This edition first published 2012
© 2012 Dennis Thompson, John D. Hogan, and Philip M. Clark
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Preface
Human development has been a subject of interest since the beginning of recorded history. There are references in the Old Testament to the development of children, including their immature thinking and need for discipline. The writings of the two great ancient Greek philosophers of the classical period, Plato (427–347 BCE) and Aristotle (384–322 BCE), discuss developmental milestones and other special characteristics of children. Even Confucius (551–479 BCE), the ancient Chinese philosopher and educator, addressed stages of development, a concept that is usually thought to be modern. Most of these early references were to child development, but there are references to later development as well.
In fact, it can be said that the phenomenon of development has achieved a kind of historical and international ubiquity. Comments on it are present not only throughout all of history, but also among all cultures. That should come as no surprise. Early development has an almost magical quality to it, as the newborn undergoes a metamorphosis, from a helpless undifferentiated infant to an independent and fully developed person with a unique look and personality. Even the years of decline hold a certain fascination and practical interest. Despite the pervasiveness of interest in the phenomenon, however, it would be a mistake to think that the same views of development and children have existed across time and culture.
For thousands of years, the prevailing view of children in the Western world was a relatively static one. Most people did not move far from the place of their birth during their entire lifetimes. Social roles were limited and clearly defined. Children were expected to enter adult life relatively quickly, usually to make an economic contribution. Adults did not experience a great deal of mobility – socially, economically or geographically. For most people, development had a level of predictability.
The world has gone through enormous changes in recent decades. International travel is increasingly common, communication throughout the planet is virtually instantaneous, and new occupations are constantly being created. This new world is far from static. Does the new and rapidly changing world have an impact on the course of development? Unquestionably – just as the old world did.
We now recognize that the very definitions of childhood and development are embedded in the larger social fabric and historical period in which they appear. What people of one period may have seen as commonplace knowledge, about children for example, may be contradicted by people of a different period, even within the same geographic region. Because our view of children is so dependent on its time and place, contemporary writers have begun to refer to the child as “a cultural invention” (Kessen, 1979). Such a view does not deny that there may be some common characteristics shared by children in general, including physical characteristics. Rather it points to the immense power of culture and of the historical moment in determining the assumptions that will be made about children, as well as the methods that will be used to study them.
Understanding the history of development, then, necessarily requires some understanding of the time and place in which the development unfolds. And, since different cultural and historical contexts can produce variable definitions of the child, a complete history should recognize the potential for differing views of the child that exist across geography, culture, socioeconomic status, religious beliefs and myriad other variables. To add to the complexity, there is another fundamental question that needs an answer: Who owns the history of development? It is of interest to many specialties, but particularly to medicine, education, sociology, anthropology and psychology – each of them with its own questions and methods of study, and sometimes with overlapping agendas. It would be almost impossible to write a history from all these points of view.
This history, then, is a selective history of developmental psychology in the Western world, mostly in Europe and in the United States. For the most part, it addresses themes that have emerged in the modern era, that is, themes that have appeared in the era of science. Its greatest emphasis is on children because that has been the historical emphasis, but discussions of later development are also addressed. It makes no pretense to represent a genuine cross-national and cross-cultural history of development. Its goal is to highlight some of the major figures and trends in the study of development rather than to produce a fully comprehensive history. It begins with a discussion of some of the underlying beliefs and other background features that provide for the later emergence of a more scientific developmental psychology. It also has, as a goal, a desire to demonstrate the degree to which the discipline of developmental psychology was created and shaped by forces in the external environment. Finally, it attempts to provide a foundation for the understanding of contemporary developmental psychology.
Reference
Kessen, W. (1979). The American child and other cultural inventions. American Psychologist, 34, 815–820.
Acknowledgments
The authors and the publisher gratefully acknowledge the permission granted to reproduce the copyright material in this book:
Chapter 4
Frank, L. K. (1923). The status of social science in the United States. Rockefeller Archive Center: Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial Archives and the Spelman Fund of New York Collection. Tarrytown, NY
Frank, L. K. (1924a). Child study and parent training (October 20). Rockefeller Archive Center: Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial Archives and the Spelman Fund of New York Collection. Tarrytown, NY
Frank, L. K. (1924b). Training personnel and preparing teaching material. Rockefeller Archive Center: Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial Archives and the Spelman Fund of New York Collection. Tarrytown, NY
Frank, L. K. (1925a). L. K. Frank to F. J. Kelly (May 5). Survey Associates Records, Social Welfare History Archives, University of Minnesota Libraries. Minneapolis, Minnesota
Frank, L. K. (1925b) L. K. Frank to L. D. Coffman (February 21). Rockefeller Archive Center: Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial Archives and the Spelman Fund of New York Collection. Tarrytown, NY
Frank, L. K. (1926). Child study and parent education (December 23). Rockefeller Archive Center: Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial Archives and the Spelman Fund of New York Collection. Tarrytown, NY
Frank, L. K. (1929). Appropriations made by the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial in the field of child study and parental education (January 14). Frank papers, National Library of Medicine. Washington, DC
Ruml, B. (1922, October). General Memorandum. Rockefeller Archive Center: Spelman Fund of New York Collection
Chapter 5
Frank, L. (1933). Memorandum of interview with Myrtle McGraw (March 13). Rockefeller Archive Center: General Education Board, Record Group 1, Series 1.3, Box 370, Folder 3858. Tarrytown, NY
Chapter 7
Beck, H. W. (1929). Letter from Harry W. Beck. Walter and Catharine Cox Miles Papers (October 23). Archives of the History of American Psychology, University of Akron
Miles, W. R. (1928a). Letter to Professor Robert S. Woodworth (August 18). Walter and Catharine Cox Miles Papers. Archives of the History of American Psychology, University of Akron
Miles,W. R. (1928b). Stanford later maturity research project, Communication to the Social Science Research Council, Hanover Conference, Hanover, New Hampshire (August 16). Walter and Catharine Cox Miles papers. Archives of the History of American Psychology, University of Akron
Mitchell, W. C. (1928). Letter to Lewis Terman (September 21). Walter and Catharine Cox Miles Miles Papers. Archives of the History of American Psychology, University of Akron
Ruch, F. (1929, April 26). Letter from Floyd Ruch to Walter Miles. Walter and Catharine Cox Miles Miles Papers. Archives of the History of American Psychology, University of Akron
Terman, L. & Miles, W. (1928a, October 24). Letter to F. P. Keppel. Walter and Catharine Cox Miles Papers. Archives of the History of American Psychology, University of Akron
Terman, L. & Miles, W. (1928b). A program of psychological research on the later period of maturity (April 4). Walter and Catharine Cox Miles Papers. Archives of the History of American Psychology, University of Akron
Wechsler, D. (1932, March 9). Letter to Walter Miles. Walter and Catharine Cox Miles Papers. Archives of the History of American Psychology, University of Akron
Chapter 8
Canady, H. G. (1930). Letter from Herman Canady to John W. Davis dated January 29, 1930. Herman G. Canady Collection, West Virginia State University Archives
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