This thorough revision of the highly successful first edition offers the reader a wide-ranging and thought provoking account of human development throughout the lifespan. The lifespan approach emphasises that development does not stop when we cease to be adolescents, but goes on throughout adulthood and into old age. Initial chapters outline the issues surrounding the notion of development and how it can be studied. The author then goes on to consider the different ways in which the life course can be construed: as a series of age-related stages; as a cumulative sequence; as a series of developmental tasks; as organised around key life events and transitions; and as a process of narrative construction designed largely to create a sense of continuity. A final chapter looks at how people cope, the resources they have access to and the theoretical and practical issues regarding interventions to assist them in the process. New to this edition is increased coverage of the topical issue of successful ageing, and a new chapter on the increasingly popular narrative approach to lifespan development. This edition is also more student-friendly with exercises in self-reflection that encourage the reader to look at the development of their own lives, and boxed material highlighting major theories and clarifying concepts. This book will be invaluable for students of developmental and occupational psychology and professionals in the fields of management, education and social work.