What are good sites for info on testing theories and finding out research on them, and viewing the theory itself. Theories on lifespan and development to see which ones actually can be applied to counseling and used in treatment. Thanks, Richard Smith

-- Richard Smith (psychdoc24@hotmail.com), July 09, 2001

Answers

Hi Richard, yours is a tough question. I suppose it depends on the kind of research you favor and what you mean by lifespan development. All theories of development can be basis for counseling as far as I know. And the greater majority of developmental psychologists will apply techniques from many different theories in a single treatment. Also, there is the practical aspect, it depends upon your clients which one you use. Without knowing the typical problems you face from day to day, I'll suggest first an overview from a good educational psychology developmental text book. There are some good books for ed psych undergrad classes, and I've seen good texts for psychology grad classes. You ought to be able to find either in a college library. Just check the table of contents and thumb through the chapters to see if the book has a chapter on many approaches to development. The index will supply you with all the research you'll want to read. You could also look at a psychology undergrad text, but often they are more like a shopping list of facts than a clear presentation of theories, and yet those statistics can be useful. Also, a good theory of personality text might be useful to you here. Best, David

-- david clark (doclark@yorku.ca), July 09, 2001.