Developmental Psychology
Bretherton, I. (1993). Theoretical
contributions from developmental
psychology. In P. G. Boss, W. J.
Doherty, R. LaRossa, W. R. Schumm, &
S. K. Steinmetz (Eds.), Sourcebook of
family theories and methods: A
contextual approach (pp. 275-297).
New York: Plenum Press.
Contributions from Developmental
Psychology
 James Mark Baldwin:
 Social relationships, particularly those with
parents and siblings, influence human
development.
 Multiple social selves: one person has
different social selves which are developed in
different social relationships.
 New experiences are understood in terms of
old experiences.
 To become a full member of society, people
must develop shared social representations of
the world.
 Impact of different relationships:
Authority figures such as parents contribute
to new learning.
Relationships with peers allow the child to
practice already-known skills.
Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson
Contributions from Dev.
Psychology (cont.)
 James B. Watson:
 A behaviorist who suggested that humans
should only be studied by observing their
behaviors.
 Parenting should be a science based on
conditioning principles.
 Arnold Gessell: studied the bi-directional
influence of the parent-child dyad.
 Lewin: also studied bi-directional
influence between parent and child, but
noted that environment strongly
influenced development.
Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson
Contributions from Psychoanalytic
Theories
 Object relations theory suggests that
relatedness to others is the most basic
need.
 Capacity for close interpersonal
relationships is influenced by type of care
an infant receives (e.g., tender versus
anxious) (Sullivan, 1953).
 The “good enough parent” (based on
Winnicott, 1958):
 Provides a “holding environment” so that an
infant can become organized as a person.
 Two roles of this parent which allow an infant
to become attuned to her/his own bodily
impulses:
Appropriate and prompt response to child’s
needs results in a sense of efficacy.
Place limited demands on the child when
not needed so that the infant develops a
capacity for aloneness which is central to a
stable self.
Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson
Contributions from Psychoanalytic
Theories (cont.)
 Erikson suggested eight major dilemmas
that are universally experienced:
 Basic trust versus mistrust (infancy).
 Autonomy versus shame and doubt (early
childhood).
 Initiative versus guilt (childhood).
 Industry versus inferiority (early adolescence).
 Identity versus role confusion (adolescence).
 Intimacy versus isolation (youth).
 Generativity (being productive -- ambition)
versus stagnation (adulthood).
 Integrity versus despair (old age).
Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson
Assumptions
 The parent-child relationship plays a
crucial role in the development of a sense
of self and the capacity for relatedness to
others.
 Patterns of social interaction with parents
are internalized . . . [which] affect a
person’s capacity for close relationships
outside the family.
 Parental input operates through the
child’s ability to process it.
 Cultural values of the elder generation
affect the patterning of the parent-child
relationship.
 Generativity, or the need to nurture, is a
critical phase in adult development.
Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson
Attachment Theory
 Postulate: the human infant is preadapted
to respond to it’s caregiver.
 Evolutionary function: attachment
behaviors promote close proximity to the
caregiver so that the child can be
protected from danger.
 Type of attachment is influenced by
caregiving; children can be categorized
as:
 Secure.
 Ambivalent (e.g., seek comfort but show anger
or resistance)
 Avoidant.
 Insecure-disorganized: difficult to classify in
one of the preceding categories.
Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson
The Ecological Theory of Human
Development
 Two important points:
 It is important to study human development in
it’s broader context.
 Research should have ecological validity: “the
environment experienced by the subjects in a
scientific investigation [should] have the
properties it is supposed or assumed to have
by the investigator” (Bronfenbrenner, 1979, p.
29; quoted in Bretherton, 1993, p. 286).
 Structure of the environment influences
development. There are four systems:
 Microsystem
 Mesosystem
 Exosystem
 Macrosystem
Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson
The Ecological Theory of Human
Development (cont.)
 Microsystem:
 Face-to-face experiences which feature a
pattern of
 activities,
 roles,
 and interpersonal relations
 The experiences occur with people who have
distinctive characteristics of
 temperament,
 personality,
 and systems of personal belief.
 Mesosystem:
 A system of microsystems.
 The linkage and processed between important
settings (e.g., home and daycare or school).
 Exosystem:
 Two or more settings, but one does not
include the child (e.g., parent’s employment).
 There is still a direct effect on the child.
Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson
The Ecological Theory of Human
Development (cont.)
 Macrosystem: the social blueprint for a
particular culture which influence through
a variety of internal and external
processes, including
 belief systems,
 resources,
 hazards,
 life styles,
 opportunity structures,
 life course options,
 patterns of social interchange.
Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson
Example of a Contextual Study
 Variables:
 Exosystem: retrospective evaluation of
relationship to parents and social support.
 Microsystem: observation of parent-child
interactions and measurement of individual
qualities.
 Findings:
 Negative change in marital satisfaction after
the birth of the child predicted attachment.
 When all factors functioned in a positive,
supportive mode, attachment was secure.
 Exosystem: mother’s of securely attached
children reported having more ego strength
and interpersonal affection.
Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson