Professional Documents
Culture Documents
TheoriesofDevelopment
IntroductiontoTheoriesofDevelopment
Theoriesofdevelopmentprovideaframeworkforthinkingabouthumangrowth,development,and
learning.Butwhydowestudydevelopment?Whatcanwelearnfrompsychologicaltheoriesof
development?Ifyouhaveeverwonderedaboutwhatmotivateshumanthoughtandbehavior,
understandingthesetheoriescanprovideusefulinsightintoindividualsandsociety.
PsychoanalyticTheories
PsychoanalytictheoryoriginatedwiththeworkofSigmundFreud.
Throughhisclinicalworkwithpatientssufferingfrommentalillness,Freudcametobelievethat
childhoodexperiencesandunconsciousdesiresinfluencedbehavior.Basedonhisobservations,he
developedatheorythatdescribeddevelopmentintermsofaseriesofpsychosexualstages.Accordingto
Freud,conflictsthatoccurduringeachofthesestagescanhavealifelonginfluenceonpersonalityand
behavior.
data:text/htmlcharset=utf8,%3Ch3%20style%3D%22boxsizing%3A%20borderbox%3B%20margin%3A%202rem%200px%200px%3B%20padding%3A
1/5
9/22/2016
TheoriesofDevelopment
Psychoanalytictheorywasanenormouslyinfluentialforceduringthefirsthalfofthetwentiethcentury.
ThoseinspiredandinfluencedbyFreudwentontoexpanduponFreud'sideasanddeveloptheoriesof
theirown.OftheseneoFreudians,ErikErikson'sideashavebecomeperhapsthebestknown.Erikson's
eightstagetheoryofpsychosocialdevelopmentdescribesgrowthandchangethroughoutthelifespan,
focusingonsocialinteractionandconflictsthatariseduringdifferentstagesofdevelopment.
LearnmorebyexploringthetheoriesproposedbyFreudandErikson.Followthelinksbelowtolearn
moreaboutthesetwoimportanttheoriesofdevelopment.
FreudsTheoryofPsychosexualDevelopment
EriksonsTheoryofPsychosocialDevelopment
LearningTheories
data:text/htmlcharset=utf8,%3Ch3%20style%3D%22boxsizing%3A%20borderbox%3B%20margin%3A%202rem%200px%200px%3B%20padding%3A
2/5
9/22/2016
TheoriesofDevelopment
Duringthefirsthalfofthetwentiethcentury,anewschoolofthoughtknownasbehaviorismroseto
becomeadominantforcewithinpsychology.Behavioristsbelievedthatpsychologyneededtofocus
onlyonobservableandquantifiablebehaviorsinordertobecomeamorescientificdiscipline.
data:text/htmlcharset=utf8,%3Ch3%20style%3D%22boxsizing%3A%20borderbox%3B%20margin%3A%202rem%200px%200px%3B%20padding%3A
3/5
9/22/2016
TheoriesofDevelopment
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.
data:text/htmlcharset=utf8,%3Ch3%20style%3D%22boxsizing%3A%20borderbox%3B%20margin%3A%202rem%200px%200px%3B%20padding%3A
4/5
9/22/2016
TheoriesofDevelopment
FollowthelinksbelowtolearnmoreaboutPiaget'sstagesofcognitivedevelopment.
KeyConceptsofPiaget'sTheory
TheSensorimotorStage
ThePreoperationalStage
TheConcreteOperationalStage
TheFormalOperationalStage
ContributionsandCriticismsofPiaget'sTheory
data:text/htmlcharset=utf8,%3Ch3%20style%3D%22boxsizing%3A%20borderbox%3B%20margin%3A%202rem%200px%200px%3B%20padding%3A
5/5