Teoria historii życia jako teoria rozwoju człowieka

Abstract

The Life History Theory as a Theory of Human Development The life history theory (LHT) is an evolutionary theory derived from evolutionary biology. According to it, species choose a reproductive strategy that maximizes adaptation (i.e., increases the chances of surviving and producing offspring) on the basis of influences contained in the environment which impacts development in the early stages of life. LHT, due to its connections with such psychological theories as psychosocial acceleration, the evolutionary theory of socialization, or the attachment theory, is also a developmental psychology theory which points to specific development paths within an evolutionary frame. The aim of this article is to shed light on LHT from the point of view of developmental psychology – a question as yet absent from the Polish literature of the subject.