ABSTRACT

In Chapters 6 through 9, we discussed theories of human development that are predicated on dynamic, relational, and systems perspectives. The complexity involved in the depictions of development found in these theories can be daunting to scholars, both in regard to the conceptual difficulties involved in integratively understanding the multiple levels of organization fused within the developmental system and in respect to the methodological challenges involved in using such theories as a frame for research. If challenging to scholars, such theories are often seen as virtually impossible to grasp by nonspecialists (the “person in the street,” to Horowitz, 2000, p. 8) and/or by media representatives. Both groups may gravitate toward “single-variable stories” (Horowitz, 2000, p. 3) about human development-such as “genes cause behavior” (e.g., see Rushton, 1999)—in order to understand or communicate about people’s lives, respectively.