ABSTRACT
Where Rousseau wrote about Nature’s plan for healthy development, Arnold Gesell (1880–1961) referred to the scientific concept of maturation. Maturation is an inner process, largely determined by the genes, that directs the sequences, timing, and patterns of development. For example, it determines patterns of motor development like sitting, standing, and walking. Maturation also determines personality development. Gesell recognized that the environment also plays an important role, but he believed that maturation is more fundamental.
Parents, educators, and psychologists often try to accelerate development, but Gesell argued that this effort is largely futile. He said children will master tasks when they are ready to do so.
Gesell presented a theory of child-rearing that we would today call “child-centered.” Instead of trying to get children to conform to our own ideas of what they should be doing, we should take our cues from the child. For example, when it comes to infant feeding, he advocated a self-demand approach, feeding the baby when they are hungry. Many people have worried that Gesell’s child-rearing approach will lead to spoiling, but there is evidence that this is not the case.
