Critical Periods in Group Development

摘要

Contemporary mainstream psychology has been shaped primarily by the cultural characteristics of Western societies, particularly the United States. As a result, mainstream psychology continues to be characterized by reductionism and individualism, with a strong tendency to focus on intra-personal characteristics as the main (assumed) cause of behavior. Reductionism has seriously shaped and limited the kinds of research questions that are examined by psychologists. For example, a great deal of research has focused on critical (sometimes referred to as "sensitive") periods, a time period in development when there is higher readiness for behavioral changes and the acquisition of particular characteristics and skills. The idea of critical periods in individual development has been highly stimulating for certain lines of research. For example, a very productive line of research stems from the idea of the critical period for language learning (Mayberry & Kluender, 2018). But because of the reductionism of mainstream psychology, the idea of critical periods in group development, and collective life generally, remains almost completely neglected.