Download Child Development Theories and Theorists Psychoanalytic Theories


Psychoanalytic Theories
 Focus on personality development and effects
of conscious and unconscious mind on
behavior development
 Most prominent theorists:
○ Sigmund Freud
○ Erik Erikson
 Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)
○ The mind contains the id, ego, and superego which
are all in constant conflict.
○ He believed personality developed in a series of
psychosexual stages; sexual energy (libido)
focused at each stage on a particular part of the
body.
○ Trauma during any of the stages resulted in
emotional problems in adulthood.
 Five Stages of Psychosexual Development
○ Oral Stage (0-2 years)
 The mouth is the focus of gratification.
○ Anal Stage (2-3 years)
 The excretion of bodily waste is the focus; toilet training occurs.
○ Phallic Stage (3-5 years)
 Pleasure is associated with the genitals. The key task is
identification with the same-sex parent.
○ Latency Stage (5 years-puberty)
 Sexual gratification becomes less important than exploration,
play, and learning
○ Genital Stage (adolescence)
 The genitals again become the focus; the key task is formation of
mature sexual relationships.
 Erik Erikson (1902-1994)
○ Psychosocial Theory
○ The child’s need for social approval is more pertinent
to healthy development than mastery of sexual
gratification urges.
○ He believed identity develops in a series of
psychosocial stages across the life span.
 Erikson’s Stages of Life
○ Trust vs. Mistrust (0-1 years)
 Infants develop a fear or faith in the world depending upon the
quality of care they receive.
○ Autonomy vs. Doubt (1-3 years)
 Children develop self-control and assertion or self-doubt,
depending upon the amount of praise or criticism they receive
from adults.
○ Initiative vs. Guilt (3-6 years)
 Children make decisions that lead to feelings of initiative or
feelings of guilt, depending upon the level of discouragement
they feel and the amount of criticism they receive.
 Erikson’s Stages of Life, Cont.
○ Industry vs. Inferiority (puberty, 6-12 years)
 Children are expected to master skills; criticism of skills can
lead to feelings of self-doubt and inferiority.
○ Identity vs. Role Confusion (adolescence, 12-18
years)
 Adolescents are challenged to develop a personal identity
while still fitting in with peers; failure at this stage can result in
identity confusion.
○ Intimacy vs. Isolation (early adulthood, 18-35 years)
 Individuals either experience true intimacy with a partner or
engage in behaviors that isolate themselves from others.
 Erikson’s Stages of Life, Cont.
○ Generativity vs. Stagnation (middle age, 35-60
years)
 Middle-aged adults either attempt to hang on to the past
or move forward with a desire to contribute something to
the next generation.
○ Integrity vs. Despair (later adulthood, 60 plus
years)
 Older adults either look back on their lives with a sense
of satisfaction or a sense of despair.

Behavioral and Social Learning
Theories
 Focus on observable conditions in the
environment and how they relate to observable
behaviors
 Most prominent theorists:
○ Ivan Pavlov
○ John Watson
○ B. F. Skinner
○ Albert Bandura

Ivan Pavlov
 Discovered the theory of classical conditioning
while experimenting with the salivating behavior
of dogs.
 Classical conditioning states that when a
neutral stimulus previously not associated with
a response is paired with a stimulus that
already evokes that response, eventually the
neutral stimulus will evoke the response on its
own.

John Watson (1878-1958)
 Used classical conditioning to study how
children learn stimulus-response.
 Famous for his demonstration where he
used an 11-month-old child named Albert
and conditioned him to be afraid of a white
rat.
 Explains the development of many fears.

B. F. Skinner (1904-1990)
 Proposed the theory of operant conditioning;
behavior is influenced by the consequences of
actions.
 Reinforcement (negative and positive) increases the
chances of the behavior being repeated; punishment
decreases the chances that a behavior will be
repeated.
 For example, when a child touches something hot,
such as a stove, and feels pain, he or she learns to
avoid touching the stove.

Albert Bandura (1925- )
 Social Learning Theory
 Proposed that children also learn by social
learning; observing and imitating the behaviors
of others.
 Reinforcement and punishment help children to
think about which behaviors to imitate.

Cognitive Theories
 Emphasize the development of thinking;
how children learn to think
 Most prominent theorists
○ Jean Piaget
○ Lev Vygotsky

Jean Piaget (1896-1980)
 Cognitive Developmental Theory
 Proposed that children understand the world
in cognitive structures called “mental
schemes.”
 Cognitive structures develop through four
major stages or phases.

Piaget’s Cognitive Development Stages
 Sensorimotor Stage (0-2 years)
○ Children develop knowledge about the
relationship between their bodies and external
objects by experiencing the sensations associated
with motor responses.
 Preoperational Stage (2-6 years)
○ Children develop the capability of representational
thought, the ability to use symbols and to picture
things in his or her mind. Simple language skills
also begin to develop during this time.

Piaget’s Cognitive Development Stages,
Cont.
 Concrete Operations Stage (6-12 years)
○ Children develop the ability to see from another point
of view, to see relationships and events in two
directions, to reason deductively, and to use
conservation in their reasoning.
 Formal Operations Stage (12 years-adulthood)
○ Older children and adolescents develop the ability of
abstract and logical thought. They also begin to think
of and test various alternatives in a hypothetical
manner.

Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934)
 Sociocultural Theory
 Emphasized how children adopt the
thought structures represented in the
language and culture that surround
them.

Biological Theories
 Focus on the biological and physical
explanations of development.
 Believe that patterns of development and
human behavior are programmed before birth
by genetic makeup.
 Most Prominent Theorist
○ Konrad Lorenz

Konrad Lorenz – (1903-1989)
 Ethology
 Examines the behaviors that help animals
(including humans) compete and survive.

Neuropsychology
 Uses technology to observe brain and nervous
system structures and functions during
thought.
Child Development Theories
and Theorists

Abraham Maslow (1908-1970)
 Theory of Human Needs
 Development is a result of meeting personal
needs.
 All people work to fulfill basic and higher-
level needs.
SelfActualization
Esteem
Love and
Belonging
Safety and
Security
Physical
needs
Realization
of full potential
Self-esteem,
confidence,
respect
Acceptance, warmth,
affection, and approval
Protection from harm or injury
Food, water, shelter, warmth, physical
activity