ABSTRACT
The lifespan of every individual is a unique intersection of biological forces, sociocultural opportunity structures and idiosyncratic individual efforts. This truism, well known since Pestalozzi’s essay Nachforschungen (Pestalozzi, 1938), has been scientifically substantiated in the last hundred years by showing the interaction of biology and culture in human development. The individual person comes into this equation via the concept of action and control. While the biology of human beings is rooted in the evolution of the human species, the sociocultural opportunity structures evolve from human actions and traditions.
