Have you ever wondered where the terms "terrible twos’’ and "identity crisis" come from?

Did you know that the notion that children are different from adults, and require special care, is only about 200 years old?

Did you know we can trace most of our modern ideas about children to just two renowned thinkers of the 17th and 18th centuries?

These are just a few of the fascinating aspects of the field of "human development": the science that studies how we learn and develop psychologically, from birth to the end of life. To a large extent, the study of human development is the study of child development, because the most significant changes take place from infancy through adolescence. This very young science not only enables us to understand children and help them develop optimally, but also gives us profound insights into who we are as adults.

The Great Courses® Theories of Human Development

Taught By Professor Malcolm W. Watson, Ph.D., University of Denver, Brandeis University