ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the central tenets of the developmental psychopathology (DP) perspective and highlights its core principles with examples from research. Identifying the precursors and developmental progression of childhood behavioral disturbance has emerged as its own unique subspecialty within clinical and developmental psychology, the macroparadigm of DP. A unique and defining feature of the DP perspective is its emphasis on the study of both typical and atypical development in concert because they are mutually informing and provide a comprehensive understanding of development. When explicating the development of disorder or adaptation from a DP perspective, the concept of developmental pathways has been applied. Characterizing change and how it relates to the emergence of positive adaptation or disorder is of utmost importance to the DP perspective. One of the core issues of interest to developmental psychopathologists is determining whether course of development is characterized by continuities or discontinuities across time and if so, understanding their underlying mechanisms.
