![Picture](/uploads/2/3/5/5/23555444/5701280.jpg?56)
Three Theories of Development
1. Erikson's Psychoanalytic Theory of psychological development consists of eight stages that takes place throughout the human life span. Each stage consists of a unique development which Erikson believes is acquired as an individual confronts a crisis that must be faced.
Erikson's Eight Stages:
Infancy (first year)
Infancy (ages 1-3) Early Childhood (preschool years, ages 3-5) Middle and Late Childhood (elementary school years, 6 years-puberty) Adolescence (10-20 years) Early Adulthood (20s, 30s) Middle Adulthood (40s, 50s) Late Adulthood (60s- ) |
Trust versus Mistrust: physical comfort and minimal amount of fear
Autonomy versus Shame and Doubt: asserting to sense of individuality and will Initiative versus Guilt: developing a sense of responsibility increases initiative. Guilt arises when the child is irresponsible and feels anxious Industry versus Inferiority: mastering knowledge and intellectual skills. Children begin to learn to accomplish things that they never would have thought of before. Identity versus Identity Confusion: individuals are faced with finding out who they are, what they are about, and where they are going in life. Intimacy versus Isolation: individuals face the developmental task of forming intimate relationships with others. Intimacy is finding oneself, yet losing oneself in another. Young adult forms healthy friendships and intimate relationships with another individual, intimacy will be achieved; if not, isolation will result Generativity versus Stagnation: Generativity is the act of assisting the younger generation in developing and leading useful lives. The feeling of having done nothing to help the next generation is stagnation. Integrity versus Despair: involves reflecting on the past and either seeing their lives as a positive review, or seeing it as if the life was wasted. Integrity is achieved when the person believes that they have lived a satisfying life based on their positive outlook in most of the previous stages. |
2. Piaget's Cognitive Developmental Theory states that children are always constructing their understanding of the world and go through four stages of cognitive development.
Two of the processes - organization and adaptation - are about how individuals have to organize their experiences. And not only do people organize their experiences (such as having important versus less important ideas), people also adapt their thinking to include new ideas as additional information leads them to further understanding.
According to Piaget, people adapt in two ways: assimilation and accommodation.
- Assimilation occurs when individuals incorporate new information into their existing knowledge.
- Accommodation occurs when individuals adjust to new information.
Two of the processes - organization and adaptation - are about how individuals have to organize their experiences. And not only do people organize their experiences (such as having important versus less important ideas), people also adapt their thinking to include new ideas as additional information leads them to further understanding.
According to Piaget, people adapt in two ways: assimilation and accommodation.
- Assimilation occurs when individuals incorporate new information into their existing knowledge.
- Accommodation occurs when individuals adjust to new information.
Piaget's Four Stages of Cognitive Development:
1. Sensorimotor Stage (birth to 2 yrs) - infant constructs an understanding of the world through sensory experiences and physical actions.
2. Preoperational Stage (2-7 yrs) - child begins to represent the world with words and images
3. Concrete Operational Stage (7-11 yrs) - child can now reason logically about concrete events and classify objects
4. Formal Operational Stage (11 yrs through adulthood) - adolescent reasons in more abstract, idealistic, and logical ways
3. Vygotsky's Socio-cultural Cognitive Theory emphasizes developmental analysis, the role of language, and social relations.
Vygotsky claims that:
- a child's cognitive skills can be understood only when they are developmentally analyzed and interpreted
- a child's cognitive skills are mediated by words, language, and other forms - which serve as a tool for facilitating mental activity
- a child's cognitive skills have their origins in social relations and are embedded in a socio-cultural backdrop
In order to understand a child's cognitive development and functioning, we must examine its origins and transformations from their early stages of life to their later forms. Vygotsky believes that knowledge is distributed among people and environments in which people encounter and live in. Knowing something is best understood though interaction with others.
Vygotsky claims that:
- a child's cognitive skills can be understood only when they are developmentally analyzed and interpreted
- a child's cognitive skills are mediated by words, language, and other forms - which serve as a tool for facilitating mental activity
- a child's cognitive skills have their origins in social relations and are embedded in a socio-cultural backdrop
In order to understand a child's cognitive development and functioning, we must examine its origins and transformations from their early stages of life to their later forms. Vygotsky believes that knowledge is distributed among people and environments in which people encounter and live in. Knowing something is best understood though interaction with others.
Resources:
Santrock, John W. (2003). Life-Span Development: Chapter 2 The Life-span Developmental Perspective. McGraw-Hill Humanities
Santrock, John W. (2003). Life-Span Development: Chapter 2 The Life-span Developmental Perspective. McGraw-Hill Humanities