This first South African edition of Human Development: A Life-Span View introduces the student to the issues, forces, and outcomes that make us who we are. It covers contemporary research and theory on human development, set within a South African context, with emphasis on the multidisciplinary approach needed to describe and explain how people change over time. The text follows a chronological approach, tracing development from conception through late life in sequential order with several chapters dedicated to topical issues across the life span. The organisation and learning features of the text are designed to make it easier for students to learn about human development.