Structural stage theories are based on the idea that human individuals or groups can develop through a pattern of distinct

stage Stage or stages may refer to: Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper * Sta ...

s over time and that these stages can be described based on their distinguishing characteristics. Types of structural stage theories include: in

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

developmental stage theories In psychology, developmental stage theories are theories that divide psychological development into distinct stages which are characterized by qualitative differences in behavior. Developmental stage theories are one type of structural stage theo ...

such as

Piaget's theory of cognitive development Piaget's theory of cognitive development is a comprehensive theory about the nature and development of human intelligence. It was originated by the Swiss developmental psychologist Jean Piaget (1896–1980). The theory deals with the nature of kn ...

and theories of

psychotherapy Psychotherapy (also psychological therapy, talk therapy, or talking therapy) is the use of psychological methods, particularly when based on regular personal interaction, to help a person change behavior, increase happiness, and overcome pro ...

process such as the

transtheoretical model The transtheoretical model of behavior change is an integrative theory of therapy that assesses an individual's readiness to act on a new healthier behavior, and provides strategies, or processes of change to guide the individual. The model is ...

of change; in history and social science,

stadial history Conjectural history is a type of historiography isolated in the 1790s by Dugald Stewart, who termed it "theoretical or conjectural history," as prevalent in the historians and early social scientists of the Scottish Enlightenment. As Stewart saw it, ...

sociocultural evolution Sociocultural evolution, sociocultural evolutionism or social evolution are theories of sociobiology and cultural evolution that describe how societies and culture change over time. Whereas sociocultural development traces processes that tend t ...

; and in religion, models of

spiritual evolution Spiritual evolution, also called higher evolution, is the idea that the mind or spirit, in analogy to biological evolution, collectively evolves from a simple form dominated by nature, to a higher form dominated by the Spiritual or Divine. It is di ...

. In Piaget's theory of

cognitive development Cognitive development is a field of study in neuroscience and psychology focusing on a child's development in terms of information processing, conceptual resources, perceptual skill, language learning, and other aspects of the developed adult bra ...

, and related models of

psychological development Developmental psychology is the scientific study of how and why humans grow, change, and adapt across the course of their lives. Originally concerned with infants and children, the field has expanded to include adolescence, adult development, ...

like those of

Jane Loevinger Jane Loevinger Weissman (February 6, 1918 – January 4, 2008) was an American developmental psychologist who developed a theory of personality which emphasized the gradual internalization of social rules and the maturing conscience for the origi ...

and

James W. Fowler James William Fowler III (1940–2015) was an American theologian who was Professor of Theology and Human Development at Emory University. He was director of both the Center for Research on Faith and Moral Development, and the Center for Ethics un ...

, stages have a constant order of succession, later stages integrate the achievements of earlier stages, and each is characterized by a particular type of structure of mental processes which is specific to it. The time of appearance may vary to a certain extent depending upon environmental conditions. Influenced by western

esotericism Western esotericism, also known as esotericism, esoterism, and sometimes the Western mystery tradition, is a term scholars use to categorise a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas a ...

Swami Vivekananda Swami Vivekananda (; ; 12 January 1863 – 4 July 1902), born Narendranath Datta (), was an Indian Hindu monk, philosopher, author, religious teacher, and the chief disciple of the Indian mystic Ramakrishna. He was a key figure in the intro ...

and Sri Aurobindo regarded spiritual development as a process of involution and evolution, in which the Divine descends into the material world, from which it has to be liberated again in a process of growing awareness over multiple lifetimes. Cultural psychologist Jean Gebser also developed a model of collective human spiritual development, which in turn influenced Ken Wilber, together with Aurobindo and others.

List of books formulating stage theories

*Giambattista Vico (1725) ''The New Science'' *G.W.F. Hegel (1807) ''The Phenomenology of Spirit'' *Auguste Comte's Law of three stages in ''Plan de travaux scientifiques nécessaires pour réorganiser la société'' (''Plan of scientific studies necessary for the reorganization of society'', 1822) *Karl Marx (1867) ''Das Kapital'' *Sigmund Freud (1900) ''The Interpretation of Dreams'' *Jean Piaget (1950) ''The psychology of intelligence'' *Northrop Frye (1957) ''Anatomy of Criticism'' *Hayden White (1973) ''Metahistory (Hayden White), Metahistory'' *

(1976) ''Loevinger's stages of ego development'' *Clare W. Graves (1978/2005) ''Graves's emergent cyclical levels of existence, The Never Ending Quest'' (posthumously published in the later year listed, primarily written by the earlier year) *Kieran Egan (educationist), Kieran Egan (1979) ''Educational Development'' *Ken Wilber (1995) ''Sex, Ecology, Spirituality''

References

Philosophy of science Stage theories, {{science-philo-stub

List of books formulating stage theories

See also

References