Cognitive Development Theory by Piaget

Cognitive Development Theory

• Developed by Jean Piaget.
• Focuses on the reasoning and thinking process (intellectual operations).
• This process is related to how individuals learn to understand their world.

Periods of Intellectual Development

• Sensorimotor Stage (Birth to 2 years): Infants gain knowledge through senses and motor actions. Key developments include object permanence and separation anxiety.
• Preoperational Stage (2 to 7 years): Children start to use symbols and engage in imaginative play, but their thinking is still egocentric, and they struggle with conservation.
• Concrete Operational Stage (7 to 11 years): Children can now perform mental operations with concrete objects and understand concepts like reversibility, conservation, and seriation (classifying objects by size).
• Formal Operational Stage (11 years and up): Individuals develop abstract reasoning skills, can think hypothetically, and engage in systematic problem-solving.

Stages of Psychosocial Conflicts

• Trust vs Mistrust (Birth to 18 Months): Infants learn about trust and security through consistent and responsive care. This stage sets the foundation for future relationships.
• Autonomy vs Shame and Doubt (18 Months to 3 Years): Toddlers explore their independence and begin to assert their will. Encouraging exploration and independence helps develop autonomy.
• Initiative vs Guilt (3 to 5 Years): Children develop a sense of purpose and initiative by taking on new tasks and exploring their world. Overly restrictive parenting can lead to guilt.
• Industry vs Inferiority (6 to 11 Years): Children compare themselves to peers and develop a sense of competence and self-worth through school and social interactions.
• Identity vs Role Confusion (Adolescence): Teenagers develop their own sense of identity and explore different roles and values.
• Intimacy vs Isolation (Young Adulthood): Young adults form meaningful and intimate relationships with others.
• Generativity vs Stagnation (Middle Adulthood): Adults focus on contributing to society and leaving a legacy.
• Ego Integrity vs Despair (Late Adulthood): Old adults reflect on their lives and look for meaning and satisfaction.

Moral Development

• Preconventional Level (early childhood): Morality is externally controlled and focused on external consequences of actions.
  • Stage 1: Obedience and Punishment Orientation (avoiding punishment)
  • Stage 2: Instrumental Orientation ("What's in it for me?" - incentive)
• Conventional Level (middle childhood and adolescence): Morality is tied to personal and societal relationships.
  • Stage 3: Good Boy, Nice Girl Orientation (approval from others)
  • Stage 4: Law-and-Order Orientation (accepting rules for maintaining social order)
• Postconventional Level (adulthood): Morality is based on internal principles and values.
  • Stage 5: Social Contract Orientation (understanding that laws can be changed to meet the needs of society)
  • Stage 6: Universal Ethical Principles Orientation (operating based on universal ethical principles, even if they go against the law)

Human Needs Theory

• Developed by Abraham Maslow.
• A motivational theory with a five-tier model of human needs, often depicted as a pyramid, indicating a hierarchy of needs.
• Physiological Needs (base): These are essential for survival, such as breathing, food, water, sleep, and homeostasis.
• Safety Needs: These relate to security and stability, including personal safety, employment, health, and resources.
• Love and Belonging Needs: This level focuses on social connection, including love, friendship, intimacy, and family.
• Esteem Needs: These involve self-esteem, confidence, achievement, respect from others, and recognition.
• Self-Actualization Needs (peak): This is the highest level, representing the desire to reach one's full potential, including creativity, problem-solving, acceptance, and a sense of purpose.

Nursing

• Nursing as a Profession: A specialized field of practice based on the theoretical structure of knowledge, ethics, and skills within the discipline of nursing.
• Nursing as a Discipline: A branch of education, a department of learning, or a domain of knowledge.
• Nursing as an Art: A spiritual calling, an art that involves understanding and compassion for people.
• Nursing as the Science of Environmental Management: Nurses use their knowledge and skills to manage the environment (physical, social, psychological) to help patients heal and improve their health.

Florence Nightingale

• Environment-Oriented Philosophy: Emphasizes the importance of the physical environment on patient health, including ventilation, light, warmth, noise, and cleanliness.
• Role of Nurses: To assist nature in healing the patient by managing the environment and observing the patient's responses.