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Development Theories-An application of personal experience

Introduction

Theories of development provide a framework through which we understand human growth, development, and learning. Theories of development are used as the basis for establishing concepts and principles that explain and describe the process of human development. This paper will apply this theory to my personal experiences since everyone proceeds through specific areas of growth and change (Crain, 2010).

Jean Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development

There are many theories of cognitive development, and Jean Piaget’s stage of the theory of cognitive development is one of the theories of human development that is based on the belief that childhood plays a significant role in personal development (Richard, 2015). This theory states that children progress through various stages of cognitive development (Crain, 2010). According to these phases, I entered the formal operational stage at the age of 17-18 since it is at this period I feel I managed to demonstrate intelligence through use symbols related to abstract concepts. It is at this stage I started realizing the form of thought that have any relation to reality, and I was capable of deductive and hypothetical reasoning which is a clear reflection to what Piaget stated as the features of the stage.

An example of the phenomenon of the world that I constructed meaning out of cognitive reasoning and development to formal operation stage is view of criminal justice system. When I was growing up, I had a view that punishment that was used as the method of punishing criminal held by law enforcement agencies such as the prison was the best solution of reducing and changing the behavior of such criminals. After reaching this stage, I had a view that the system does not work not only on learning but having the capacity to realize that the system was inadequate and only led to the stubborn spirit in the lost soul that were covered by other challenges. I have come to realize rehabilitation with the help of psychologist is the most appropriate approach that should be used change the criminals and reduce crime in society.

Erikson’s Stages of Psychological Development

The other theory of human development is Erikson’s stages of psychological development that identify eight stages that every human health being should pass from childhood to adulthood (Crain, 2010).This theory states that a person is confronted with challenges at each stage, but they unfold according to one’s ecological and natural upbringing. Each step builds the other, and when challenges are not completed they may appear as a problem later (Richard, 2015).

One of the stages that I have gone through is the adolescence. This is the stage that happened at the age of 13-19 years when I started to be concerned about how I appear to others. It is at this point I started pondering at the roles I play in the adulthood where I had mixed feelings and ideas about the specific way I appear in the society. When compared to the explanation of Erikson, it is the stage where a child develops a sense of identity regarding who they are and where they are heading their lives which are mirrored by what I experienced.

During this stage, I can perform many identifications, developed boundaries and confront with the need to re-establish myself. The prior events that challenged this stage are a lack of defined goals of what I wanted to achieve during childhood and what I realized later as I changed during this stage. I had to change what I wanted to be and what kind of person I would like to be. It is the decision and finding my identity at this stage that I have changed who I wanted to be that it is still evident to me until today. I changed to the most responsible person that have the capability to have self-control and a person who can achieve goals on my own.

Lawrence Kohlberg's stages of moral development

Lawrence Kohlberg's stages of moral development states that human being is adapted to moral reasoning by three levels with each being more advanced than the other one(Richard, 2015). One of ethical decision that I have ever made developing respect to the senior societal members. This moral decision can be based on a conventional level where I realized that it is immature to keep on colliding and showing disrespect to the older members such as teachers and parents. According to conventional level, a person can judge the morality of actions by comparing to expectations and view of the society. It is at this stage that a person accepts societal convention regarding what is right and wrong (Crain, 2010).Respect is one of them as it is the basis of obeying rules and regulations even when there are no consequences for disobedience.

Developmental Milestones: Motor Development

Children develop in a process of unfolding biological potential where their motor skills development are controlled by the process of maturation. I have witnessed my cousin’s child that have grown and depicted various stages of development milestones. The child began with rolling over, sitting and standing and then finally walking. This was progress that should pattern where each step followed the other. One challenge in an environment that challenged the child that facilitated motor development is the objects that would be placed near the kid and then should be induced to reach them. This enabled to improve the process of standing and trying to walk where she could fall severally until she gained strength to achieve the milestones. The difference between maturation and learning is that maturity is the process of gaining self-control through self-realization while learning is the process of acquiring knowledge (Crain, 2010).

References

Crain, W. (2010). Theories of Development: Concepts and Applications. Abingdon: Psychology Press.

Richard Peet PhD, E. H. (2015). Theories of Development, Third Edition: Contentions, Arguments, Alternatives. New York City: The Guilford Press.