Historical Change and Human Development

Abstract

Behavioral scientists have examined how the particularities of historical circumstance lead to unique patterns of development. Indeed, human development reflects mechanisms that operate in three historical time frames. First, human behavior reflects evolutionary mechanisms that operate across historical epochs covering millions of years. These mechanisms are the subjects of ethology, life history theory, and evolutionary psychology. Second, individual development also reflects the unique mechanisms of historical periods that are comparatively limited in their duration. For example, social historians and students of psychohistory examine how the organization and ideology of Medieval society led to specific biographical patterns. Third, life-span psychologists and life course sociologists examine the mechanisms that connect human lives and the ‘historical present,’ which encompasses the historically specific circumstances of a person's life (e.g., the Great Depression). All of these time-frames come together to shape people's lives, and thus render the study of human development an interdisciplinary, historically sensitive task. Historical data are also used to test general theories of the life span, an approach that emphasizes the generalizability of models of behavior across historical settings. This approach has been especially useful in testing models of human growth and maturation, creativity, and family dynamics and personality.