Tensions of developmental theory: Need for a critical perspective

Developmental theories operate with two principles in tension with one another. On the one hand, developmental analysis must meet ordinary tests of analytic adequacy by providing an account of the organization of behavior as it is manifested in a particular setting, related to the demands and structure of that setting. This mode of analysis involves the construction of linkages between behaviors and/or thoughts “here and now” with conditions “here and now” – from which descriptions of the organization of behavior, here and now, are derived.

But developmentalists try to do more. The essential move in developmental analysis is to compare behavioral organization at one time with behavioral organization at some other time. These analytic “moments” (Glick 1992) are then linked into a series. The linked moments are treated as defining a trajectory, which can then be taken to be informative about development and the differences between the less developed and the more developed. However, in order to do this, in many instances, the “here and now” conditions must be changed so as to allow for situations to be used or observed which are appropriate to different age groups. When this has been done, the construction of a developmental description involves a balancing of the evidentiary requirements for understanding behavior here and now with the comparative requirement for making statements about the relationships among behaviors which differ in their here and now conditions.

The tension in trying these enterprises together is that they embody, in fact, different principles of analysis.