Bringing Psychological Safety to the Field of Human Development: An Introduction

Abstract

Human development is characterized by individual agency to create change, to a greater or lesser extent depending on contextual circumstances. This special issue focuses on psychological safety as a construct that may help developmentalists understand the way that individual and contextual factors come together to limit or support agency to shape one’s development. This introduction to the issue on psychological safety frames this construct and the included articles through the lens of relational developmental systems theory. Specifically, authors explore psychological safety as a construct at the intersection of individual context. They use multiple methods and draw across disciplines to explore psychological safety in adolescence, during the transition to parenthood, in the workplace, and at the organizational level. Overall, findings suggest that additional research and practical focus on psychological safety may increase the likelihood that individuals may enact their agency to engage in opportunities and experiences that support human development.