ABSTRACT
Theoriesofdevelopmentinvariablyrestonmetatheoreticalassumptions aboutthenatureofdevelopmentalprocesses.IntheIntroduction,Ipresentedconstructivismasametatheorydistinctfromthemoretraditional nativistandempiricistperspectives.Inthesubsequentchapters,Ihave showntheutilityofaconstructivistapproachforexplainingvariousaspects ofadolescentpsychologicaldevelopment.Aswehaveseen,however,avarietyofcontructivisttheoriesandperspectivesarepossible.Theyvarywith respecttowhethertheconstructiveprocessisconstruedasrational,and whetheritsoutcomesareassumedtobeuniversal(Chiari&Nuzzo,1996; Marshall,1996;Overton,1998;Phillips,1997;Prawat,1996).Wenowrevisittheseissues.Drawingontheoryandresearchregardingthedevelopmentofrationality,morality,andidentity,Iidentifyanddiscussa metatheoreticalperspectiveItermpluralistrationalconstructivism.
