Talented Teenagers: The Roots of Success and Failure (Cambridge Studies in Social & Emotional Development)

'The most significant study of talent development to appear ... [in] almost a decade ... It is must reading for anyone wanting to grasp how the promise of youth converts to the triumphs of maturity.' Contemporary Psychology

'The result of an extensive five-year study, this pioneering book examines a group of gifted teenagers in an effort to understand the loss of motivation and diminution of talent that takes place during this troublesome period.' The Readers' Catalog Bulletin

'Written in a comprehensible reading style, the book is well organized with clear chapter summaries.' Choice

'Thorough and well documented, Talented Teens is particularly valuable in that its message is applicable to all teenagers, not just to those who are exceptionally talented.' Teacher Magazine

'For a society concerned about survival, no issue is more important than the cultivation of its talented young, no outcome more devastating than the loss of talented individuals. Once again Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and his colleagues demonstrate that well-crafted social science can shed new light on such crucial issues.' Howard Gardner, Harvard University

Talented Teenagers is a fascinating and absorbing examination of what makes adolescents tick: what roles personality traits, family interactions, education, and the social environment play in a young person's motivation to develop his or her talent. Vivid descriptions in the students' own words bring the material to life.