ISSN : 1229-0718
Developmental psychopathology is a separate discipline emerging during the last two decades. The discipline has several features that distinguish it from other disciplines. First, developmental psychopathology is concerned with the interplay between normal and abnormal development. Neither normal development nor pathology can be understood in isolation, without appreciation of the other. Second, the approach suggested by developmental psychopathology requires a comprehensive assessment of functioning of an individual, including interdisciplinary, longitudinal, and multivariate measurement strategies. Third, developmental psychopathology is interested in individuals who are at high risk for the development of pathology but do not show it as well as disordered individuals, in order to discover the origins and course of individual patterns of behavioral maladaptation. The knowledge of early developmental deviations and their links with subsequent pathology could be used to prevent the emergence of disorders.