Theories of Development -
Interpreting the Lifespan
Chapter 2
introduces all the major (and a bit more in between) theorists and their own
theories of development. Let me just add, chapter 2 was basically my high
school psychology book summarized in one chapter. Not complaining though :).
Some may not agree to every theory that was presented, but it opens the doors
to view each and every one of them and maybe compare them to your
understandings of lifespan development or even apply them to your daily life style.
The major theories of development
are from Freud-psychoanalytic, Erikson-psychosocial, Piaget-cognitive,
Vygotsky-sociocultural, Bandura/Skinner-behavioral, Lerner-contextual. Carefully
reading through all, and trying to understand each one, I found that Freud’s
theory was a bit confusing which had me going back and forth trying to understand
his reasoning. Although he brings up some interesting points, I don’t agree
with his theory 100%. Freud thought that
our adult personality is determined by the way we resolve conflicts between
these early sources of pleasure- the mouth, the anus and the genitals-and the
demands of reality. These ideas and feelings inhabit only a small part of the
brain and a person’s deepest thoughts, fears and urges remain out of our awareness.
They are in our unconscious part of the mind.
What stuck out the most to me from
them all, and made more sense to me were Uri Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological theory
(bioecological model), Lev Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory, Albert Banduras
Social (Cognitive) Learning, Ivan Pavlov’s classical conditioning, & B.F.
Skinner’s operant conditioning. I agree that the environment around a child can
influence how the child grows and develops as Uri explains. Also, according to
Lev, humans use tools that develop from a culture, such as speech and writing,
to mediate their social environments, initially children develop these tools to
serve solely as social functions, ways to communicate their needs. Remembering
when I was in first grade, I always told myself I wanted to be a teacher when I
grow up, and to be just like that specific teacher. Observing her methods of
teaching our classroom was so fascinating. She was so loving, understanding, and
made every individual feel just as important as everyone else. This is just one
of the examples of Albert Bandura’s social cognitive learning. Classical & operant condition, punishment, extinction, as well as reinforcement (both positive and negative) can be seen at home and even in school. I can also say that these are things that I instill at home with my child. It is something I went through a child, and is only natural to pass it down to mine. I loved Pavlov’s
way of teaching classical conditioning. No animals/feelings were hurt, unlike
John Watson who made an infant cry (sorry for the dry humor).
Hi Ruba,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that we all have had some form of conditioning in our lives from our parents. I think one of the most common ways we learn is with different types of reinforcement. Like you, I apply these methods because that is how my parents raised me. You are on your way to becoming that teacher you wanted to be.
Greetings Ruba.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about Freud's theory not being 100% accurate. You're absolutely correct on those feelings only occupying a small percentage of the brain, but he probably had no clue back then on various sections of the brain controlling various feelings and/or emotions. I believe this is a fairly newer (newer then Freud's theory) finding. I am aware of individuals with various types of brain injuries not being able to feel or express emotion. I don't believe that their development as a human being would completely stop because of that lack of fulfillment of that need.
I think that, for the most part, I would also align myself with Vygotsky's sociocultural theory. I do strongly believe that development is somewhat dependent upon the interactions with others. It's obvious when observing people in everyday society, how many times people copy other people's behavior, fashions, language, mannerisms, etc.
It's also evident in how we look up to people and desire to be like role models as we grow up. Your example of your teacher was perfect for Bandura's social cognitive learning theory. I see so much similarity between Bandura's and Vygotsky's theories using observation and interactions of individuals and society. . . I actually didn't realize this when I read the text.
Ruba,
ReplyDeleteFirst let me start by saying, I LOVE your style of writing. Other than you giving your viewpoints on the reading, you do a great job keeping my attention.
I really appreciated the way you connected the different theorist and found what works for you and what doesn’t. I agree that Freuds way of thinking was a bit confusing. The part that caught me off guard the most was how he related human development to sexual experiences. I did not quite agree with this theory. It seemed a little far fetched to me. However, I did like his thoughts on things like the id, ego, and superego. I remember learning about these concepts in my first psychology class and think they do play a major role in our development has humans. I believe they play a huge part in how we make our decisions as we develop. Our inner thoughts contribute so much to our everyday life.
Aside from Freud, I also really am interested in learning more about Albert Bandura’s theories on human development. One of his main focuses was on observational development. Working as a Teacher’s Assistant, I see how observational development really comes to life. In the classroom that I am in, we do a fair share of modeling to help assist the students in everyday functional skills. As we continue to demonstrate and model, the students start to become more independent when completing skills. This modeling and observational development is seen quite a bit in our own lives as well. At one point in our lives, someone taught us how to get through our morning routine, to complete simple math problems, and so many other things.
Looking forward to hearing more from you as well!
Hello Ruba,
ReplyDeleteI really liked your view! You made an excellent point very clear regarding the Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Theory verses Freud's theory. I understood both of them pretty clear. The Ecological Theory is very clear on how it applies to all of us in our daily lives in different levels. We all come from different cultures, societies, and background experiences. Also, we learned from our parents, guardians, or grandparents on how to live and take care of our families with different religion beliefs, economics, education, & more. As far as Freud, he mentioned when there's conflicts during relationships in stages; it can cause regression, fixation, and personality problems. I believe it is very true because personally I can relate.