human development
Lifespan psychological progress
Human development is the process of growth and change from infancy through adulthood—physical, cognitive, emotional, and social.
Developmental psychologists study milestones like language acquisition, motor skills, and identity formation.
The term also names an economic framework measuring quality of life beyond GDP, incorporating health, education, and standard of living: The UN publishes annual human development rankings.
- growthIncrease in size
- growth spurtPeriod of accelerated physical development
- first stepsInitial actions taken
- healthCondition of body, mind
- learningGaining knowledge gradually
communication skills · motor skills · terrible twos · early childhood · empathy · social skills · language acquisition · resilience · milestones · life stages · attachment · education access · emotional regulation · nutrition · holistic · memory · Erikson · critical thinking
- developmentgrowth, progress, advancement, expansion, improvement
- academic fieldsmathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, history
- life stagesbaby, teenager, adult, childhood, adolescence
- human originsearly humans, modern humans, Homo sapiens, prehistoric humans, hominins
- psychologypsychology, psychologist, therapist, psychiatrist, clinical psychology
- positivismpositivism, social dynamics
human developmentstagnation
Absence of flow or progress
arrested development · stasis · stunted growth · failure to thrive · underdevelopment
human developmentpoverty
Severe lack of resources
underdevelopment · human suffering · dehumanization · oppression · exploitation
human developmentdegeneration
Progressive loss of function
decline · deterioration · regression · senescence · decay