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TheoriesofDevelopment

IntroductiontoTheoriesofDevelopment
Theoriesofdevelopmentprovideaframeworkforthinkingabouthumangrowth,development,and
learning.Butwhydowestudydevelopment?Whatcanwelearnfrompsychologicaltheoriesof
development?Ifyouhaveeverwonderedaboutwhatmotivateshumanthoughtandbehavior,
understandingthesetheoriescanprovideusefulinsightintoindividualsandsociety.

PsychoanalyticTheories
PsychoanalytictheoryoriginatedwiththeworkofSigmundFreud.
Throughhisclinicalworkwithpatientssufferingfrommentalillness,Freudcametobelievethat
childhoodexperiencesandunconsciousdesiresinfluencedbehavior.Basedonhisobservations,he
developedatheorythatdescribeddevelopmentintermsofaseriesofpsychosexualstages.Accordingto
Freud,conflictsthatoccurduringeachofthesestagescanhavealifelonginfluenceonpersonalityand
behavior.

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Psychoanalytictheorywasanenormouslyinfluentialforceduringthefirsthalfofthetwentiethcentury.
ThoseinspiredandinfluencedbyFreudwentontoexpanduponFreud'sideasanddeveloptheoriesof
theirown.OftheseneoFreudians,ErikErikson'sideashavebecomeperhapsthebestknown.Erikson's
eightstagetheoryofpsychosocialdevelopmentdescribesgrowthandchangethroughoutthelifespan,
focusingonsocialinteractionandconflictsthatariseduringdifferentstagesofdevelopment.
LearnmorebyexploringthetheoriesproposedbyFreudandErikson.Followthelinksbelowtolearn
moreaboutthesetwoimportanttheoriesofdevelopment.
FreudsTheoryofPsychosexualDevelopment
EriksonsTheoryofPsychosocialDevelopment

LearningTheories
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Duringthefirsthalfofthetwentiethcentury,anewschoolofthoughtknownasbehaviorismroseto
becomeadominantforcewithinpsychology.Behavioristsbelievedthatpsychologyneededtofocus
onlyonobservableandquantifiablebehaviorsinordertobecomeamorescientificdiscipline.

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Accordingtothebehavioralperspective,allhumanbehaviorcanbedescribedintermsofenvironmental
influences.Somebehaviorists,suchasJohnB.WatsonandB.F.Skinner,insistedthatlearningoccurs
purelythroughprocessesofassociationandreinforcement.Later,psychologistAlbertBandurarejected
thisnarrowperspectiveanddemonstratedthepowerfuleffectsofobservationallearning.
Takeacloserlookatsomeoftheseideasinthisoverviewofthelearningtheoriesofdevelopment.

CognitiveTheories
Cognitivetheoryisconcernedwiththedevelopmentofaperson'sthoughtprocesses.Italsolooksathow
thesethoughtprocessesinfluencehowweunderstandandinteractwiththeworld.
TheforemostcognitivethinkerwasJeanPiaget,whoproposedanideathatseemsobviousnow,but
helpedrevolutionizehowwethinkaboutchilddevelopment:Childrenthinkdifferentlythanadults.
Piagetthenproposedatheoryofcognitivedevelopmenttoaccountforthestepsandsequenceof
children'sintellectualdevelopment.
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FollowthelinksbelowtolearnmoreaboutPiaget'sstagesofcognitivedevelopment.
KeyConceptsofPiaget'sTheory
TheSensorimotorStage
ThePreoperationalStage
TheConcreteOperationalStage
TheFormalOperationalStage
ContributionsandCriticismsofPiaget'sTheory

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