Developmental Psychology and the Relevance of a Critical Metatheoretical Reflection
Author(s)
Teo, Thomas
Abstract
It is argued that developmental psychology can profit by incorporating ideas not only from other sciences but also from recent developments in the philosophies of knowledge. A resulting learning process with possible consequences for research practices is mediated by the self-reflective cognitive processes of developmental psychologists. To demonstrate the conceptual and intellectual possibilities of metatheory, the following three critical families are delineated and their potential for developmental psychology discussed: The German critical-theoretical tradition (Habermas, Holzkamp); the postmodern critique of France (Lyotard, Derrida, Foucault); and the multiple voices criticism of North America (feminism, ethnic minorities). The significance of these approaches is elaborated in terms of problematizations and questions posed to developmental psychology.
