ROBERT KEGAN. In Over Our Heads. The Mental Demands of Modern Life. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 1994, 1995, 396 pp., $15.95 (pbv.), ISBN 0-674-44587-2. Those of us stimulated and even enchanted by Robert Kegan's 1982 book The Evolving Self (Harvard University Press) have been waiting further elaboration as well as rectification of intriguing constructive-developmental theory that book espoused. Robert Kegan, senior lecturer at Harvard Graduate School of Education and a nationally known educator, has now written a second book, In Over Our Heads, with exactly this purpose, addressing the most familiar challenges (p. 7) to theory, as well as expanding stage theory which The Evolving Self had delineated from infancy to adolescence, further from adolescence through adult life cycle. Constructive-developmental theory delineates a person's level of meaningmaking that is the organizing principle we bring to our thinking and our feelings and our relating to others and to ... parts of ourselves (p. 29). Kegan views meaning-making as being constituted by particular kinds of subject-object relationships. Subject refers to elements we are . ... and . . cannot be responsible for (p. 32), while is outside of us distinct enough from us that we can do something with it (p. 32). Kegan has now come to call this development the transformation of consciousness and takes us step by step from Consciousness 2 to Consciousness 5. Consciousness 2 characterizes adolescents, embedded their egocentric needs which must move from subject to object before Consciousness 3, signalling mastery of civic responsibility, can be achieved. Yet, Consciousness 3, still embedded Traditionalism, works best a stable culture which community lays down clear standards and provides appropriate and highly visible universally accepted models, which is not case our current society. Modern life, which author views as pervading our current climate name of Modernity, will be mastered more competently Consciousness 4, which relationships must move from subject to object, from being one's relationships to having them, being one's roles and rules to becoming more of one's own agent. The author addresses chapter by chapter major tasks of adulthood, such as Parenting (chapter 3), Partnering (chapter 4) Working (chapter 5) Healing through psychotherapy (chapter 7) continued Learning (chapter 8) to show how demands of modern life frequently exceed the capacities of adult mind (p. 5). He calls these demands difficult curriculum of our Western culture and suggests by title of book that many of us tend to be in over our heads, arrested Consciousness 3 when Consciousness 4 is called for. …