Final answer:
Erik Erikson is the psychologist credited with pioneering the lifespan approach to developmental psychology, suggesting that personality development occurs throughout the entire lifespan.
Step-by-step explanation:
Discoverer of the Lifespan Approach
The psychologist credited with discovering the lifespan approach to developmental psychology is Erik Erikson (1902-1994). Unlike Sigmund Freud, who posited that personality is largely formed in early childhood, Erikson proposed that personality development continues throughout a person's life. Specifically, Erikson's theory suggests that individuals go through eight distinct stages from birth to death, each involving certain psychological conflicts and tasks. Erikson emphasized the influence of social relationships on personality development, marking a departure from Freud's emphasis on psychosexual stages. Erik Erikson's theory was a significant contribution to the field of developmental psychology, presenting a more nuanced and lifelong process of human development.