[1] Damon writes on intellectual and social development through the lifespan and has contributed to applied fields such as entrepreneurship education and philanthropic strategy.

Damon’s editorship of the 5th and 6th editions of the Handbook of Child Psychology [6] places him–along with Carl Murchison, Leonard Carmichael, and Paul Mussen–as one of the great organizers and synthesizers of developmental science.

As part of Damon’s commitment to the study of human growth, he also was the founder and long-term editor of the series New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development.

Damon emphasized that thinking and behavior develop in dynamic relationship with family, peers, teachers, and the larger social world.

Damon argued that, “with best intentions,” parents and schools have been in large part responsible for this situation: our culture's unwavering focus on self-esteem and child-centered practices are misguided and reflect a misunderstanding of “the nature of children and their developmental needs.

The book received criticism from some educators who believed that children need more attention and creative freedom to grow rather than, as Damon wrote, the encouragement to take on hard challenges and to develop internal discipline and good habits.

His first book on this subject, Some Do Care: Contemporary Lives of Moral Commitment (1992), written with psychologist Anne Colby, introduced a new method of "exemplar research" to the study of human development and has been widely cited and built upon in the field.

[to provide] guidance for parenting, for improved educational practice, and for youth development in a wide variety of community settings.” One study examined young people who exhibit a striking sense of purpose.

In a series of studies with Howard Gardner and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Damon examined purposeful work in several professional and business settings.

The Path to Purpose presents Damon's vision of how schools and parents can help young people find elevated goals to dedicate themselves to, and it contains a critique of prevalent "short-horizons thinking" in today's culture that fosters cynicism and anxiety rather than inspiration, optimism, and faith.

In the book, Damon discusses the benefits of unravelling family secrets, of coming to terms with past regrets, and of renewing self-identity in a forward-looking and purposeful manner.

All of this is done in the context of a "life review," a method of systematically examining one's past, and the lives of one's ancestors, to forge a positive present identity.

Jonathan Yardley of the Washington Post called Damon's book Greater Expectations "A voice of common sense...forthright, clearheaded and courageous."

In The Path to Purpose: How Young People Find Their Calling in Life, Bill Damon examines one of the most important personal and social issues of our time, and does so with a rare mix of sound data, compelling theory, practical recommendations and engaging prose.

This splendid, rich volume tells the story of coming to terms with one’s past to face the present and demonstrates the redemptive, reinvigorating power of looking back on one’s life.” Michael Murphy (golf author) wrote "(a) gripping detective story, a deeply touching personal memoir, a critique of developmental psychology, a compendium of life-giving maxims, and a celebration of disciplined life review.