A Compelling Idea: How We Become the Persons We Are

A Compelling Idea is an autobiographical window into the personal and professional journey of a “superstar psychologist.”

Alan Sroufe and his team at the University of Minnesota Institute of Child Development conducted the longest running study of

human psychological development, establishing the reasons why we each behave as we do and see the world as we do. Sroufe’s

groundbreaking theoretical and empirical contributions to the fields of developmental psychology and developmental psychopathology

have been reported to the academic world in over 150 papers and journal articles and seven books.

From the beginning of his academic career, Alan’s motivation to pursue the study of human development was personal. Having been

raised in a dysfunctional family, he wanted to know why he had the problems he did and how his mental health could be improved.

A Compelling Idea is his personal story of this road to discovery.

As one reviewer observed, “It is hard to imagine a person with any curiosity regarding who they are and how they developed who would not be fascinated by this book.”