Provided by David Satcher, M.D., Ph.D.
Surgeon General of the United States of America
Chapter 2
Overview of Development, Temperament, and Risk Factors
Theories of Psychological Development
Theories of human development are grounded in the
developmental perspective. The developmental perspective takes into account the
biological, social, and psychological environment; their interaction; and their
combined effect upon the individual throughout the life span. Developmentalist
L. Breger (1974) proposes that the developmental perspective incorporates three
key precepts:
Behavioral maturation proceeds from the simple to the complex;
Future behaviors, whether temporally near or distant, are a product of their
antecedents (prior responses to the developmental environment); and
The human response to a particular event or experience often depends on the
developmental stage at which the experience occurs.
Each of these precepts is thought to apply to neurobiological development, as
well as behavioral/psychosocial development. Moreover, each has implications for
whether an individual experiences either healthful or unhealthful development
that may lead to a mental disorder.
The three precepts are at the heart of each of the three major mainstream
theories of developmental psychology that have guided research and increased our
understanding of both normal and abnormal human development across the life
span. The following paragraphs offer brief sketches of the developmental
theories of Jean Piaget, Erik Erikson, and John Bowlby; again, these sketches
are provided to afford the reader an historical perspective of research on
psychological development.
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