Seasons of Life Audio

Audio - 26 Half-Hour Programs

Half-Hour Programs

A complete course in social science's lifespan perspective. From those who study it, from those who live it.

1. "Of Seasons, Stories, and Lives."  Developmental clocks keeping time.  Memories becoming a story.  It's the "lifespan perspective."

2. "The Story of Erik Erikson."  Artist and psychoanalyst, he painted a new portrait of the life course.

3. "When Genes Are Not Normal."  What one couple went through in 1990.  Even more prenatal testing is available today.

4. "When to Have a Baby."  Three developmental clocks, and two couples, have their say.  All have a history. 

5. "The Biography of the Brain."  It has a story too.  And it goes back a long way.

6. "Attachment: The Dance Begins."  The when, the who, the where, the why.  A newborn must create a bond.

7. "First Words."  Is that "mamama" or "papa" really a word?  When does it become one?

8. "Then Sentences."  So intricate a feat, and children do it on their own.  The learning of a language's rules.

9. "'How To' Time."  Childhood: that of humans is unique.  It works because it's long.

10. "Piaget and the Age of Reason."  Between the ages of 5 and 7 children put on a new thinking cap.  Try these experiments.

11. "Because I Wear Dresses."  Learning whether you're a boy or girl.  The story of gender identity.

12. "Making Friends."  The classroom is important, but so is the schoolyard.  Not all kids find friendship there.

13. "Everything is Harder."  It is when a physical disability is involved.  Here are two youngsters with cerebral palsy--and a resilient spirit.

14. "Changing Bodies."  The first in your class to wear a bra.  The last to grow a beard.  Timing makes a difference.

15. "Beyond the Concrete."  Imagining a self, imagining a different world, getting a story.  Adolescent thinking opens up possibilities.

16. "Through the Risks."  There is a path through the dangers of early adolescence.  It helps to have a guide.

17. "Seasons of Eros."  We are sexual beings from the first day of life to the last.

18. "The Development of Faith."  Religious faith, secular faith, faith of any kind.  These are stages in its formation, says James Fowler.

19. "Someone Else's Child."  What to expect when you become a stepparent--an instant mother or father to a stranger.

20. "Improving the Odds."  Are there things you can do to extend your years?  Check out this Life Expectancy Test.

21. "What Makes an Expert?"  Musical savant, chess player, hockey star, surgeon.  Are masters born or made?

22. "The Life Course of Work."  We are what we do, but few of us do one thing for life.

23. "The Watch, the Water, and Why We Die."  The 20th century saw a 25 year gain in life expectancy.  Have we reached the upper limit?

24. "Forgetting and Wisdom."  If you remembered all the trees in your life, would you ever see the forest?

25. "The New Grandparents."  There are greats and great-greats, even a great-great-great-great.  Grandparental roles are changing.

26. "Of Seasons and Survivors."  The loss of a son, the honoring of a great-grandfather.  What helps the bereaved.  This program won the 1991 Award of the American Psychological Association for Excellence in Radio.

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