Understanding Development in a Cultural Context
Development is the process of growth, change or formation. It is usually associated with economics, but it can also refer to the social and psychological changes in a person’s life.
It is the capacity of economic, political and social systems to provide circumstances for well-being on a sustainable basis.
A country can become more developed when it starts to make money from agriculture and manufacturing, or when it develops the ability to export raw materials or finished goods. As a result, it can grow faster and create jobs for more people.
IDA is an international organization that works with governments, businesses and NGOs to build economies around processes and strategies that benefit the entire population of developing countries. This approach can be a powerful tool for reducing poverty and helping to improve the quality of life for everyone.
Understanding development in a cultural context is important to understanding how different people develop. Identifying and understanding the cultural aspects of development will help you better understand how to support a population in their journey toward self-reliance.
There are many different theories about how human development occurs. Some theorists think that it is a slow, gradual process and others believe it is more abrupt.
Some theorists, like Freud and Erikson, believe that development occurs in distinct stages that are qualitatively different from each other and that occur in a specific sequence of steps. This is called a stage theory of development. Other theorists, such as Piaget and Kohlberg, assume that humans progress along developmental pathways at a variety of rates, depending on their surroundings.