'This volume by one of the leading social and developmental psychologists in the field today is a tour de force. Always sound as well as critically astute, Professor Schaffer provides us with a very thoughtful and well-researched set of answers, gleaned from the scientific literature on child development and shaped for understanding by researchers and practitioners alike. The author has done a remarkable service for a field in which the researchers themselves ofter despair of discovering definitive answers and in which clinicians ofter wonder whether the available research can truly inform their practical judgements in everyday urgent situations.' Lewis P. Lipsitt Professor of Psychology and Medical Science, Brown University. - Do women make better parents than men? - Do children need a parent of each sex? - Does separation from parents cause psychological trauma? - Is group day care bad for young children? - Are children harmed by their parent's divorce? These are some of the crucial questions that more and more professional people - lawyers, doctors, social workers, psychologists - are called upon to make in the course of their work with children. Such decisions can have grave implications for children and their families. Therefore, it is imperative that any course of action fully take account of the knowledge accumulated from child development research. The aim of this book is to bridge the gap between research and practice. Professionals will find useful knowledge about children's social development and family relationships set out in an easy to read and meaningful form.