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18.5: What are Maturational meta-theories of human development?

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    9365
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    Maturational or biological meta-theories can be understood using the plant as a metaphor. It is as if humans develop the same way as plants. The important units of analysis to study are people’s “seeds,” that is, their genetic make-up. People are assumed to be passive and non-agentic; their development is biologically determined, the product of their genes. As summarized in Table 7.1, the role of the person is to be reactive—to their genes. The role of the environment to provide support and nutrition (rain, sun, and soil); the environment is structured—as a developmental niche for the genome). It provides nutriments that the seed will then use as fuel for growth from the inside. However, the environment is essentially passive (soil does not have an agenda for the seeds that are dropped there) and can’t change a person’s nature (poppy seeds will always produce poppies). The course of development will be quantitative and continuous, fully reducible to and determined by the organism’s genetic and neurophysiological make-up and inherent characteristics, such as inborn temperament, personality, talents, intelligence, and so on.

    Another good analogue for Maturational meta-theories can be found in the metaphor provided by brain coral. Brain coral has many of the same features as plants; in addition, its development is explicitly continuous and incremental in ways not demonstrated as clearly by plants, in each head of brain coral grows in size by adding genetically identical polyps (bits of brain coral) to its colony. Because they are based in biology, maturational meta-theories also tend to subscribe to notions of normative development that channel change along one universal pathway; however, since developmental psychology became so focused on individual differences, theories from these families also include the idea that different neurophysiologies (typically based on different genetics) are the determining factor in prescribing different pathways of development. The underlying hypothesized cause of development in maturational meta-theories is genetic programming which unfolds over time leading to a mature form. Although maturational meta-theories were prevalent in the beginning of the 20th century (e.g., Gesell, 1928; Parten, 1933), they have taken on many different forms since then that have waxed and waned in their popularity, including some formulations of behavioral genetics, sociobiology, evolutionary, ethological, neuroscience, temperament, and personality theories. As described in the previous chapter, Bowlby’s evolutionary ethological perspective on attachment would be an example of a maturational meta-theory because of its focus on species wide bio-behavioral predispositions. Maturational assumptions are signaled by concepts such as “trait,” the search for “the aggression gene,” the discovery of the brain system, hormone, or neurotransmitter responsible for a specific condition, or any other terms that suggest development is solely the product of innate or immutable characteristics of individuals. Although they are not typically referred to as “maturational,” there exist many classes of theories that place all the active ingredients of behavior or development inside the head (or more specifically the social cognitions) of the person. Even if they are not direct descendants, these theories can be considered cousins of Maturational meta-theories, based on the exclusive focus on the role of the individual.