Stage theories

• • Developmental psychologists often use stage theories to describe how children's behaviour changes ​
• • One difficulty with such theories is that they suggest development is inflexible and rigid ​
• • For example, the stages of attachment suggest that normally single attachments must come before multiple attachment​
• • This is a problem as it becomes a standard by which families are judged and may be classes as abnormal
• • However, in some situations and cultures multiple attachments may come first​