The perspective of meaning in developmental psychology

Abstract The concept of meaning provides a critical lens for every aspect of research on developmental psychology, from promoting powerful assessments of parenting and children's behavior to suggesting both powerful early predictors and intermediate and long-term outcomes of great importance, and for work on understanding processes that underlie continuity in individual development. The field is marked by both profound developmental questions and the need for suitable methods. Meaning has always been a part of much developmental research, explicitly or implicitly. Many pieces of the complex contribution of meaning to the field are in place. The time is ripe for an integration of these pieces and for underscoring the concept of the power of meaning. In this article, I use two developmental problems to illustrate what the perspective of meaning has to contribute: (a) establishing continuity in individual development and (b) explaining individual differences in resilience. I also illustrate the fundamental nature of development.