Psychoanalytic Theory proposes that child development is a series of interrelated experiences. For instance, through Erikson’s ideas, parents have established a sense of trust with their children by becoming more responsive and sensitive. What is more, this theory has resulted in a better understanding of the challenges associated with adolescence (Lichtenberg, Lachmann, & Fosshage, 2016). Erikson explains that children struggle to establish an individual identity as they transition from childhood to adulthood. Doctors have used the concepts of Psychoanalytic Theory to treat children with emotional problems.
The authors of Behavioral and Social Learning Theory have concluded that children and adults are the products of their surroundings. Parents who acquire the appropriate skill sets can shape the behavior of their children. Parents can condition their children’s environment through the use of negative and positive reinforces.
Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory assumes that children acquire knowledge about their environment from the time of birth through to adulthood. At the infant stage, children develop scientific tendencies, that is, they use their reflex movements to explore their environment. Overtime they start to analyze their environment and make deductions.
127 our experts are availableright now
The Information Processing Theory assumes that children undergo continuous cognitive changes from the time of birth. Important changes in children occur incessantly rather than during transition periods. Cognitive growth in children does not occur abruptly, but in small increments.
In Etiology and Evolutionary Developmental Psychology, children are not viewed as amateurs focused on developing complex skills possessed by adults. Instead, children are part of the human species that are adapted to their current environment. Although children have different minds and behaviors, they are robust and are designed to help them perform a variety of evolutionary functions in society.
Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory concludes that social interactions are essential to the development of cognition. The community plays an important role in helping children make meaning of their environment. Vygotsky assumes that learning is an important in the acquisition of cultural and human psychological function. In other words, learning precedes development in children.
Ecological Systems Theory states that children’s development is influenced by the factors in their environment. Children encounter different environments, such as micro, meso, and exosystems that influence their behavior in varying degrees.
The Dynamic Systems Theory proposes that children develop reflexive abilities due to the interaction of many factors including the environment and tasks. These sub-systems self-organize in such a way that they contribute to the development of movements for various tasks. None of the sub-systems are important and therefore therapists have to evaluate all of them when helping a child to learn a new motor ability.
Based on the children and adolescent development theories, it is evident that the environment plays an important role in the acquisition of adaptation skills. Therefore, it is important that I seek to understand the environment in which the patients grew up in and the accompanying social interactions.
First, Piaget and Vygotsky concluded that children understood complex concepts as they grew older. Second, both theorists recognized the importance of nature and nurture as children sought to meet the demands of their environment. Finally, Piaget and Vygotsky the development of cognitive abilities occurs in a sequential manner (Piaget, 1959; Vygotsky, 1978). When applying Piaget’s theory, I would allow children to manipulate the world around them in order to construct knowledge (Patterson, DeBaryshe, & Ramsey, 2017). I would provide children with scaffolding support to help them learn more and retain information.
References
- Lichtenberg, J. D., Lachmann, F. M., & Fosshage, J. L. (2016). Self and motivational systems: Towards a theory of psychoanalytic technique. Routledge.
- Patterson, G. R., DeBaryshe, B. D., & Ramsey, E. (2017). A developmental perspective on antisocial behavior. In Developmental and life-course criminological theories (pp. 29-35). Routledge.
- Piaget, J. (1959). The language and thought of the child (Vol. 5). Psychology Press.
- Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
