Theories of human development are the basis for understanding human behavior,
thoughts, and development. These theories help us understand ourselves as well as others.
They were created as a foundation for research, and these methods are always changing when
new discoveries are made. When it comes to discussing two theories that have been supported
by research, I chose the following:
Freud illuminated human personality and behavior through the psychoanalytical theory.
With this method, he claims that human behavior is motivated by an inner force that conflicts
beyond one’s awareness and control. This unconsciousness is a major factor in certain ways
Freud had three forces in which in which the human psyche is divided: id, ego, and superego,
as they control human behavior. Freud further illustrated that children go through six stages
known as psychosexual development. These stages are oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital.
Many other researchers agreed with Freud because his studies are based on case studies, not
empirical research.
Much like Freud, Erikson believed that personality developed in a series of stages.
Erikson claimed that change in human behavior and understanding was based on social
experiences over the course of a lifetime. The nine stages of Erikson’s psychosocial theory are
trust v. mistrust, autonomy v. shame and doubt, initiative v. guilt, industry v. inferiority, identify v.
confusion, intimacy v. isolation, generativity v. stagnation, and integrity v. despair. The
psychoanalytical theory describes a child’s growth while the psychosocial theory explains an
adult’s behavior. Both theories of human growth are empirically proven theories.
As far as a theory that has no empirical support, I believe Piaget’s theory of cognitive
development claims that people go through particular series of universal stages of cognitive
development. Piaget believed that human growth could be organized according to thinking
schemes, mental organizational patterns, which represents human behavior and actions. The
two principles used to evaluate the behavior of children were assimilation and accommodation.
These cognitive perspectives focused on the process that allows people to know, understand,
and think about the world. I feel this theory needs more empirical evidence because children
may or may not acquire particular skills or knowledge before the “age of reason.”
When it comes to the Spiritual Development of an individual that is something that gets
passed from one generation to another. The human behavior is balanced, and spiritual people
believe that peace and meditation show the path to reach the God.
HSCO 502 Human Growth & Developmen
Tracey Green
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Forum 1 (Module 1)
For many spiritual development has been hard and vague to define, however, Fowler (1981)
believed that said development was predictable and progresses in various stages of life in a
linear fashion. Spiritual quests involve looking for “something to value that gives us value,
something to honor and respect that the power to sustain our being (Fowler, 1981, pg. 5).
Others researchers such as Love and Talbot (1999) defined same as an interrelated process
that involved self-knowledge and centered which gives one a sense of spirit that influences their
lives. Parks (2000) expanded on this idea that adulthood gets postponed in society, and young
people had their unique stages of spiritual; development of their lives. Parks (2000) further
agreed to Fowler’s idea that spiritual development is discontinuous, occurs one state at a time in
a linear fashion. One’s spiritual journey can be dissatisfied or progressive by important events
that occur in their life or emotional events.
Fowler, J.W. (1981). Stages of faith: The psychology of human development and the quest for
meaning. New York: Harper Collins.
Love, P.G., & Talbot, D. (1999). Defining spiritual development: A missing consideration for
student affairs. Journal of College Student Development, 43, 361-375.
Parks, S. (2000). Big questions, worthy dreams: Mentoring young adults in their search for
meaning, purpose and faith. San Francisco, CA:Jossey-Bass.
Great post, Kayla. I enjoyed reading your post; as you have included some excellent
information. I agree that the psychoanalytic theory examines factors that motivate
behavior by focusing on the role of the unconsciousness (Feldman, 2014). Sigmund
Freud and Erik Erikson are both theorists that support this approach. Freud offered the
psychoanalytic theory of personality and the psychosexual development theory; wherein
he believed that the unconscious force caused individuals to act and behave a certain
way (Feldman, 2014). I believe this is true because most people do behave and act
according to the environment that they are exposed. My grandmother used to use the
saying “monkey see monkey do” for the previous statement. Most that are raised by a
particular behavior have a higher chance of repeating the same action they were taught.
When it comes to the psychosexual development theory there are several stages that
you go through in the development process, and if you happen to be at a standstill in
one of these stages problems will arise (Feldman, 2014). But Erikson agreed with
Freud's theories in many ways and developed his theory of psychosocial development.
Wherein he believed that our environment and culture form who will are (Feldman,
2014). Erikson also stated that “Psychosocial development incorporates a change in our
interactions with others and understandings of one another as well as our knowledge
and understanding of ourselves as members of society” (Feldman, 2014, p.15). The
psychoanalytic theory's strength lies in its awareness of unconscious motivation and the
importance of early experiences on human development.
References
Feldman, R. (2014). Development across the lifespan (7 ed.). New Jersey: Pearson
Publications.
Thank you for your post. It is very knowledgeable. I think you provided some critical points.
Cognitive development has been around for a long time and has become one of the best
theories. Jean Piaget was a prominent figure in the research of child development (Feldman,
2014). He had an interest in the development of "thinking" and how it relates to development
throughout childhood (Feldman 2014). The cognitive development theory has a lot to do with
the views of the world. Cognitive development theory also focuses on the development of
thought processes and how these processes influence our understanding of the world
(Feldman, 2014). He transformed the way we look at child development by proposing the idea
that children think differently than adults (Feldman, 2014). Jean Piaget's stages of cognitive
development take a look at the sequential steps that take place in children's intellectual
development. Each of these measures helps build the knowledge learned in the previous stage.
His theory became one of the most famous and widely accepted theories of child cognitive
development to this day (Feldman, 2014). Cognitive behavioral theories that are supported by
research can be influential in parenting and the field of education. However, there is a weakness
in this method, and that is the limited consideration of emotional factors (Feldman, 2014).
References
