INFANCY AND EARLY CHILDHOOD

Infancy and Early Childhood

Infancy and Early Childhood

Introduction

The life of human beings consist different stages; each stage of human life plays a significant role in developing an individual. The two of the very beginning stages are infancy and childhood. Infancy is the stage where an individual is newly born and solely dependent on his/her parents or guardian. In this stage, an individual is even unable to speak; however, he often expresses his needs through his body gestures. This stage is very important because it shapes the base of the children and shapes his personality. Childhood is the stage after infancy which known as “sensitive stage”.

The human beings in the stage of childhood begin to realize the happenings in their surroundings, and strive to interpret the events on the basis of their frame of mind. According to contrastive studies, it can be interpreted that most of the human development phases make a significant impact in the stages of infancy and childhood; in addition, the individuals' way of seeing the world in entirely based on an individual's nurture in these stages. The purpose of this paper is to enlighten and explore the starting stages of human life, namely, the infancy and childhood. The paper will explore the stages with the holistic approach and in the light of different psychological concepts.

Discussion

Language Development

The development of language in the first two years of life entirely depends upon the environment in which the child interacts. The tendency of a child to develop a particular language depends upon the degree of his interaction with his parent of guardian. In some scenarios, psychologists observed that the parents of children own diversified languages and a child repeatedly grasps both the languages of his parents. However, the fluency of the language depends upon his interaction with the environment he is learning from. In the early years of life, a child can barely even speak; therefore, the surroundings have a great impact on the language development of a child.

Psychoanalysis

Sigmund Freud was the pioneer of Psychoanalysis. The Psychoanalytic theory defines to the concept and the dynamics of personality development, which underlie and direct the psychodynamics and the psychoanalytic psychotherapy. The concept of psychoanalysis deals with the working of the sub-conscious mind, and the effect it has on a man. The basic concept of Psychoanalysis maintains that the influence of the experiences related to sexuality in the childhood, stored in the unconscious mind, have the ability to escort to the development of emotional problems, when the child becomes an adult (Caulfield, 2001). The psychoanalyst also links the aspect of the history of the patient with the present scenario.

Behaviorism

"Behaviorism, focuses on variables we can observe, assess, manipulate; and bypass anything is personal, internal, and unavailable”. Because the inward workings or the human brain are ignored, adversaries to the idea make a powerful case against it. Behaviorism is incapable to clarify human speech, and memory. Advocated by well renowned psychologists for example John B. Watson and ...