Developmental Psychology: Philosophy, Concepts, Methodology

Abstract

All scientific concepts, theories, and research methods are built on sets of fundamental, often implicit, assumptions termed metatheoretical. This chapter examines the history and contemporary developmental theoretical and methodological implications of two alternative widely held metatheories – split and relational. Split metatheory emerged from Cartesian dualism. It dichotomizes the world into elemental pure forms that stand as antinomies, resolved only by suppressing the reality of one member of the pair. This metatheory generates atomism, reductionism, foundationalism, the assumption of strictly additive complexity or aggregates, and a neo-positivist methodology. Relational metatheory emerged from a holistic ground. It synthesizes splits into integrated wholes, mends antinomies (e.g., brain and body, subject and object, nature and nurture, and continuity and discontinuity) and promotes relative standpoints of inquiry. Relational metatheory generates part-whole analysis, the assumption of nonadditive complexity or dynamic systems, and a retroductive (abductive) methodology. Keywords: concepts; dynamic systems; methods; relational metatheory; split metatheory; transformational change; variational change