Can you think back to when you were in elementary school? Who were you then compared to who you are now? Would you say you've gradually changed or developed through what seemed like stages? These questions address one of the major issues in developmental psychology: continuity vs discontinuity.
- What is continuity vs discontinuity in psychology?
- What is the difference between continuous and discontinuous development?
- What is continuous development in the issue of continuity vs discontinuity in human development?
- What is discontinuous development in the issue of continuity vs discontinuity in human development?
- What are some continuous vs discontinuous development examples?
Continuity vs Discontinuity in Psychology
The continuity vs discontinuity debate in psychology revolves around human development. The difference between continuous and discontinuous development is that continuous development views development as a slow and continuous process. In contrast, discontinuous development focuses on how our genetic predispositions progress human development through distinct stages.
Continuous development views development as a consistent journey; discontinuous views it as occurring in abrupt steps and stages (like a set of stairs).
Continuity vs discontinuity in human development is a back-and-forth debate, especially in developmental psychology, similar to the nature versus nurture debate and the stability versus change debate.
Developmental psychology is a field of psychology that focuses on studying physical, cognitive, and social changes through a life span.
Research and observation are essential in how developmental psychologists form continuity vs discontinuity development theories. They will often conduct either a cross-sectional study or a longitudinal study.
A cross-sectional study is a type of research study that observes people at different ages and compares them at the same point in time.
Cross-sectional studies can show us how different groups of different ages differ. Discontinuity theories of development can benefit the most from this type of study as it can reveal any noticeable differences in development to help form stages of development.
A longitudinal study is a type of research study that follows the same people over some time while periodically retesting them for any changes or developments.
Continuity theories of development often benefit from a longitudinal study as they can show how a person has gradually progressed through life.
Difference Between Continuous and Discontinuous Development
So what is the difference between continuous and discontinuous development? The answer partially lies in the goals of the researcher. Researchers who support continuous development often view development as a slow and continuous process. They usually emphasize learning and personal experiences as significant factors shaping our identity.
For example, social learning is heavily based on what we pick up from our parents/caretakers, siblings, friends, and teachers. This is likely to be developed continuously rather than in stages.
Fig. 1 - The continuity vs discontinuity debate examines child development.
On the other hand, researchers who often support discontinuous development seem to focus on how our genetic predispositions progress gradually through steps or sequences. These sequences may happen at varying speeds for everyone, but everyone passes through each stage in the same order.
Maturity can vary for everyone. But many of us will refer to the process of "maturing" by using ages. For example, 13-year-olds usually know how to sit still in class better than 3-year-olds. They are at different stages.
Continuous Development
Think of continuous development to mean consistency. We grow continuously from pre-school to old age, almost as if life were an elevator that never stopped. Even though we often talk about life as stages, such as adolescence, the specific biological changes that occur at this time happen gradually.
When considering continuity vs discontinuity in human development, continuous development usually refers to quantitative changes throughout development.
Quantitative changes: refers to changes that occur in the quantity or number related to a person (i.e. measurements)
For example, a baby starts immobile, then sits up, crawls, stands, and walks. Continuity theorists would emphasize the gradual transition as a child learns to walk rather than qualifying each change as a distinct step.
An example of a theory that is often considered continuous is Lev Vygotsky's theory of sociocultural development. He believed that children learn gradually by using scaffolds they learn from parents, teachers, and other children.
Scaffold: the assistance and support a child receives that enables them to progress to higher levels of thinking.
As a child is offered more and more scaffolds, they can gradually move to higher levels of thinking.
This is why educators should consider continuity vs discontinuity in the classroom. Teachers aware of when a child is at an optimal time for growth should be prepared to offer more scaffolds. This will help the child gradually move to higher levels of thinking.
Discontinuous Development
Discontinuous development can be thought of as stages with distinct qualitative changes. Discontinuity theories of psychology can also mean stage theories.
