Assumptions About Human
Development
What assumptions do the three
families of theories make about development?
A theory’s assumptions refers to
its answers to three questions about development:
1. Active or passive – Is a person
active in shaping her own environment, or is she a passive recipient of
environmental influences?
2. Nature or nurture – Does the
theory claim more influence from genetics and heredity (nature) or from the
environment (nurture)?
3. Continuity or discontinuity –
Are there stages (emphasizing development in leaps) or no stages (development
is a stable, continuous process)?
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