Developmental psychopathology
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Developmental psychopathology refers to analysis of developement of psychopathic tendencies in all aspects of mental aging throughout life.
Developmental psychopathology is a sub-field of developmental psychology characterized by the following (non-comprehensive) list of assumptions: 1. Atypical development and typical development are mutually informative. Therefore, developmental psychopathology is not the study of pathological development, but the study of the basic mechanisms that cause developmental pathways diverge toward pathological or typical outcomes; 2. Development leads to either adaptive or maladaptive outcomes. However, development that is adaptive in one context may be maladaptive in another context; 3. Developmental change is influenced by many variables. Research designs in developmental psychopathology should incorporate multivariate designs to examine the mechanisms underlying development; 4. Development occurs within nested contexts (see Urie Bronfenbrenner); 5. This field requires that development arises from a dynamic interplay of physiological, genetic, social, cognitive, emotional and cultural influences across time.
