A Unified Theory of Development: A Dialectic Integration of Nature and Nurture
2010/01/01 by Arnold Sameroff, Arnold J. Sameroff · 1,377 citations
Psychology · Social Sciences · #Biology #Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development #Cognitive science #Context (archaeology) #Developmental Science #Developmental psychology #Developmental stage theories #Dialectic #Early Childhood Education and Development #Educational and Psychological Assessments #Epistemology #Nature versus nurture #Perspective (graphical) #Psychology #Sociology
paper · doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2009.01378.x
published in Child Development 81(1), 6-22 (Wiley)
openalex publication_date 2010/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
Abstract
The understanding of nature and nurture within developmental science has evolved with alternating ascendance of one or the other as primary explanations for individual differences in life course trajectories of success or failure. A dialectical perspective emphasizing the interconnectedness of individual and context is suggested to interpret the evolution of developmental science in similar terms to those necessary to explain the development of individual children. A unified theory of development is proposed to integrate personal change, context, regulation, and representational models of development.
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