Growth & Development: Principles & Stages
Growth refers to quantitative, physical changes (height, weight) that stop at maturity. Development is a progressive, qualitative, lifelong series of orderly changes leading to maturity. Growth is a part of development.
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Growth & development — true or false?
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Sort these into growth or development
Growth or development?
0/6Improving emotional control
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Growth vs Development
| Growth | Development |
|---|---|
| Quantitative (measurable) | Qualitative + quantitative |
| Stops at a certain age | Continues lifelong |
| Cellular / structural change | Functional / behavioural change |
| Part of development | Wider than growth |
Principles of development
- Principle of continuity — development is a continuous process.
- Principle of individual differences — each child develops at their own rate.
- Principle of general to specific — general responses precede specific ones.
- Cephalocaudal principle — development proceeds head → foot.
- Proximodistal principle — development proceeds centre → outward (spine to limbs).
- Principle of interrelation — physical, mental, emotional, social aspects are interlinked.
- Principle of integration — child moves from whole → parts → whole again.
Dimensions of development
- Physical / motor — body size, muscular control.
- Cognitive / mental — perception, memory, thinking, reasoning.
- Emotional — expression and control of feelings.
- Social — relationships, cooperation, socialisation.
- Moral — sense of right and wrong (see Kohlberg).
- Language — from babbling to complex speech.
Stages of development (common scheme)
| Stage | Approx. age |
|---|---|
| Infancy | 0–2 years |
| Early childhood | 2–6 years |
| Later childhood | 6–12 years |
| Adolescence | 12–18 years |
| Adulthood | 18+ years |
Adolescence is often called the period of "storm and stress" (a phrase by Stanley Hall) due to rapid physical, emotional and social change.
Factors affecting development
Heredity (nature) — traits from parents via genes — and environment (nurture) — home, school, society — both interact. Modern view: development is the product of heredity × environment, not either alone.
The two directional principles
These two are the most-confused pair in the whole topic. See them as directions, not definitions:
Arrange the stages
Exam tip: Cephalocaudal = head-to-toe; Proximodistal = centre-to-periphery. These two are asked very frequently — don't confuse them.