ABSTRACT
In the past, Waldorf education was quite frequently accused of paying only scant attention to the findings of modern developmental psychology, while preferring the pre- and nonscientific developmental doctrines of Rudolf Steiner as a guidepost. This chapter summarizes that Steiner's understanding of a threefold organization of the human being into body, soul, and spirit integrates cognitive, emotional, volitional, and physical aspects and deserves further research. After World War II, developmental psychology underwent some fundamental changes in regard to key issues such as its methods of research, theories, and areas of interest. Certainly, the core of developmental psychology research consists of observing and explaining the physical, mental, and soul development of children and adolescents. Developmental psychology of the 1970s and 1980s was largely characterized by sometimes forceful and antagonistic controversies on the validity of certain developmental theories.
