Examining the conceptual and scientific underpinnings of research in developmental psychopathology

The interdisciplinary science of developmental psychopathology has evolved from its historical roots in a variety of fields including: sociology; epidemiology; embryology; the neurosciences and psychobiology; psychoanalysis; clinical, developmental, and experimental psychology; and psychiatry (Cicchetti, 1990) into an increasingly mature integrative framework within which the contributions of these heretofore largely separate disciplines could be fully realized within the broader context of understanding individual development and functioning, both normal and abnormal (see chapters in Cicchetti & Cohen, 1995a, 1995b; see also Cicchetti & Toth, in press). In one of the early statements concerning the goals of this field, Cicchetti (1990) asserted that: “Developmental psychopathology ... should bridge fields of study, span the life cycle, and aid in the discovery of important new truths about the processes underlying adaptation and maladaptation, as well as the best means of preventing or ameliorating psychopathology. Moreover, this discipline should contribute greatly to reducing the dualisms that exist between the clinical study of and research into childhood and adult disorders, between the behavioral and biological sciences, between developmental psychology and psychopathology, and between basic and applied science” (p. 20).