CONTINUITY AND DISCONTINUITY IN DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY.

 Introduction

Growth and development is one of the key features that is found virtually in every living creature, with man as no exception. But the question is, how does this development occur in a human person. Does it happen smoothly that it cannot be noticed or does it happens abruptly. Or does it happen both smoothly and abruptly?  This work is geared towards answering the questions above, and that will lead us to the two contending theories of development in developmental psychology; the continuity and discontinuity theory. To achieve our goal, we will first of all have a little knowledge of the following;

·         Development

·         Psychology

·         Developmental psychology

Their knowledge will then usher us in, into discussing the two contending theories of development in psychology.

    Development

Development is the process of growth and change that everyone experiences. The advance learners dictionary, 8th edition defines development as the gradual growth of something so that it becomes more advanced and stronger, it further defines it as the process of producing or creating something new or more advanced.  Finally; it defined it as a new event or stage that is likely to affect what happens in a continuing situation.

    Psychology

Psychology according to Ludy T. Benjamin, J. Roy Hopkins, and Jack R. Nation, is the systematic study of behaviour and mental process[1]

Ernest R, Hilgard and Richard C, Atkinson defined psychology as the science that studies behaviour of  man and other animals.[2]

 Josh R. Gerow Harper  further defined Psychology as the science of behaviour and mental processess[3]

     Developmental psychology

Developmental psychology is the study of changes in physical, cognitive and social behaviours from conception to death.[4] It  encompasses a very wide array of observations related to how people think, behave and interact with their environment as well as other people. It observes changes in people from birth to death.

An example of physical development is seen in a growing child. At first, the child finds it difficult to hold the head up, and will need external support to help keep the head in position. With time, the neck becomes strong and able to hold the head, as the child grows and advance in age, (s)he begin to learn how to sit, from sitting to crawling, from crawling to standing, from standing to holding things while they walk, from that to walking freely without aid. These are examples of development in early childhood. Other forms of development include; emotional development, social, intellectual development(…).[5]

Continuity And Discontinuity Theory

There are basically two competing theories that try to explain how people change in the course of their life.

Continuity

Continuity theory says that someone changes throughout their lives along a smooth course.[6]

Those who support the continuity position argue that development is very gradual and that there are few, if any, dramatic and noticeable shifts in development. Each person seems to grow at an individual rate without any obvious restructurings from one day or the next. [7]

Proponents of the continuity view say that development is a continuous process that is gradual and cumulative. Example; a child learns how to crawl, and then to stand, and then to walk.[8]

According to McCall(1979),if a child maintains a steady growth during the first year of his life over the next nine years, the child at 10 will be about the size of a jumbo. The child grows at a steady rate, but the rate of the growth is so minute that it is not noticeable. Another example of this gradual change is seen in the child increasing vocabulary. Once the child starts speaking, the vocabulary begins to increase on a daily basis, and at an increased rate when the child starts school.[9]

Discontinuity

Discontinuity theory view development as stages of life qualitatively different from each other.

The proponents of discontinuity believe that people pass through stages of life that are qualitatively different from each other. Example, children move from thinking from literal terms to being able to think abstractly, which means that they have entered into the abstract phase of their lives.[10]

Some believe that development is observable and can happen abruptly This is observed when a child speaks his first word, or just suddenly stands up on his feet. This changes were absent a day before or even few minutes before, but happened abruptly.

Jean Piaget and Erik Erikson, held that development to a large extent is discontinuous, simply because; behaviour in one stage is qualitatively different from behaviour in the previous or next stages, and movement from one stage to the next can occur rather suddenly.[11]

Conclusion

Continuity and discontinuity though opposing tends to explain how change occurs in people in the course of their lives. Continuity theory says that changes occur smoothly in a person while discontinuity states that people change abruptly. These Changes include behavioural make up, like emotions, traditions, beliefs, habits, personality, movement, cognition, social skills (…).

Reference

 Ludy T. Benjamin Jr., J. Roy Hopkins, jack R. Nation,psychology 2^nd edition,( macmillan publishing company, new York), pg 2.

Ernest r, hilgard and Richard c, Atkinson, introduction to psychology, 4^th edition(brace and world, inc.)

Josh r. gerow harper  psychology an introduction, third edition(Collins publishers).pg 4

Natalia boyd, lesson transcript, development. http://study.com/academy/lesson/continuity-and-discontinuity-in-development.htm

l

www.ask.com/education/continuity-versus-discontinuity-developmental-psychology-54c9f714b44f24c2

Laura freberg, continuity and discontinuity in developmental psychology. http://psy.answers.com/developmental/continuity-and-discontinuity-in-developmentl-psychology

Paul Henry Mussen, John Janeway Conger, Jerome Kagan, Aletha Carol Huston,Child Development And Personality. Seventh Edition.

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[1] Ludy T. Benjamin Jr., J. Roy Hopkins, jack R. Nation,psychology 2^nd edition,( macmillan publishing company, new York), pg 2.

[2] Ernest r, hilgard and Richard c, Atkinson, introduction to psychology, 4^th edition(brace and world, inc.)

[3] Josh r. gerow harper  psychology an introduction, third edition(Collins publishers).pg 4

[4]  Ludy T. Benjamin Jr., J. Roy Hopkins, jack R. Nation,psychology 2^nd edition,( macmillan publishing company, new York), pg 2.

[5] Natalia boyd, lesson transcript, development.http://study.com/academy/lesson/continuity-and-discontinuity-in-development.html

[6] www.ask.com/education/continuity-versus-discontinuity-developmental-psychology-54c9f714b44f24c2

[7]  Ludy T. Benjamin Jr., J. Roy Hopkins, jack R. Nation,psychology 2^nd edition,( macmillan publishing company, new York), pg 2.

[8] Natalia boyd, lesson transcript, development.http://study.com/academy/lesson/continuity-and-discontinuity-in-development.html

[9] Laura freberg, continuity and discontinuity in developmental psychology. http://psy.answers.com/developmental/continuity-and-discontinuity-in-developmentl-psychology

[10] ibid

[11] Laura freberg, continuity and discontinuity in developmental psychology. http://psy.answers.com/developmental/continuity-and-discontinuity-in-developmentl-psychology