This is a commentary based on the articles in this special issue. A reading of these articles suggests that they are united by the following general themes: a relational orientation (as opposed to a focus on individuals), the sensual embodiment of the self (as opposed to a mentalistic conception of self), development as a historical co-construction that is culturally mediated, relationships as self-organizing and emergent (more than a sum of the inputs), and a focus on process research (rather than on outcomes). Brazilian developmental psychology is situated within the context of the local and world cultural history of developmental studies.
Sociocultural context; historical context; developmental studies