Abstract

Psychological development refers to growth and progress on the full gamut of human dimensions across the lifespan. The study of psychological development has been concerned with questions such as: What develops?; In what sequence?; Are there identifiable stages and phases of development?; What processes underlie developmental change?; Are there general principles of development and change that apply across all ages?; What factors enhance or retard development?; What explains inter-individual differences?; and To what extent is development socially and culturally determined? An engagement with the literature reveals a range of very different theoretical and empirical approaches to the above questions. Furthermore, the questions that are posed are typically framed within a particular theoretical position and/or contain basic theoretical assumptions about development.