ABSTRACT
The term ‘psychology’ brings together the Ancient Greek suffix meaning ‘study’ (ology) and the prefix meaning ‘soul’ (psyche), and it is generally defined as the ‘science of the mind’ (yet not to be confused with the same term used by Holmes (1921) for his idea of ‘Religious Science’). Psychology is a science-based discipline which contributes to our understanding of how children develop and learn, alongside the other aligning disciplines, for example philosophy and sociology. Of the many psychology textbooks, most are filled with views and ideas formulated into theories to help understand elements of child development. But what does psychology really contribute to our knowledge of childhood? That question in particular is the focus of this chapter.
