In a thermal development method for generating an image from a latent image recorded on an image formation layer of a photosensitive photothermographic recording material, by means of heating the photosensitive photothermographic recording material, a first surface, which is one surface of the photosensitive photothermographic recording material, and a second surface, which is the remaining surface of the same, are heated; and wherein a second total amount of heat applied to one surface of the first and second surfaces, the one surface having a larger contact area, is controlled so as to be a value of 80 or less when a first amount of heat applied to the other surface having a smaller contact area is taken as 100, wherein the first and second amounts of heat are total amounts of heat applied to the image formation layer from the first and second surfaces, respectively.