Dialectics, Developmental Contextualism, and the Further Enhancement of Theory about Puberty and Psychosocial Development

Abstract

Contemporary theory in the study of human development in general and of adolescence in particular emphasizes reciprocal and changing relations between the developing person and his or her changing context. This article analyzes the Adams et al dialectical model of the role of a key component of adolescent development-puberty-in such person-context relations. To interpret the model's meaning and critique its usefulness, the present article considers the place of this formulation within the recent history of theory development in the human developmental sciences. It is argued that dialectics is flawed as a means to understand variation in puberty-context relations because it involves an inherently teleological notion of change; as such, dialectics cannot be used successfully to model the multidirectionality and plasticity of adolescent development. A developmental contextual alternative formulation is presented.