood is designed as a comprehensive overview of adult development for students of psychology, sociology, and social work, as well as those planning to enter nursing and other health-related or humanservice professions. It is written so anyone who is interested in the topic can learn and benefit from reading the material. Concepts, theories, research findings, and practical implications of the information are all presented thoroughly and understandably. In addition to physical, cognitive, personality, social, and sexual development in adulthood, the book deals with gender and ethnic group differences and issues, love and marital relations, living conditions and economic problems, crime and war, and aging and death.This book is interdisciplinary, including concepts, theories, and research findings from biology, psychology, sociology, anthropology, economics, political science, and other disciplines. Emphasis is placed on the fact that human beings are similar in many ways, but that everyone is a unique entity with his or her own perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors. Each person of a particular age, sex, race, culture, and socioeconomic status is shaped somewhat differently by the interaction between biological, psychological, and social structures and events.A guiding theme of the book is that, rather than ending with childhood and adolescence, development and change continue across the life span.