Nature vs. Nurture, and the Other Issues in Developmental Psychology (2024)

Throughout the history of psychology, a number of important issues have been debated regarding human development. These issues include:

• Do genetics or does the environment have a larger impact on development?
• Does development occur slowly and smoothly, or do changes happen in stages?
• Do early childhood experiences have the greatest impact on developmentor are later events equally important?

Keep reading to learn more about these basic questions surrounding developmental psychology and what many psychologists today believe about these issues.

Nature vs. Nurture

The debate over the relative contributions of inheritance versus environment in development, usually referred to as the nature versus nurture debate, is one of the oldest issues in both philosophy and psychology.

Philosophers such as Plato and Descartes supported the idea that some ideas are inborn. However, thinkers such as John Locke argued for the concept of tabula rasa—a belief that the mind is a blank slate at birth, with experience determining our knowledge.

Some aspects of development are distinctly biological, such as puberty. However, the onset of puberty can be affected by environmental factors such as diet and nutrition.

Early Experience vs. Later Experience

A second important consideration in developmental psychology involves the relative importance of early experiences versus those that occur later in life. Are we more affected by events that occur in early childhood, or do later events play an equally important role?

Psychoanalytic theorists tend to focus on events that occur in early childhood. According to Freud, much of a child's personality is completely established by the age of five. If this is indeed the case, those who have experienced deprived or abusive childhoods might never adjust or develop normally.

In contrast to this view, researchers have found that the influence of childhood events does not necessarily have a dominating effect over behavior throughout life, however there is evidence that childhood adversity may correlate to greater levels of stress in adulthood. Many people with less-than-perfect childhoods go on to develop normally into well-adjusted adults.

Continuity vs. Discontinuity

A third major issue in developmental psychology is that of continuity. Does change occur smoothly over time, or through a series of predetermined steps?

Other theories outline a series of sequential stages, with certain skills emerging at certain developmental stages.

Theories of Development

Most theories of development fall under three broad areas, including psychoanalytic, learning, and cognitive.

Psychoanalytic Theories

Psychoanalytic theories are inspired by the work of Sigmund Freud, who believed the unconscious mind and childhood experiences were most influential in development. Freud contributed to developmental theory with his proposal that development occurs through a series of psychosexual stages.

Theorist Erik Erikson expanded upon Freud's ideas by proposing a stage theory of psychosocial development. Erikson's theory focused on conflicts that arise at different stages of development and, unlike Freud's theory, Erikson described development throughout the lifespan.

Learning Theories

Learning theories focus on how the environment impacts behavior. Important learning processes include classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and social learning. In each case, behavior is shaped by interactions between the individual and their environment.

Cognitive Theories

Cognitive theories focus on the development of mental processes, skills, and abilities. Examples of cognitive theories include Piaget's theory of cognitive development.

Abnormal Behavior vs. Differences

One of the biggest concerns of many parents is whether or not their child is developing normally. Developmental milestones offer guidelines for the ages at which certain skills and abilities typically emerge, but can create concern when a child falls slightly behind the norm.

Psychoanalytic theories have traditionally focused on these abnormal behaviors and deficits while learning theories rely more on an environment's unique impact on an individual. Today, psychologists look at both norms and individual differences when describing and analyzing child development.