Developmental Psychology: Main Theories And Authors
The theories of child psychological development They pay attention to how they grow and develop throughout childhood in different areas: social, emotional and cognitive.
Many researchers have focused on learning more about this stage of life, and the results of a wide range of studies in the fields of anthropology, medicine, sociology, education and, of course, Developmental Psychology, have highlighted the importance of childhood in the formation of intelligence, personality and social behavior.
If you are interested in knowing more about this fascinating topic, keep reading; here you will find a summary of the main theories in the field of Developmental Psychology But first of all, let’s define this concept.
Developmental Psychology is the branch of Psychology that is responsible for investigate the mental and behavioral changes that take place throughout people’s lives, that is, from childhood to old age. This implies that it takes into account both the biological transformation processes that occur in the organism over the years (the clearest being the development of the brain and the nervous system in general), as well as psychosocial changes (for example, different expectations and roles to occupy that we encounter as we grow and mature).
Although technically Developmental Psychology studies all stages of life, in practice it pays a lot of attention to childhood and adolescence, since during these years we are especially vulnerable.
Psychological theories about childhood development
Psychologists such as Sigmund Freud, Erik Erikson, Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky have tried to explain the different aspects through their theories. And although not all of them are fully accepted today, The influence of their perspectives has been of great help in understanding how children grow, think and behave
The following are some of the many theories of child development that have been proposed by theorists and researchers.
1. Sigmund Freud’s Theory of Psychosexual Development
Freud is considered the father of Psychoanalysis. The psychoanalytic theory of child development It tends to focus on things such as the unconscious, drives, and ego formation. Although his proposals do not enjoy great popularity today, few doubt the importance that childhood events and experiences have on the future development of the child.
According to Freud, child development is described as a series of psychosexual stages: oral, anal, phallic, latency and genital. Now, this conception of the development of the mind and personality is a child of its time, and is currently outdated.
To learn more about this theory, in this article we explain it in detail: “Sigmund Freud: life and work of the famous psychoanalyst.”
2. Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development
Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development (by clicking on the link you can access a magnificent summary prepared by the psychologist Bertrand Regader) is one of the most widespread and accepted theories in Developmental Psychology It is also a psychoanalytic theory, and this theorist, like Freud, proposed that there are different stages of development.
Erikson thinks that the resolution of the different stages gives rise to the acquisition of a series of competencies that help to resolve the goals that will arise during the next life stage. In this way psychological growth occurs.
For example, the main conflict during the period from 6 to 12 years, called Industriousness vs. Inferiority, implies the domain of social experience. At this stage the child begins his preschool and school instruction, and is eager to do things together with others, share tasks, etc. If the child does not manage to overcome this stage in the appropriate way, that is, if he feels inferior, this will negatively affect his general functioning.
The Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget, considered the father of constructivism, suggested that children’s cognitive development occurs following a series of stages He observed that children play an active role in obtaining knowledge of the world, that is, he considered them “little scientists” who actively construct their knowledge and understanding of the world, yes, through mental norms that differ qualitatively from those used by adult people.
Piaget’s ideas are no longer valid as he formulated them, but this is one of the most important theories of development and in fact it is considered to have laid the foundations of what is known today as Developmental Psychology.
You can learn more about his theory in this article: “Jean Piaget’s Learning Theory.” If what you want is to delve deeper into the different stages that the Swiss theorist proposed, this other article will be of great help: “The 4 stages of cognitive development by Jean Piaget.”
4. Sociocultural Theory of Lev Vygotsky
Another psychologist named Lev Vygotsky proposed a theory of children’s cognitive development that has become one of the most influential and important theories, especially in the field of education and learning.
Like Piaget, Vygotsky is a constructivist psychologist, and he believed that children learn actively and through practical experiences. Now, unlike Piaget who explains that knowledge is constructed individually, Vygotsky concludes that learning is built through social interactions with the support of someone more expert.
Thus, according to this theory of psychological development, the social context is part of the cognitive development process, and cannot be considered something external that only “influences.” The use of language itself, for example, is both something collective and individual, and allows great superior cognitive abilities to appear, based on the development of very abstract concepts.
Vygotsky was important in understanding the Collaborative learning and to learn more about the influence of the sociocultural environment on the cognitive development of children.
To delve into this interesting theory, you just have to click here: “Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory”.
5. Behavioral Theories: Classical Conditioning and Operant Conditioning
The behavioral theories were important because They emphasized how an individual’s interaction with his or her environment influences his or her behavior There were three main exponents of these theories: Ivan Pavlov and John B. Watson as precursors of the Classical conditioningand BF Skinner as the father of Operant conditioning.
Although both theories are important in the field of learning, they deal only with observable behaviors. Therefore, development is considered a consequence of rewards (or reinforcements) and punishments, and they do not take into account internal thoughts or feelings as they are conceived by cognitive psychologists, but rather consider them mere attributions to behaviors that are more difficult to control. observe that the movements.
Would you like to know more about these theories? Below we leave you two links so you can understand them better:
6. Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory
Albert Bandura realized that behaviorist theories did not explain the learning of individuals in their entirety, since they underestimate the social dimension of human behavior and the internal dimension of the subject, reducing it to an association that occurs due to repeated trials. Therefore, understood that children’s learning and development cannot be understood without both components
In addition to highlighting the importance of expectations and intrinsic reinforcements, such as a feeling of pride, satisfaction and achievement, in the motivation of human beings, his theory highlights that Children learn new behaviors from observing other people By observing the actions of others, including parents and peers, children develop new skills and acquire new information.
Don’t miss his entire theory. Below we show you different articles by this Ukrainian-Canadian psychologist that you can read:
