The aims of this paper are to explain what exactly develops within theories of human and family development and to discuss the similarities and differences in the conceptualization of "development" from these two orientations.
Any single researcher c...
The aims of this paper are to explain what exactly develops within theories of human and family development and to discuss the similarities and differences in the conceptualization of "development" from these two orientations.
Any single researcher could not agree with what develops, when they looked at a data set about a series of human and family behaviors. This might happen because development is a theoretical concept (Lerner, 1986). In other words, different scientists have different conceptions of the meaning of the term, development. "These conceptual differences exist because different scientists are committed to distinctphilosophical and theoretical belief about the nature of the world and of human life"(Lerner, 1986, p. 41). As a result, it might be helpful to discuss the different philosophical perspectives first so as to know how theories of human development and family development conceptualize "development."