ABSTRACT
Developmental psychology comprises a wide range of issues, and, as has been shown earlier, complexity in phenomena and processes is an inherent characteristic of all human development. The developmental way of thinking is a central tool in both research and practical work with children and adolescents. There is a continuous process of organization and reorganization of abilities and characteristics, where the individual both changes and remains the same. A developmental way of thinking implies seeing children both as they are and what they are in the process of becoming from biological, social and cultural perspectives. Developmental psychopathology is a multidisciplinary field that seeks to reveal and influence the processes that can give rise to mental problems in children and adolescents and uncover factors that can promote or inhibit the development of psychological disorders. As psychopathology represents a deviation from normal functioning, its identification, diagnosis, treatment and prevention must be based on knowledge of the normal course of development.
