Postformal thought

Developmental psychology initially focused on childhood development through Piaget's four stages of human development, the last stage of which is known as the formal operational stage. Extending developmental psychology to adults, most Neo-Piagetian theories of cognitive development posit one or more postformal stages.[1] Postformal thought is also addressed by non-Piagetian theories of developmental psychology, including Michael Commons' model of hierarchical complexity and Robert Kegan's constructive developmental framework.

Postformal thought is often described as more flexible, logical, willing to accept moral and intellectual complexities, and dialectical than previous stages in development.[2] Of postformal thought, Girffin has said, "one can conceive of multiple logics, choices, or perceptions... in order to better understand the complexities and inherent biases in 'truth'"[3].

Critical discussion

Postformal thought has been criticized by Marchand,[4] Kallio[5][6] and Kramer.[7] They raise theoretical and empirical counter-arguments against the existence of a postformal stage. Instead, they suggest adult development is a form of integrative thinking from within the formal stage, which includes most of the features claimed to be postformal such as understanding of various viewpoints, acceptance of contextualism, and integrating different viewpoints.[8]

References

  1. ↑ Berger, Kathleen Stassen (2014). Invitation to the Life Span (Second ed.). New York: Worth Publishers. pp. 399–401. ISBN 978-1-4292-8352-6.
  2. ↑ Berger, Kathleen Stassen (2014). Invitation to the Life Span (Second ed.). New York: Worth Publishers. pp. 399–401. ISBN 978-1-4292-8352-6.
  3. ↑ Griffin et al., 2009, p. 173, DOI: 10.1007/s10804-009-9056-0
  4. ↑ Marchand, H. 2002. Some Reflections On PostFormal Thought. The Genetic Epistemologist Volume 29, Number 3.
  5. ↑ Kallio, E. & Helkama, K. 1991. Formal operations and postformal reasoning: A replication. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology 32 (1) 18–21
  6. ↑ Kallio, E. 1995. Systematic reasoning: Formal or postformal cognition? Journal of Adult Development 2 (3), 187-192
  7. ↑ Kramer D. 1983. Post-Formal Operations? A Need for Further Conceptualization, Hum Dev. 26:91–105
  8. ↑ Kallio, E. 2011. Integrative thinking is the key: an evaluation of current research into the development of thinking in adults. Theory & Psychology, 21 Issue 6 December 2011 pp. 785–801


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