Developmental Psychology PDF
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This document provides an introduction to developmental psychology, highlighting its importance in nursing practice. It explores the nature-nurture debate and the concept of continuous vs. staged development, along with practical applications in understanding patient behavior and supporting families. The document also presents a general overview of developmental psychology and suggests important topics relating to the understanding of development.
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**Developmental Psychology and its Importance in Nursing Practice** **Introduction** Nursing concentrates entirely on ***assisting individuals recover from serious acute and chronic diseases***, while psychology concentrates on dealing with the ***emotional issues of individuals***. Psychology has...
**Developmental Psychology and its Importance in Nursing Practice** **Introduction** Nursing concentrates entirely on ***assisting individuals recover from serious acute and chronic diseases***, while psychology concentrates on dealing with the ***emotional issues of individuals***. Psychology has a huge relevance on the nursing practice. It has been seen in many cases that ***physical sickness results in emotional interference***. ***Nurses have to manage patients during severe healthcare concerns and deal with their emotions and actions***. ***Patients depend on nurses who try to reduce their emotional stress.*** For a rapid health restoration, nurses have to understand the psychology of their patients and help them psychologically. At this stage, ***nurses have to be sympathetic and understanding***. Nursing staff are trained in a manner that they help sufferers psychologically by dealing with the emotional changes. ***Nurses communicate with patients / clients on a regular basis and it is easy for them to recognize the signs of emotional disruptions compared to other healthcare employees.*** Nurses work in a setting where they're required to interact with other professionals in an effort to bring the best quality care for their patients. **They need to fully understand how other people behave and act in certain situations -- this is where Psychology comes into play**. The definition and importance of developmental psychology is presented below. **Definitions** The word "**Psychology**" originated from two Greek words **- "*psyche" and "logos"***. The word logos stands for ***a rational discourse or a study***. The word psyche is interpreted in different ways by psychologists at various periods. Initially the word psyche was interpreted as '***soul**'*, then *'**mind**'* and at later stage as '***consciousness*'**. Now psychology is viewed as a science which aims to give us better *understanding and control* of the behavior of individuals as a whole. In simple terms, it is ***a science of human behavior***. A human being is best understood through his behavior. The following quote by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe reveals the importance of studying human behavior. *"**Behavior is a mirror in which everyone displays his image.**"* ***Psychology is basically the study of behavioral, mental, and emotional operations of people**.* It is also the connection of educational, theoretical and applied science. Student nurses who study psychology devotedly are able to understand the compound process of the brain that commands the actions of all human. They also are able to realize that they ***can make use of psychology in understanding the behaviors, situations and everyday life of patients**.* **Developmental psychology** is an aspect of psychology which deals with the *development, growth and behaviour in human beings right from the time of conception to the period of adolescence* when most of the functions of the body become matured; including changes that occur throughout a person's lifetime. **It encompasses the physical, cognitive, emotional, and social development from infancy to old age**. It also deals with the factors which determine what a child will become in future. It is ***therefore a scientific approach which aims to explain how and why children and adults change over time.*** The concern as nurses is to ***assist the child to develop the appropriate personality from conception to adolescent*.** This implies that we must not only know the subject matter but the child. Knowing the child includes knowing how the child grows and develops. The aims of developmental psychology are to describe, explain, and to optimize development. **Controversies in Lifetime Development** There are three issues, sometimes called controversies in life-span development. They are; **The Nature vs. Nurture Debate:** The Nature-Nurture debate is arguing whether development is due to nature or nurture. Is one's development as a result of one's ***genetics (Nature) or one's care or environment*** (Nurture)? Nature View: What aspects of your behavior are controlled and what happens when we grow? Nurture View: What aspect of your behavior can we attribute to the way in which we are brought up \-- what are the environmental, social and human influences on us? ***At present, there is universal agreement that both nature and nurture are involved.*** Developmental psychology often examines the interplay between genetics (nature) and environment (nurture) in shaping behaviour and development. **Is Development Continuous or in Stages?** Whether developments occur continuously or in stages is another debate. Is one's development a gradual and continuous process or does it pas through stages which have to be negotiated one after the other? ***Behaviorists like Watson,*** believe that our development is a steady continuous process ***based on the rate at which we learn new behaviors***. But ***Stage theorists like Freud, Erikson and Piaget*** believe that development or maturation is ***an uneven process, with periods of little development followed by dramatic changes in a relatively short time.*** They argue that ***however rich or enriched the environment, however keen the parents are that their children should speak or walk, until the child is ready or has matured enough for the next stage, it will not happen***. In order words, until the child has matured biologically, the next stage will not occur. Biological change precedes or prepares us for psychological change. ***At present, the Stage theorists appear to have the upper hand**.* Nature theorists tend to be stage theorists while nurture theorists tend to hold to the continuous view. **The Stability vs. Change Issue:** Is one's personality development stable over one's lifespan or does it change as one develops? These are controversies that are faced in developmental psychology. **The Importance of developmental Psychology to a Nurse** Why do nurses study developmental psychology? Nurses study developmental psychology for the following reasons: **Understand and help the patient** Nurses must understand the patients to provide quality nursing care. The study of psychology helps nurses ***to understand the individual differences found in behavior and personality traits*** of the patients and the meaning of their behavior at different circumstances. **Understand and help the relatives** Nurses in the process of providing ***holistic care, encourage the relatives and well wishers to participate in the patient's care***. It's a challenging task for the nurses to get their cooperation and make them understand why certain actions are performed for the patients. The study of psychology helps nurses to ***understand the genuine demand of the relatives and concern*** for the patient. **Provide needed advice, guidance and support to the patient** Nurses by studying psychology, understand the ***principles of guidance and counseling and its techniques***. Understanding the techniques of guidance and counseling helps nurses to provide individual or group guidance as well as counseling services whenever they need it. **Provide quality nursing care** ***An individual is the combination of the body and mind***. If something goes wrong with the body, it *affects the mind and vice versa*. Individuals get admitted to the hospital for their problems in the body or mind. The study of psychology helps nurses to ***understand the importance of body mind relationship and apply the principles of psychology*** in the care of the patients. The knowledge on psychology gives a nurse awareness about the attitude, conflicts, positive thinking, crisis intervention which in turn helps to provide quality nursing care **Adjust to the professional environment** ***Nursing is a team work*** and nurses have to work together with other health care team members including colleagues. The nurse should ***understand the psychology of people around her to work effectively***. She is expected to work in collaboration with other health team members and ***[face the challenges in the professional environment]***. The knowledge on psychology helps nurses to overcome these challenges in their profession. **Understand one-self** The nurse must understand oneself; ***that is her attitude, way of thinking, coping abilities, mental mechanisms, overall strength and weakness***. Understanding self helps to *adjust to the personal and professional life* and to lead a well balanced life. **Effective Nurse-Patient Relationship** With the help of psychology, nurses will know how to interact with their patients based on different factors such as gender and age. For instance, young patients may be more afraid than adults. They may have difficulties in understanding their illness. A nurse can apply his knowledge of child development and psychology and ***relate to the young patients in a way their apprehensions are alleviated***. Thus, psychology can help improve the nurse and patient relationship. As a result, patients can openly interact and communicate with them and inform them about their specific needs. With psychological knowledge also, nurses are able to get the trust of their patients. This makes the patients more responsive with the instructions they are given. Sometimes, they eve take a positive role in their own wellness. The importance of developmental psychology in nursing cannot be overemphasized.