Qualitative Changes: refers to development that occurs in the quality or characteristics of a person (i.e. moral reasoning)
The most referenced stage theories in developmental psychology:
Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development
Lawrence Kohlberg's theory of moral development
Erik Erikson's psychosocial development
Sigmund Freud's psychosexual stages of development
Let's take a brief look at the different types of stage theories:
| Theorist | Type of Development | Stages | Overall Premise |
|---|
| Jean Piaget | Cognitive Development | - Sensorimotor (birth-2 years)
- Preoperational (2-7 years)
- Concrete Operational (7-11 years)
- Formal Operational (12 years and up)
| Children learn and think about the world through spurts of change in distinct stages. |
| Lawrence Kohlberg | Moral Development | - Preconventional (before 9 years)
- Conventional (early adolescence)
- Postconventional (adolescence and up)
| Moral development builds on cognitive development through distinct, progressive stages. |
| Erik Erikson | Psychosocial Development | - Basic trust (infant - 1 year)
- Autonomy (1-3 years)
- Initiative (3-6 years)
- Competence (6 years to puberty)
- Identity (10 years - early adult)
- Intimacy (the 20s-40s)
- Generativity (the 40s-60s)
- Integrity (the late 60s and up)
| Each stage has a crisis that must have a resolution. |
| Sigmund Freud | Psychosexual Development | - Oral (0-18 months)
- Anal (18-36 months)
- Phallic (3-6 years)
- Latent (6 yrs - puberty)
- Genital (puberty and up)
| Children develop personality and identity through pleasure-seeking energies they must cope with at each stage. |
Each of these theories describes development by using distinct stages with distinct differences. Discontinuous development theories can be beneficial to developmental psychologists in that they offer ways to characterize individuals of different ages. Remember that developmental psychologists' main priority is to study change. What better way to do so than through distinct, clear-cut stages?
Fg. 2 Discontinuity theories of development are like stairs
Continuous vs Discontinuous Development Examples
Generally speaking, developmental psychologists do not land fully on one side or the other on the issue of continuity vs discontinuity in human development. Often, the context and the type of development play a significant role in whether or not psychologists take a continuous vs discontinuous perspective. Let's look at a continuous vs discontinuous development example in which both views are at play.
Even Piaget made it a point to recognize the continuity between stages and that a child may straddle between two stages during development.
A child in a concrete operational stage may display distinct characteristics of this stage, such as understanding conservation, while exhibiting characteristics of the previous stage, such as egocentrism. The child is making their way through the distinct stages at approximately the ages suggested, supporting discontinuous development theories. But on the other hand, the lines are blurred between the stages, and it would appear the child is gradually progressing rather than suddenly displaying the characteristics of the concrete operational stage. This supports continuous theories of development.
Continuous vs discontinuous development examples can also be thought of in terms of nature.
Continuous development theories are similar to the growth of a plant you bought from the store. It starts with just a few leaves and gradually grows and grows to a bigger, more mature size. Discontinuous theories of development may be similar to a butterfly. The development of a butterfly progresses through distinct stages, starting as a caterpillar, making a cocoon, and eventually becoming a beautiful butterfly.
Continuity vs Discontinuity - Key takeaways
- Continuity vs discontinuity in psychology is a back-and-forth debate in developmental psychology similar to the nature versus nurture debate and the stability versus change debate.
- Researchers who support continuous development are usually the ones who emphasize learning and personal experiences as major factors that shape who we are. On the other hand, researchers who often support discontinuous development seem to focus on how our genetic predispositions progress gradually through steps or sequences.
- Think of continuous development to mean consistency. We grow from pre-school to old age continuously, almost as if life were an elevator that never stopped.
- Discontinuous development can be thought of as stages with distinct qualitative differences. Discontinuity theories of psychology can also mean stage theories.
- Although Piaget characterized cognitive development through distinct stages, he did not view them as strict stages but acknowledged the gradual nature between stages.
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