GROWTH:

The Encyclopaedia Britannica defines 'growth' as an increase in the size or the amount of an
entity. The word growth is used for all those structural and physiological, changes that take
place-within individual during the process of maturation. For example, the increase in weight,
height, and different organs is called growth. It is a biological process and continues from birth
to adulthood. From the very beginning, a child needs food. When he eats food, it becomes a part
of his body. During this time new cells are produced which results in physical increase. This
physical increase is called growth. The Encyclopaedia Britannica, further, says that growth of
living things always occurs by an increase in the number and size of the basic units of organisms,
cells, and always eventually includes reproduction.

Development:
The Encyclopaedia Britannica defines the word development as the progressive changes
in size, shape and function during the life of an organism by which its genetic potentials
(genotype) are translated into functioning adult systems (phenotype). This means that
development includes the increase not only in the size but also in the function of an organ.
Thus, 'development is the name of all those psychological changes that take place in the
function and activities of different organs of an individual. For example, when the muscles of
legs become strong, a child begins to creep, then stand, and then starts walking. So, this creeping,
standing and walking are called development.

Difference Between Growth And Development:

Most people use the word 'growth' and 'development in the same meanings. But there is
difference between these two terms. The first term, i.e. 'growth means the change in the physical
or physiological structure. The second term i.e. 'development' is the change in the function and
activities of different organs. This shows that 'growth' is a physiological change whereas
development is a psychological change.
Similarly, we can say that growth is external in nature and can be directly measured
because its chief concern is with the physical aspect of an individual. Growth stops at a particular
stage. But, development is internal in nature. It can not be measured directly, It can only be felt
Its chief concern is not only with the increase in the size of the brain but thinking process also.
Moreover, growth is generally taken to be quantitative in nature whereas development is
qualitative. We refer to the growth of 'body' and 'brain' but the development of 'intelligence' and
'emotions'. Development goes on into senility but growth stops at maturity, development
indicates the change in the character or behaviour more especially than growth.
Growth and development are interrelated and, inter dependant. Both influence each other.
When growth stops because of illness, or there is a premature stoppage of a 'growth,
development is equally affected.

PRINCIPLES OF GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT:

The important principles of growth and development include the following.
1. Growth is continuous. Here the entire life span has been divided into different stages like
babyhood, early childhood etc. This division is for the sake of study only. Development is a
life-long continuous process which goes on at a regular slow speed.
2. Development is a product of heredity and environment.
3. Development can be predicted.
4. Growth follows patterns such as caphalo caudal which proceeds from head downward, and
proximo-distal which proceeds from spinal cord outward.
5. Development is rapid in early years of life.
6. Development proceeds from mass activity to differentiation or from the general to the
specific.
7. Development is regressive. It means that sometimes the child goes back earlier responses
during growth. It is called going back in regression
8. Growth/development is cumulative. Sometimes little things add up in life and influence the
course of development.
There are various types of growth and development such as development and education,
mental growth and development and lingual development. Effort has been made to highlight all
the important aspects of growth and development in this unit.

THE NATURE OF GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT:

Development is a series of orderly progression of changes towards the goal of maturity.
'Orderly' refers to the arrangement of the changes. That is. one change cannot occur without the
concurrence of a certain preceding change.
Progression refers to the directionality of changes. The direction, of course is towards
adaptation which is conducive to survival. However, growth is generally taken to mean
dimensional augmentation, cellular multiplication or quantitative change in size, weight and
number.
Growth and development are sometimes used synonymously. To differentiate between
these two terms, growth is generally taken to be quantitative in nature whereas development is
qualitative. We refer to the development of intelligence and emotions but growth of 'body and
brain'. Development goes on into senility but growth stops at maturity. Development indicates
more specifically than growth the changes in character that take place.
Growth does not always contribute to development. A child or adult may grow very fat and
heavy, but such growth can hardly be considered development in the sense of advancement to a
higher level of maturity. Actually a person has developed if he is physically healthier and or has
more sensorimotor skills so that his physical condition is conducive to greater personal
effectiveness. Thus by improving his sensorimotor skills and thereby utilizing better the
capacities he has received from about two decades of growth, the person can develop even after
physical growth stops. Physical growth IS quantitative in nature and is usually measured in
inches and pounds or their equivalents.
Physical development is both qualitative and quantitative and implies increasing capacities
and abilities, maturing functional improvement, and progress towards higher levels of
potentiality and effectiveness.
Growth can be 'measured', development can be observed by noting changes in shape as they
occur, and modes of behaviour as their maturation is completed.
Development psychologists are not the only persons interested in the growth and
development of human organism. There are others, such as embryologists anti biologists, who
are interested in the growth of the organism at the various stages of its' development.
Developmental psychologists however attach great importance to the development of behaviour
than to physical structure and use their special methods to determine it. These methods are
Cross-sectional method, Longitudinal method, Case study method. Observation experimental
method etc.
Five important characteristics of human growth and development are discussed below:

1. Development is continuous:
Development is a continuous process; it may be overt or covert. Disease or severe
malnutrition may halt its continuity for a time.

2. Development is orderly:
It proceeds from general to specific responses.

3. Development is sequential:
It follows a pattern i.e. various steps follow one another e.g. puberty before full physical
stature.

4. Development is unique:
Children differ individually with regard to their time schedule. For example, all children
will first sit up, crawl and stand before they walk. But individual children will vary in
regard to timing or age at which they can perform these activities.

5. Development is inter-related:
All the three types of development i.e. mental, social and emotional are interrelated.
Ultimately social development and emotional development are the two sides of the same
coin. Social development is nothing but a reference of emotional development. An
emotional development is nothing but a psychological reference of social behaviour.
There are many factors which affect physical growth and development. These include food,
functions of glands, intelligence, physical exercise, fresh air and sunlight and sex differences.
Meredith defines physical development or growth in the following terms.