Child Development Comparison
How does the family and child development major compare with psychology, sociology and social work?
Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes and generally focuses on the individual. Sociology is the scientific study of human social life and often focuses on social groups and institutions. Social work is a cross between psychology and sociology; it is the scientific study of humans in the social environment. All three of these disciplines study families to some degree, each using their own unique focus. For example, psychologists study how individuals behave in families, and sociologists study how families interact with other social institutions. Combine their knowledge of families with their family-related knowledge of economics, education, communication, anthropology and history, and you've got the multidisciplinary study of families. The family and child development major also focuses on individual families—how they best operate to perform the essential tasks of family life.