Developmental Psychology Lesson 1

Developmental Psychology

• Development: a series of changes that occur in an orderly and coherent manner
• Factors of development:
  • Heredity/Nature: external forces that influence human development, including recessive and dominant genes
  • Environment/Nurture
• Developmental issues:
  • Stability and Change: people may grow up shy despite being confident as children
  • Continuity and Discontinuity
• Principles of development:
  • Development is orderly and follows a sequential pattern
  • Product of interaction between maturation (natural) and learning (effort)
  • Individual differences exist
  • Pattern of behavior: equilibrium, adapting easily to environmental demands
  • Early foundations are critical, like a "clean slate"

Developmental Theories

• Theory: a set of related statements to understand human behavior
• Stage theory:
  • Maps out development competency in certain patterns of behaviors
  • Describes typical development
  • Precisely defines and describes specific abilities
  • Stages are completed in a specific order
  • Every child will progress through the stages described Strengthes:
    • Ability to describe development according to specific age norms
    • Identifying when a child is not developing like others
    • Knowing when children are ready to learn Weaknesses:
    • Rigid, precise statements that don't account for individual differences
    • Conceptualizes development as linear
• Continuous Theory:
  • A continuous, lifelong experience
  • Explains individual differences and how they affect a person
  • Affected by many elements, predictable and versatile
  • Affected by non-normative influences

Psychoanalytic Perspective Theory by Sigmund Freud

• Assumptions:
  • Problems are a result of early childhood experiences
  • Relying on methods like hypnosis and free association
  • Indications of unconscious motives
• 3 Components of Personality:
  • ID: desires
  • Ego: rational
  • Superego: moral standards
• Stages:
  • Oral Stage (birth to 1 year): mouth, focus on oral desires
  • Anal Stage (1 to 3 years): anus, focus on control and organization
  • Phallic Stage (3 to 6 years): genitals, focus on sexual development
  • Latent Stage (6 to 12 years): no focus on sexual urges, rechanneled to schoolwork
  • Genital Stage (12 years onward): reawakens sexual urge, learning to express in acceptable ways

Psychosocial Stages of Development by Erik Erikson

• Assumptions:
  • Heavily influenced by Freud
  • Birth to death, linear and unidirectional
  • Life comprised of crisis
• Stages:
  • Trust vs Mistrust (infancy to 1-2 years): warmth and caregiving vs mistrust
  • Autonomy vs Shame and Doubt (2-4 years): assert independence vs shame and doubt
  • Initiative vs Guilt (4-5 years): learning to assert oneself vs guilt
  • Industry vs Inferiority (6-11 years): mastering knowledge and skills vs inferiority
  • Identity vs Role Confusion (12-18 years): finding oneself vs role confusion