CHILD DEVELOPMENT THEORIES

Child Development Theories

Child Development Theories

Introduction

What we know about humans thought and behavior is due to many psychological theories. Some theories have remained widely excepted throughout the years; others have been rejected; while others have had to adjust to the way that society has changed over the years. All have contributed to the understanding of humans thought and behavior that we have today. This paper will review several of these theories.

Developmental theories provide steps for thinking about human growth, development and learning. These theories provide insight to individuals and society (Wagner, 2009). Piaget developed a theory on child development identifying four developmental stages each child proceeds through. During all stages the child experiences the environment using mental maps that have been constructed so far (Feldman, 2008). Vygotsky's theory is that the history of human development and cultural tools that shape the development of everyone. In the course of the developing child, the child learns through interactions with parents, teachers and peers (Wagner, 2009). According to Freud, child development is described as a series of 'psychosexual stages.' Freud outlined these stages as oral, anal, phallic, latency period, and genital. Each stage involves the satisfaction of a desire and can later play a role in the adult's personality. Theorist Erik Erikson also proposed a stage theory of development, his theory of development went throughout the entire human lifespan. Erikson believed that each stage of development is based on overcoming a conflict. Success or failure in dealing with each conflict would impact overall functioning (Wagner, 2009). I can see were children are learning through society, whether they are staying at home with a parent or attending a day care. Children tend to mimic what they hear and therefore learn through the interactions that the experience.

Child Development Theories

Child development is often separated into 3 developmental pathways such as:



Physical

Cognitive

Emotional

Examine the inter-relationship of such pathways, focusing on the implications for children's participation and performance in sport.

The different theories of child development all agree that there are critical pathways to optimal, positive growth in social and emotional competencies and psychological health. The healthy growth of a child is marked not only by physical development and the maturation of the brain and nervous system but also by the development of cognitive, social and relational, and psychological and emotional domains. When discussing the factors involved in children's development, the terms growth and maturation both must be understood. Growth can be defined simply as "an increase in the size of the body as a whole or the size attained by specific parts of the body." (Malina and Bouchard, 1991). Maturation on the other hand is more difficult to define. It can be said that maturation is the period of process of becoming mature. "Maturity does however vary with the biological system considered." (Malina and Bouchard, 1991).

Physical Development Theory

The primary regulators of growth and maturation are of a physiological nature, i.e. genetic, endocrine and nutritional factors. There are other additional factors, which may influence growth and ...