Developmental Psychology

 

Developmental psychology deals with physical, cognitive and social-emotional development processes of people during their lifespan (Berk, 2010).  Scientists, or psychologists, recognize the genetic differences between each individual that provide the biological and physical baseline for each individual; some baselines are very similar; some are drastically different.  Collectively, ethnicity provides generalization of certain biological and physical traits and attributes.  These generalized baselines are subjected to the influences by teratogens, or environmental agents, which began even before one’s conception and one becomes an embryo.  Social, cultural, environmental and economical influences also play a part in addition to biological and physical traits and attributes through heredity.  The genetic and environmental impact on lifespan development brings us back to the nature versus nurture debate.  Similar to many other developmental psychology topics, most researchers agree lifespan development involves the interaction between genetic and environmental factors (Berk, 2010).  These interactions resulted in extremely diverse development pathways especially in the sociocultural aspect.  Hence, inevitably, certain areas of theory in developmental psychology are domain-general and other areas are domain-specific (Miao & Wang, 2003).  In the same token, in Western developmental psychology, certain theories are generally applicable to a vast number of cultures and societies, and there are theories are only applicable to certain unique cultures and societies.

 

Based on the argument stated above, from a cultural diversity perspective, there is no one size fits all in developmental psychology.  However, instead of societies and nations developing developmental psychology in isolation, it is natural for later comers to learn from the establishments such as American and European psychologists.

 

Take China as an example: developmental psychology in China has gone through a period of changes, setback and thrive (Miao & Wang, 2003).  Other than the ancient Chinese philosophers and educators such as Confucius, Mencius and others, who came up with ideas and thoughts concerning mental and psychological development for individuals, psychology was introduced as a scientific subject in China only at the turn of the 20th century.  At the early phases of development, due to historical influences, developmental psychology in China was significantly influenced by Western theories, and then by Soviet psychology in 1950s and early 1960s.  Only at the later part of the century that psychologists in China began to derive their original experiments rather than replicating from the others (Miao & Wang, 2003).  Miao and Wang suggested that there are domain-general areas in developmental psychology such as the Piagetian theories in cognitive development prediction based on age, the sequential moral development, the development of self-concept, and others (2003).  On the other hand, there are domain-specific sociocultural matters such as one-child family, three- or two-generation family structure, gender differences and others that provide specific social situations that allow psychologists to reexamine Western developmental psychology from an alternative cultural angle (Miao & Wang, 2003).    

 

While there are forces driving Western developmental psychology approaches in diverse settings and groups, researchers cannot neglect a counterbalanced force pulling from the opposite direction.  Globalization in economic, educational and social activities have since converged cultures and societies.  The globalization forces have changed people’s behaviour very rapidly and diminished sociocultural and economical boundaries.  It is an interesting area that requires attention from psychologist, or developmental psychologist.  The only difference in this issue is that it is not societal or cultural specific but it affects everyone!

 

As highlighted in Greenfield’s theory of social change and human development, the “new theory of social change and human development aims to show how changing sociodemographic ecologies alter cultural values and learning environments and thereby shift developmental pathways. (Greenfield, 2009, p. 401)”  In the case of globalization, it is not only an adaptive process from Gemeinschaft to Gesellschaft, but to a global Gesellschaft.

 

References:

 

Berk, L. E. (2010).  Development through the lifespan (5th ed).  Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

 

Greenfield, P. M. (2009).  Linking social change and developmental change: Shifting pathways of human development.  Developmental Psychology, 45(2), 401-418.

 

Miao, X., & Wang, W. (2003).  A century of Chinese developmental psychology.  International Journal of Psychology, 38(5), 258-273.