The Developing Mind: How Relationships and the Brain Interact to Shape Who We Are

The essence of this book is captured in its very first paragraph, "the mind emerges at the interface of interpersonal experience and the structure and function of the brain." It goes on to explain how this is so in the various chapters that cover memory, emotion, construction of reality (via internal representations), states of mind, self regulation, interpersonal connection and integration. The material is dense, but readable for most professionals and many educated laymen. It is particularly good at describing the integrative functions of the prefrontal areas of the brain, how they develop through social interpersonal experience and what the implications are when the right kind of developmental experiences are not present for the mind to develop to its full potential. As such, it considers the role of attachment in shaping the self, future relationships and the ability to manage emotions. The book does a very deep dive around all of these areas. Dr. Siegel is a good writer and he packs a lot of information into this good in a highly digestible form. The most important points are repeated or mentioned parenthetically. Therefore, you can read this book and pick it up later without losing much in terms of flow. His examples are good and he doesn't sacrifice thick content. In other words, he says just enough to make his point and then moves on. This book presents a strong argument for an "open-ended" nervous system. This notion is extended to love in another interesting book by three UCSF psychiatrists -- A GENERAL THEORY OF LOVE. Many of the concepts in this latter more accessible book are elaborated upon in detail in the Developing Mind. Lay readers, therefore, may want to start with this title and read The DEVELOPING MIND slowly as a companion text. What this book doesn't address is the possibility of something that transcends the brain. For this, I would consider looking at THE ATMAN PROJECT by Ken Wilber. This book is more philosophical than scientific, but it presents a plausible model of transpersonal development with a lot of good psychological content. In particular, I like the way that Wilber presents the interior experience of a babies, infants, toddlers, etc. This is something that is not as clear in Dr. Siegel's book. Wilber also brings in our relationship to the physical environment and the entire universe. In short, it's a thought provoking extension to the subject of this review. The Developing Mind is rigorous and it provides excellent references on every concept. The book hangs together well and it is written in a style that relates concepts back to day-to-day life very well. There are also good summaries of important points and useful quotes that help illustrate critical points. If you want a quick bedside read, this is most likely not the book for you. However, if you want to understand how the mind develops and are willing to put in your time to contemplate the necessary detail to go beyond superficial explanations,

I am a psychology graduate student and this book was used as a text book in my program for a developmental class. I must say that at first I was a little concerned over the professor's choice of material, but after I started digesting this material, I realized how brillant this book is. I have never seen anyone try to explain how brain structures create consciousness. Dr. Siegel utilizes neurobiology in a most profound way. This is a top notch book, and one I am not selling back at the end of the term.

When The Developing Mind was published in 1999, the ideas the author Dr. Daniel Siegel presented were relatively new. In the book he proposes that the mind develops at the interface of neurophysiological processes and interpersonal relationships. Dr. Siegel examined experimental research from several areas to support his assertions. He discusses research and concepts from areas such as neurobiology, clinical psychology, developmental psychology, and cognitive psychology. This is an undertaking that is more difficult than it may seem to someone who has never had to read a lot of journal articles. I'm glad that he did it for me so I could enjoy the fruits of his labor. Although other authors and researchers have generated new books and research on the topics investigated in this book, it is still a good overview of the connection between mind, body, and experience, and a great jumping off point for further reading in these areas. The rest of my review describes and/or analyzes the content of each chapter. Chapter One is an overview of the connection between mind, brain, and experience so you understand Dr. Siegel's ideas and how he connects the dots in later chapters. I liked his suggestion of using a model of the brain (your fist) to represent the different parts of the brain so someone not familiar with them can learn about them and how they function. Plus, you don't realy neeed to know too much about the brain to understand Dr. Siegel's argument and claims. He focuses more on describing patterns of activation in the brain than matching up the structures in the brain with cognitive functioning. Dr. Siegel also spends time in this chapter on the old nature-nurture debate. He asserts that it takes both your genetic material/body and experience to show physical and behavioral characteristics. I think he does a good job supporting that claim by what he says in the rest of the book. In Chapter Two the author discusses memory. This is the only chapter with which I have some problems. I think more research could have been presented and a better explanation given to clarify concepts. These problems could lead to confusion in those who may not know memory research and disappointment in those that do. Dr. Siegel starts with a general definition of memory and helpful and non-helpful assumptions people make about it. He defines memory as "the binding together of various aspects of neuronal activation patterns." That could be defining just about any brain process, but he does try to refine the concept more. He discusses explicit and implicit memory, and how they are formed. However, here we encounter a problem. Dr. Siegel tells us that mental models are "the basic components of implicit memory." However, he does not mention them when he discusses the formation of explicit memory. According to cognitive psychology research, the area in which most research on mental models has been conducted, mental representations are developed in the

This book is a heavily research based volume detailing the ways in which parenting styles affect brain development, brain wiring structure with the implications for our lives and civilization. Although it's sometimes a bit redundant and disorganized in presentation, the information is potent and important and the quantity of research staggering. This is truly worth reading - for those who may prefer a less academic presentation, try it anyway. The value of this book is extraordinary.

This very well written book outlines how the brain developes and integrates what we know about the impact of life experience with the unraveling mysteries of the brain. Emotional disorders such as PTSD are informed by Siegel's elegant discussion of how memories are created. This is a very well written, challenging book; each sentence contains important information. While the subject matter may not be familiar to the reader, Siegel presents this valuable information in a very accessable manner. Very Strongly recommended to therapists and counselors.