PROGRESS, PARADIGMS, AND UNRESOLVED PROBLEMS - A COMMENTARY ON RECENTADVANCES IN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF CHILDRENS EMOTIONS

Highlighted in this commentary are the advances represented by the pap ers in this invitational issue of the Merrill-Palmer Quarterly on emot ion and socialization, as well as remaining problems and future resear ch directions. First, a major message of this issue is the embeddednes s of emotion in social interactions, relationships, and contexts. Seco nd, a tripartite view of emotion socialization is offered, one which s tresses interaction, direct teaching, and regulation of opportunities for learning about emotions. Third, future research needs to be direct ed to the developmental appropriateness of strategies, to positive rat her than negative affect, and to the cultural contexts of emotion.