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

I've only read about 50 pages so far and already this book has answered questions I've wondered about all my life (I'm 73 years old). Most of us wonder, at some time, why we do some things the way we do, or why we think a certain way about something important to us. And we often wonder similar things about others who are impotant to us. This book will help you answer those questions. The subject matter is complex, but Dr. Siegel and his editor, Kitty Moore (Dr. Siegel credits his editor with having helped him expand the scope of the book and make the information more accessible, p. xiv) jointly have made access to the information in the book possible for readers who are not experts in neuroanatomy and neuropsychology. I look forward, pleasantly, to reading the remainder of the book, and if allowed, would like to submit an addendum to my review when I have finished reading. I hope you will read it too. I know you won't be disappointed.Addendum:Finished the book, and I double evereything I said about the book above. Very insightful, well written and filled with things you'd like to know about yourself and others.

An understanding mind is a matter of recognition.Moments of one's mental states are deserving of conscious awareness.Making of a mind is achieved the participation of two people, particularly a parent.A mind is created as another mind presents itself or presents an absence at particular instances two minds meet.Mental states are constructed concepts giving rise to mayhem or order.Each form extends either the expression of knowing or not knowing.The reasons are vast for either.Either mental bedlam or harmonious array, and between either are degrees of thought and emotion, builds the perception, the position, one senses in relation to others.By your mindfully reading this book you might experience increasing awareness of knowing.For me, the book's subject matter is consulted regularly.Paragraphs are annotated; whole pages paraphrased; its reference, researched.Its passages are pondered repeatedly.After all, the content of this book deserves an inquiring mind's re-cognition.

This book is a great summary on the current understanding of the brain and the nervous system, and how it can only be looked at as a whole, anything else will only limit the understanding to temporary symptoms. For a non-brain expert, this book is definitely not an easy read, I would read 2-4 pages at once and then take a few days to digest it. I know I will re-read it again, there is so much material in there.This book opened the door to finally having an idea of what it was that has been going on in my mind since childhood, unlocked the integration of my experiences, to heal and become my true self.

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.

Daniel J. Siegel has quite the pedigree: medical degree from Harvard University, postgraduate education from UCLA, successful author, speaker, and psychiatrist. His most significant literary contribution, The Developing Mind, received acclaim from such sources as the American Journal of Psychiatry, the Psychiatric Times, and colleagues from Columbia University, UCLA, and the University of Edinburgh. Siegel weaves information, both theoretical and practical, together from the areas of neurobiology, child development, systems theory, complexity and attachment theory, memory and emotion. His has the ability to take multifarious constructs and present them in a way that engages and educates his intended audience: clinicians, educators, researchers and students.In the preface, Siegel discloses his thesis; that "interactions with the environment, especially relationships with other people, directly shape the development of the brain's structure and function" (p. xii). Siegel fully unveils to his readership the fundamental principles behind his perspective and then summarizes the content and contribution of each subsequent chapter. While some readers might be tempted to read those introductory comments and feel that they have grasped the focus of the text, the detailed introduction serves as more of an enticement to read further.After a brief review of brain neurobiology and development, Siegel's begins his presentation with a discussion on memory. He notes that "information is encoded and retrieved through the synaptic changes that direct the flow of energy through the neural system, the brain" (p. 24). Siegel addresses the dynamics at work within the brain's structure that allow for plasticity and the implantation of experiential history.Siegel then presents a thorough yet concise overview of attachment theory noting how early experiences relate to self-organization. He comments on how current research on emotion has demonstrated that emotion is not found only within the confines of the limbic regions, but is "found throughout the entire brain" (p. 122). He also posits that emotional activations are generated by the brain's value systems; he proposes that this dictates that both emotion and meaning come from the same source.In a discussion about representations, Siegel focuses upon the interactions within the right and left sides of the brain and how the distinct features of each respective side contribute to relationship development, representational process, and reflection. Siegel relates this discussion about bilateral process to his foundational premise by noting how crucial it is that early neural connections share both energy and information. It is at this juncture that Siegel begins to expand further to address treatment, noting how focused reflective dialogue may foster bilateral integration.Siegel furthers his argument by introducing the concept of the state of mind, a "clustering of functionally synergistic processes that allow the mind as a whole to form a cohesive state of activity" (p. 209). As development moves from simplicity toward complexity, the state of mind is set by both context and history. Early developmental activation shapes the structure of the brain's circuitry in such a way that later, contemporary states of mind are formed and reinforced based upon that early activation. Growth, in this perspective, then hinges upon the ability to create a stable, flexible coherence.The topic of self-regulation is the natural outflow of the furthering discussion on mind organization and integration. Siegel addresses the irresponsible reductionistic thinking present in genetics vs. learning arguments. He posits that new information is interpreted by the brain's structure, both prior experiences and biological reality. This flow of energy and information is directed by emotional engagement with others. For adequate self-organization to occur, there must be neural integration. As noted in his introduction and as demonstrated strategically throughout The Developing Mind, it is Siegel's assertion that emotion is the central component to integration and that self-integration "is continually created by an interaction of internal neurophysiological processes and interpersonal relationships" (p. 314).Siegel accomplishes the purpose established at the outset. He explores memory, attachment, emotion, representation, states of mind, self-regulation, interpersonal connection, and integration and presents them as a network that explains how self-regulation, interpersonal connections and mental integration are formed. The Developing Mind addresses etiology within this framework as well as practical applications for treatment. His key contribution to his field is an engaging read for his intended audience.

A great book. Clear, precise, well documented. A joy to read. As a psychoterapist it is the book I was waiting. At the end all problems come from the brain function, and the book helps to understand why some people have problems that resist "normal" therapy, and what to do. I read it as a mistery novel with surprises at every page.