Assess The Difference Between Developmental Psychology Continuity And Discontinuity

A further distinction between developmental theorists sees some as holding a discontinuous theory of development that is believing that stages are discrete and distinct, with children moving from one to the other in a clear cut fashion, whereas others believe that the stages are continuous and overlap, with the child moving to and fro across distinctions. ‘Developmental theories recognize both consistency and variability in child development’ (DEEWR, 2010: 2).

Development of a person throughout his or her whole lifetime can be seen either as a continuous process or as a final status to be attained. Psychologists agree

According to Cliff Notes, Developmental psychology is the scientific study of age-related changes throughout the human life span. A discipline of scientific inquiry, developmental psychology recognizes humans of all societies and cultures as beings who are “in process,” or constantly growing and changing. This discipline identifies the biological, psychological, and social aspects that interact to influence the growing human life-span process. Within the last 25 years, developmentalist’s researchers who study human development expanded their focus to include the study of the physical, motor, cognitive, intellectual, emotional, personality, social, and moral changes that occur throughout all stages of the life span (cliff notes).

Lifespan development is a scientific approach to questions about growth, change, and stability in physical, cognitive, social, and personality characteristics at all ages from conception to death (Feldman, 2014 Seventh Edition). In reading the chapter I found three theories very interesting evolutionary, cognitive, and psychodynamic. The reason I find evolutionary perspective because I feel as though this perspective or theory is the base of study. When we are born we have genetic make-up for two people with two family trees. The blending is sometimes a hard transition. We all have been around child and seen their parents’ characteristics in the child. Evolutionary perspective attributes to the genetic inheritance from our ancestors, contending that genes determine not only traits such as skin and eye color, but certain personality traits and social behaviors (Feldman, 2014 Seventh Edition). We all see and new edition in a family and sit and try and pick out which parent the child looks like. We are a very diverse place. The traits and genetic studies are a constant for new developments and updated current practices. Education on social norms of new populations are a must. As we learned throughout history change is a shock. We need to educate and adapt to the societal new comers. Problems occur in the lag between establishment of new members and educative process which has caused some havoc for community members. With more and more cultural differences and blending there

Different researchers have different opinion about how children develop through various stages of development. Some of them are of the opinion that children’s development are continuous and rapid while others are of the opinion that there are different stages of development and that each stage is stable just for a period of time.

Erickson’s theory of life stages and development helps us understand how each of us develops throughout our lives. It explains theories starting from birth and continuing on into life. It helps us to understand why people respond the way they do when presented with certain stimuli or put in certain situations. It

One of the key goals of psychology is understanding how and why people function the way that they do. Lifespan development allows us to look at the whole picture of human development and see how life experiences influence decision making. Many people consider lifespan development to be an interdisciplinary field of study, encompassing both the examination of internal factors, such as mental cognition over time and genetics, and external factors, such as one’s environment. Key areas of development that highlight the influence of both nature and nurture include health, both mental and physical, and learning. It is through research and experimentation that psychologists are able to conclude that both nature and nurture yield developmental variations in individuals in every stage of life.

The study of human development is a science. It is based on theories, data, analysis, critical thinking, and sound methodology (Berger). Five characteristics of Development that will be discussed in this paper are multidirectional, multi-contextual, multicultural, multidisciplinary and plasticity. There are also five theories of development which are psychoanalytical, behaviorism, cognitive, socio-cultural, and epigenetic theory. Together these characteristics and theories can be used together to get a better understanding of the human development and how much genetics play a role in development and how much the

In Psychology the three most debates between persons carry topic such as 1.Nature versus Nurture 2. Stability versus change and the continuity versus Discontinuity .These all are different problems that the world is facing today. Aspects of the past that remained the same over certain periods of time are referred to as continuities. Continuity and change are evident in any given period of time and concepts such as progress and decline may be used to evaluate continuity and change. ( (n.d.). Retrieved October 30, 2014, from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Glossary?a=H&t=continuity and change)

Developmental psychology is the study of how and why people develop the way they do over the course of their lives. In the early days of study it was primarily concerned with the development of the child. Now it is understood that development continues throughout adulthood. Initially developmental psychology focused on the differences between adults and children but then the study of Darwin’s theory of evolution prompted a re-think. ‘Functionalism’ suggests that behavioural changes are a result of a realisation that this new behaviour will benefit the individual. This idea derives directly from Darwin’s theory which argues that behaviours which increase an organism’s chance for survival are selected for through the process of evolution. Changes

The guiding principle surrounding psychodynamic theory is that it perceives development as a continuous process with tenets in both the subconscious and conscious and a focus on inherent biological motivations and social safeguards (Hoffnung et al 2013:36). As a result of these concepts, several theorists have hypothesised psychodynamic theory in healthy development.

Erikson's psychosocial theory, Vygoskys cognitive theory and Brofenbronner's Ecological theory play an important role in the development of children, adolescence and adulthood . The main reason behind this theories is to explain the different stages that the typical human goes through, beginning from conception through the human life span. Psychoanalytic theories believe that the early experience of life with parents is responsible for the path that a child's development follows. Cognitive theories focus on the importance of conscious thoughts, and behavioral cognitive theories state that development is affected by behavior and the environment (Santrock, 2014 p. 23 ). All of this and more are all theories that many theorist believe describe

The influence of the contextual world view on the conceptualization of the individual in relation to developmental psychology can be described as follows: First, the individual is seen as constantly changing. In addition, the change that occurs is viewed as an interaction of the individual and the context within which they live. Thus, a developmental psychologist operating from this perspective would examine the interaction of biological, psychological, historical, and sociological factors on an individual's development; the gestalt including not only the

The development of a child is viewed from a number of different perspectives by several developmental theorists. While some say that development continues throughout the life, others would hold an opinion that children stop to develop as soon as they mature. Therefore, lifespan developmental theorists have focused on a number of areas while studying the development of an individual. Some of these areas include cognitions, social development, sexual development, moral development and more. Each of these theories is important in order to completely analyze the process whereby which a child matures and transitions into an adult.

Developmental psychology is a branch of the study that characterizes the human life span through physical, cognitive and social change. A human goes through three distinct life span stages, including infancy and childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. The study of developmental psychology focuses on three major issues starting with nature and nurture, which deals with interactions between genetic inheritance and experiences to alter human development (Myers & Dewall, 2015). The second issue is the continuity and stages of the human life span. This issue targets the gradual and continuous parts of development and also the abrupt changes throughout each stage of life. Even though all individuals may pass through each stage of life at a different pace, everyone faces them in the same order. The last of the three aspects of developmental psychology is stability and change. This study identifies which human traits carry throughout the entire life span and how they change with age. Stability and change are both key aspects in the progression of age. Part of a human’s identity is shown through their stability. If an individual is stable with themselves in life, it allows them to depend on others and feel sympathy and care for the development of a healthy child. To see a better future, one must first be open to change. With an outgoing personality and receptive mindset, one will have a greater chance of living an excellent life. A human’s potential for change stimulates concerns