Erikson's Eight Stages Of Child Development

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Part One
These two individuals have suffered many unfortunate circumstances which can have a large effect in the way they express their character to the people around them. The long term effects of not growing under a healthy influence can have some negative long-term impacts on their mental, physical and emotional growth. Furthermore, by understanding the theories set forth by many individuals about child development, we are able to make stronger predictions as to how these brothers will be affected.
The outcomes of living in such horrible conditions can be severe. For one thing, the brothers may find it difficult to learn after living in such neglect. As it has been suggested throughout the unit, students must be able to

develop self-confidence to have the willingness to learn. As a result, the brothers may neglect the opportunity to enhance their learning because of their inability to highlight their talents. Consequently, the lack of education may result in substance abuse and alcohol consumption for there were no role models to teach them otherwise. In fact, their adoptive parents may have even promoted profane acts against the body. With the privation of a good authority figure, the violent actions may be transferred toward their own families or themselves. The investigation of Freud’s, Erikson’s, Brofenbrenner’s, Piaget’s, and Vygotsky’s theories will explain why these negative outcomes are likely to ensue. Freud suggested that the inability to resolve conflicts during our early development can lead to the failure of proceeding to the next stage of development.

In a sense, we can relate this theory to the brothers’ situation because their deprivation from a positive environment can lead to the incapability of distinguishing between right and wrong. Correspondingly, Erikson suggested that development also takes place after our early life stages. He suggested that a person’s prime development comes from the interaction with the people around him/her. As an example, I will use Erikson’s first stage of development. During the first stage of infancy, the baby must meet the challenge of obtaining physical comfort. If the infant experiences fear, the development during the proceeding stage may also be affected. This is something we can exploit when predicting the possible lifestyles of the brothers. By the same token, Piaget expressed the need for children to actively engage with the world to form stronger mental connections as they experience new situations. If the brothers were kept in a cage, their interaction with the world would be very limited and the connections that they would be making when trying to solve problems would be mostly negative. Coupled with this, Piaget also said that we accommodate our minds

based on what is accepted in our environment. Therefore, if these boys were surrounded by negative emotions, their minds will accommodate to this behaviour and will it would then be transferred to the rest of society. This shows how important it is to receive knowledge from both our society and parents. Similarly, Vygotsky emphasized the importance of minimal challenges to enhance our learning. He stressed that people must face a challenge within their range of knowledge to further expand their capabilities in the future. When it comes to the brothers, the deprivation of facing any challenges would prevent them from constructing their intellectual capacities. In conjunction, Brofenbrenner proposed that these challenges come from all sorts of biological and ecological influences. In other words, our personality and understanding come from the interaction with all sorts of conditions in our environment. Moreover, he stressed the importance of having a diverse set of influences to creatively construct the personality. Brofenbrenner stated that our main influence is developed from our microsystems (individual, family, peers, school, neighbourhood, church etc.). Provided that, trouble within one microsystem can transfer trouble to another microsystem. With this in mind, it is important to consider that the negative influences can cause the brothers to transmit them to the other microsystems that they interact with. In light of these points, I think that these theorists have confirmed my hypothesis as to how these brothers will interact with their society. On a side note, I believe that with the right emotional support and security, these brothers can develop their self-esteem by constructing their intellectual abilities and creating positive microsystems. Once this is completed, they can be branched out to form more beneficial biological and ecological systems.

Part Two
The idea of direct skin-to-skin contact has numerous reasons to have a popular view amongst caregivers. For one, the subconscious or unconscious memory could reflect back to the first events of the baby’s life once the baby begins to develop. These memories could then be used to make connections as to who the baby should feel secure around. Secondly, the birth of a child is so meaningful that the hour of birth is often held sacred in many cultures. Therefore, direct contact with the parent is often considered vital for such a momentous occasion. Nevertheless, there are still several elements which determine the relationship between the caregiver and the infant.
To commence, we can analyse John Bowlby’s views on the attachment between the child and caregiver.

He suggested that beyond physical sustenance, the child will later seek the closeness of his/her caregiver. If the child finds this closeness, a strong relationship begins to develop. Furthermore, the child continues to make sure that the caregiver is attentive to his/her necessities. Consequently, moulding a strong bond will allow the child to create more relationships and decrease the chances of depression. Studies have shown that close contact between the caregiver and the child can contribute to a stronger relationship and personal development. Besides making contact at the hospital, the baby must develop a sense of trust through the constant interaction with his/her caregiver. If this is accomplished, the child will begin to feel more secure around those who provide familiar contact. In cohesion, this argument can be strengthened with the cognitive approach. During the sensorimotor stage, infants construct an understanding of the world around them through sensory experiences (hearing, feeling, etc.). Because of this stage, the child will develop an awareness as to who to trust on attending their emotional and physical needs. In a like manner, I think that the caregiver’s ability to surround the child in a positive environment will contribute to the child’s expectation of living in a worthy place. Coupled with this, Erikson described infancy to be the stage where a baby

sets the platform for a lifelong expectation that he/she will live in a positive environment. By strengthening their confidence in their environment, they also build a greater sense of trust toward their caregiver. In the long run, it is worthy to point out that a child’s relationship with his/her caregiver is dependent on his/her interaction with the environment and its people. That is to say, an infant looks to experience positive emotions as he/she develops, which allows for him/her to build a greater sense of trust in the people that will continue to provide nourishment for their youngster.