Mark Casteel

Judith Rich Harris took developmental psychology by storm back in the mid-1990s when she had the audacity to suggest that parents (based on her review of the published literature) might not be THE formative influence on child development as had always been simply assumed by those working in the field. She expanded upon her original ideas in this book and clarified some of her earlier views. I choose this book because I have found it to be a very useful tool to help my 400-level students in social and personality development critically examine some of their most cherished notions about parenting. One may not be persuaded by her arguments and data, but Judith Rich Harris will definitely force you to think through her arguments.