Introduction to Developmental Psychology

Developmental Psychology is the study of human development from birth through old age. It's sometimes called, “Life-Span Psychology." There are many theories and concepts within Developmental Psychology, including Erik Erikson’s famous paradigm of psychological tasks to be completed in order to achieve age-appropriate psychological maturity and personal success. Developmental Psychology is used in education, aging, therapy, child and family services, and other fields.

The Roots of Developmental Psychology

The history of modern developmental theories goes back to DesCartes, Rousseau, Locke and Darwin. Later, Freud's theory of psycho-sexual development is an example of what we now call Developmental Psychology. Jean Piaget's cognitive development model, Kohlberg's theory of moral development and many more theories and models followed. Discussion of norms, or normative human maturational stages, have been central to Developmental Psychology.

Applications of Developmental Psychology

There are many approaches to marriage and family counseling, substance abuse treatment, career counseling and several other populations, purposes and settings that are based on Developmental Psychology. It's a psychology rich in the kinds of research possibilities available too, and perhaps more than any other psychology, influences policy in education, social and other sectors as well. Developmental Psychology is often referenced in school and educational, organizational, personality, biological and other psychologies too. Explore more about Developmental Psychology to get a better sense of the many academic and career opportunities a knowledge of this psychology offers.

Exploring Developmental Psychology

There are no less than 1,650,000 pages using the keywords, Developmental Psychology, listed by Google. The Psi Cafe and the American Psychological Association's (APA) Developmental Psychlogy Links are good starting points. There are dozens of journals and many books on Developmental Psychology, too. You can also consult a career and academic counselor, an instructor of Developmental Psychology and people with degrees in Developmental Psychology to find out more about this broad category of psychology. Be aware that many Associate's, Bachelor's and Master's programs in Psychology offer courses in Developmental Psychology and you needn't major in Developmental Psychology to take some of them.