Now available in paperback!

"An intensely powerful book."(1)

Memoir and science come together in A Compelling Idea to open a window into the personal and professional journey of a “superstar psychologist.”

"Alan Sroufe is the leading developmental theorist of his generation."(2)

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.

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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.

"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."(3)

1. Mary Dozier, PhD, is Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Amy E. DuPont Chair in Child Development at the University of Delaware.
2. Everett Waters, Professor of Psychology, SUNY Stony Brook
3. Mary Main, Professor Emerita, & Erik Hesse, Associate Adjunct Professor, University of California, Berkeley