Analysing behaviour: developmental principles

Abstract

It is time to introduce the reader to a branch of psychology called ‘developmental psychology’ (see chapter 5). The study of child development involves a special and crucial way of looking at the human changes, events, characteristics and behaviours studied by general psychology. The developmental theorist looks at these psychological happenings and events, which are separated in time, as being lawfully and meaningfully associated with each other in a process of progressive change over time; a movement called ‘development’. Development thus refers to the multiple forces and processes which are responsible for shaping each individual’s personality.