Change is a state in our life that we could hardly ignore or avoid. As we grew up, we observed how we became taller than the kitchen sink we used to sit on. Also, our voices changed drastically compared to how they sounded when we were kids.
At the same time, we witnessed how our moods persisted and how our habits changed over the years. Human development indeed plays an unconscious role in our lives. We are actually involuntarily experiencing it as we grow old.
Did you know that there is an entire field dedicated to this very interesting craft in psychology? Check developmental psychology.
Developmental Psychology is a special field in psychology that aims to explain and discover why humans change. It observes how a person’s behavior, thoughts, or feelings change as he moves on to the next chapters.
This field in psychology uses different approaches to explain these changes. It could be biological with the help of evolutionary and developmental biology. It may also be a social approach.
The persisting theories of person-society connections can explain development. It can be through an emotional method too. An example is assessing the changes through how a person feels or reacts.
Developmental psychology covers the entire lifetime of a person in uncovering its themes. But normally, it emphasizes the child or youth stage. Experts say that it is the period where human development occurs drastically. In fact, changes at this point occur multiple times.
Psychologists in this field aim to do three major things: describe, explain, and optimize or induce development.
Describing the developmental patterns of a specific individual is the first step in developmental psychology. It includes identifying normative (typical) or idiographic (personal or unique) mechanisms of change.
Upon describing, a psychologist will then aim to explain how and why these changes occur. Using extensive perspectives, this part is much more taxing compared to the foremost.
The last part of this process is the optimization of development. Here, experts use their findings and research to help the person in his current or future situations.
Developmental psychology also targets to answer and specify some questions in psychology. Some of these questions include the following:
- Nature vs. Nurture (which between personal biology or environmental background impact more changes in human development)
- Continuity or Discontinuity (whether people go through gradual or abrupt changes)
- Stability or Change (will a specific personality stay on a child, or will his interactions with the world change it)
If you want to know more about developmental psychology and how psychologist uses it to help people deal with their normal lives, check out the handy FAQs provided to you’re here below:
What is a developmental psychologist?
A developmental psychologist studies how individuals develop, grow, and adapt to various life phases. He performs research created to help people attain their highest potential.
What is an example of developmental psychology?
Developmental psychologists frequently use several theories to explore various areas of human development.
For instance, a psychologist evaluating intellectual development in a child may utilize Piaget’s cognitive development approach. This outlines the essential stages that children experience as they learn.
Is Developmental Psychology the same as Lifespan Psychology?
Lifespan psychology is also known as developmental psychology. This is a branch of psychology that focuses on the changes in motivational, social, cognitive, and psychophysiological functioning throughout one’s lifespan.
What are the three major issues in developmental psychology?
The three major issues in developmental psychology are as follows:
- Stability and change. This explores which traits exist throughout one’s lifespan.
- Nature and nurture. This answers the query on how genetic inheritance, or our nature, relates to one’s experiences or nurture, affecting a person’s development.
- Continuity and stages: this explains the parts of development, which are slow yet continuous.
Who is the most famous developmental psychologist?
Jean Piaget is the most popularly known developmental psychologist.
What are the five major principles of human development from a life span perspective?
Baltes’ lifespan approach stresses that development is long-lasting, multidirectional, multidisciplinary, contextual, plastic, and multidimensional.
What are the four principles of development?
The three principles of child development are as follows:
- Social – how a child connects, talks, and plays with others.
- Cognitive – how children think, solve problems, reason, and comprehend and use language.
- Emotional – a child’s self-awareness, how he expresses his emotions and takes care of himself, and feels about himself.
What is Baltes’s theory?
Baltes stresses that the development of a specific domain does not happen in a precisely linear way. Rather, the development of particular traits can be described as having the ability to decrease and increase effectiveness throughout a person’s life.
What is the life span approach?
The lifespan approach has developed an all-embracing framework for attempting to understand human development from birth to death.
Development evolves as a process that comprises both losses and gains throughout a person’s lifespan, resulting in a multidirectional, multifunctional, and multidimensional perspective.
What characterizes the life span approach?
Baltes’ lifespan perspective stresses that development is long-lasting, multidisciplinary, multidirectional, multidimensional, plastic, and contextual.
What are the four important issues of lifespan development?
The four vital issues of lifespan development are the nature-nurture dispute, continuity versus discontinuity in terms of development, whether or not to focus on particular stages or the whole life span, and the importance of critical stages.
Why is Lifespan Psychology important?
Lifespan development discovers how people change and grow from birth to death. This specific field is learned and practiced by developmental psychologists.
They see development as a constant process that can be studied methodically through three developmental areas – psychosocial, physical, and cognitive development.
What is multidimensional psychology?
Development happens through a person’s whole life – hence, it is life-long. Development is also multidimensional, meaning that it involves the active interaction of elements such as psychosocial, emotional, and physical development.
It is multidirectional as well, and it results in losses and gains throughout an individual’s life.
Conclusion
Developmental psychology provides a fresh perspective to understand the human psyche better. It has connections with different fields like biology, human anatomy, and even social sciences.
Through that, it gets to comprehend human behavioral and emotional patterns in a very comprehensive way.
In fact, the flexibility of this field has been used to contribute to various themes like:
- Self-concept problems
- Emotional and Motor development
- Moral Reasoning and Language Learning
Dedicated experts have also been trusting this area of practice to predict and answer problems involving the human person, such as:
- Learning disabilities or problems
- Issues with motor-skill development
- Emotional Awareness
Developmental psychology is a good way to assess children’s development. Experts in this field welcome people from all age groups and periods of life. They respond to anyone who wants help about their personal developments or are curious about their aging.
If you are looking forward to having yourself assessed, do your research first and ask questions. See to it to address any confusions or clarifications that you may have. Also, be sure to know what to look for, such as health insurance agent red flags.
When you get a result showing you have an issue, make sure to keep an open mind. Research and learn more about it. Coordinate with your health care practitioner. Your full commitment will be a significant role-player in the process.