This essay explores implications of current trends in developmental science
for understanding psychopathology at the dawn of the new millennium. Over
the past half century, it has become clear that uniform and general princip
les of development (i.e., those that are applicable at all times, to all pe
ople, and in all places) will be of limited utility in understanding the pr
ocesses of greatest interest in development and psychopathology. Instead, s
uch processes are characterized by complexly organized individuals engaged
in developmental transactions within multiple contexts (ranging from the bi
ological environment of neurons to the cultural systems of meaning that sha
pe people's lives). These transactions in turn often yield variable outcome
s. In order to portray how we have come to this conclusion, we first provid
e a view of contemporary research in three areas of early development: the
biology of the developing brain, the complexities of early emotional develo
pment, and the cultural contexts of child development. We then trace how an
increasing appreciation of organized complexity, developmental transaction
s, and the meaning of context have played out in the emerging field of infa
nt mental health before closing with our vision of new opportunities for th
e study of experience in the midst of variation.