Describing, Explaining, and Optimizing Within-Individual Change across the Life Span: A Relational Developmental Systems Perspective

Abstract

The goal of developmental science is to describe, explain, and optimize changes within individuals and differences between individuals across the life span. Contemporary developmental science is framed in the main by relational developmental systems models, conceptions that emphasize that change across life occurs through mutually regulative relations between individuals and their contexts. These models have important implications for research questions, methodology, and applications aimed at promoting positive human development and social justice across the life span.

Grateful parents raising grateful children: Niche selection and the socialization of child gratitude

“…Theories from the broader literature on youth prosocial development could provide insight into why these parent characteristics, in particular, were associated with parent niche selection. Developmental (or Ecological) Assets Theory posits that children are likely to thrive when their developmental needs are aligned with the resources in their environment (Benson, 2003; Lerner, Agans, DeSouza & Gasca, 2013). Developmental Assets Theory suggests that adaptive environmental features make it more likely that parents will engage in socialization strategies that support child efficacy and encourage child skill-building (Theokas & Lerner, 2006).…”

Entrepreneurial intent of engineering and business undergraduate students

“…Relational Developmental Systems Theory (RDST) is our organizing framework for examining entrepreneurial intentions. According to RDST, individual and contextual characteristics reciprocally influence one another and together influence the development of a person's goals and behaviors (Damon & Lerner, ; Lerner, Agans, DeSouza, & Gasca, ). The dynamic interaction between the individual and their context(s) is conceived as a developmental regulation; multivariate analysis using linear modeling techniques can serve as a proxy for such regulation, which is considered the foundational unit of analysis in RDST research (Geldhof, Weiner, et al, ).…”

Comparing Engineering and Business Undergraduate Students' Entrepreneurial Interests and Characteristics

“…RDST emphasizes that human development happens in the dynamic, complicated, and bidirectional relationships (←→) between individuals and their contexts (e.g., families, schools, peer groups, etc.) 6,7 . Individuals' characteristics and behaviors affect their contexts; meanwhile, contexts also can influence and shape individuals.…”

“…This mutually influencing mechanism takes place across a person's entire life span. Entrepreneurship interests also can be explained as a developmental outcome in the framework of RDST 7,8 .…”