Humanistic Psychology: The Different Theories Of Child Development

488 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Key features of Piaget's theory of intellectual development

There are a number of different theories about development:

Cognitive/Constructivists: Piaget believed that children think and learn according to their age and stage of development. Children adapt to what they believe as their experiences change. They need to extend their experiences in order to extend their learning, so eventually they can think about experiences that they have not yet developed.

Psychoanalytic: Freud stated that our personalities are made up of 3 parts:
1 the id: the instinctive part of our personality, it is based on biological needs.
2 the ego: when the child realises it can make choices the ego starts to develop
3 the superego: is based on the development of the conscience and is responsible for feelings of guilt …show more content…

Humanist: Maslow felt that a knowledge of our self and our needs was very important. Humanistic psychology is based on our own free will.
Children will be unable to reach their potential unless their needs are being met:
Physiological (health, food, sleep) Safety  Belonging  Esteem  Self-actualisation

Social pedagogy: is a framework to support development, the child is central through their involvement and interaction with the wider world. The framework is socially constructed and may vary between cultures, context and time.

All these theories and ideas influence the way we work with children: we need to extend children’s experiences, we need to keep in mind that their ego and conscience is still developing; they are still learning about right and wrong. Positive reinforcement is always a good idea as it makes people feel good to be praised. Through repetition and training most children learn what is expected of them, singing time tables are a good example of repetition and conditioning. We all know that children copy spontaneously, so showing them good behaviour and setting good examples should pay off, and reminding children NOT to copy bad behaviour is also necessary. It is also very important that children’s needs are being met; a hungry child might not be focussed on their lessons, we have many different policies in place to try our best to meet the needs of the children we are

Show More
Related

  • Psychologist's Developmental Theories

    1746 Words  | 4 Pages

    Developmental theories are often based on an age-related stages, or milestones, that signify meaningful changes in physical, cognitive, behavioral and social aspects within the human lifespan. One of the most well known developmental theories is Sigmund Freud’s psychosexual stages of development. Freud, like others after him, theorized that early childhood experiences play an important role in personality development. Although, contemporary developmental theories include adolescence, adulthood, and late adulthood, the theories early focus on childhood development makes this approach particularly useful when working with children.

    Read More

  • Jean Piaget Essay

    1306 Words  | 3 Pages

    I am a firm believer that as a child, there are stages you go through to become the person you are today. Many theorists have developed their own propositions as to how we are who we are and why. Jean Piaget, a swiss psychologist, was one of the few who believed that all individuals progress through a set of fixed stages of cognitive development. Cognitive development is the building of thought processing or in simpler words known as remembering, problem solving, and decision making. He believed that you not only increase knowledge in every stage, but that your ability to understand increases as well. Piaget focused his research mostly on the change in cognition from childhood to adulthood using the stages Sensorimotor, Preoperational, Concrete

    Read More

  • Theories of Child Development

    1024 Words  | 3 Pages

    Theories abound around how people develop emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually. This essay will examine the theories of five leaders on the subject of development.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Trait Theory And Humanistic

    389 Words  | 1 Pages

    Humanistic Theory is based on the ability for individuals to be able to separately diverse with our own prospective on life. Maslow’s theory speaks to the potential and to positive outcome of human motivation and believes that every individual can and will strives to be more.

    Read More

  • Two Psychological Theories of Development

    1002 Words  | 3 Pages

    In this essay I intend to discuss two psychological theories of development; The psychodynamic approach and the behavioural approach. In order to do this, I will outline each theory and explain how it accounts for psychological development, health and behaviour of the individual. In addition to this, I will explain how an understanding of these theories relates to care and would help a care professional to support an individual in a care setting.

    Read More

  • Psychoanalytic Theory And Ecological Theory

    950 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are many types of development theories, Psychoanalytic theories, Cognitive theories, Behavioral and social cognitive theories, ethological theories and ecological theories. Development is how a person changes throughout their life, from the time they are conceived to the time they die. Everyone processes and interprets things and information differently. After researching these various developmental theories ecological theories best describe development. Urie Bronfenbrenner is the researcher that created the ecological theory. Psychoanalytic theories least describe development. Both Ecological and Psychoanalytic theories have certain aspects that I personally believe to make a valid point and certain aspects that do not make a valid point when it comes to development. Eclectic theoretical orientation takes pieces of each theory that makes the most sense when it comes to lifespan development and follows that system. Ecological theories are everyone and everything having an impact on a child’s development, even if those people and events have no direct contact with the child.

    Read More

  • Psychoanalytic Approach vs. Humanistic Approach

    946 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...roblems. On the other hand, the humanistic approach, introduced by Abraham Maslow, states that individuals have the freedom and capacity to direct his or her own future. Although it is a theory, it is apparant that the psychoanalytic approach is accepted in our society through observations of our speech and procedures of our criminal justice system. As a result, it is conclusive that it is more instrumental in the treatment of mental disorders.

    Read More

  • Essay On Sigmund Freud And Erikson

    684 Words  | 2 Pages

    I have to agree with Erikson’s theory of development. Though he does have many of Freud’s theories integrated within his own, he further develops Freud’s theories. I do believe that development does not stop at five years old but further develops throughout a person’s life and that it is influenced by his or her experiences and other extrinsic factors. I think that we are constantly experiencing different obstacles, and the strength of our ego from past experiences helps us in overcoming those obstacles.

    Read More

  • Humanistic Approach Essay

    1778 Words  | 4 Pages

    He thought that there had to be more to humans than simply rewards, punishments, and subconscious urges according to behaviorists and psychoanalysts. Maslow introduced humanistic psychology as an area to focus on the potential of people to become all that they can be. Other psychologists helped develop different elements of humanistic psychology, but Maslow is largely considered to be the father of the humanist movement in psychology. He steadfastly believed that people are motivated to reach certain needs. When one need is accomplished, a person seeks to fulfill the next one, and so on. At the top of this hierarchy Maslow believed was the possibility of self-actualization; every person is capable and has the desire to move up the hierarchy toward a level of self-actualization. This was, however, seen as a rare achievement only reached by very few people since according to his theory; all lower-level needs had to be met before self-actualization could take place. Unfortunately, advancement is often disrupted by failure to meet the lower level needs. Life experiences may cause an individual to fluctuate between levels of the hierarchy. According to Maslow, only one in a hundred people achieve full self-actualization due to our society rewarding

    Read More

  • Erikson's Theory Of Development Essay

    728 Words  | 2 Pages

    One that I agree with is, the psychosocial development theory. This particular theory was created by Erik Erikson. Erikson’s theory states that the development of the personality takes place throughout life. Furthermore, Erikson believes that our interactions with others is what affects our sense of self. Erikson’s theory includes eight stages that we all experience in certain parts of our lives.

    Read More

  • A Comparison Between Freud and Erikson

    1947 Words  | 4 Pages

    Developmental psychology is an area of research devoted to explaining the continuing growth and change that occurs over the course of one’s life. Throughout history many varying theories have been used to attempt to explain the complex process of childhood experiences altering who individuals become as an adult.

    Read More

  • Abraham Maslow: The Humanistic School Of Thought In Psychology

    1087 Words  | 3 Pages

    Abraham Maslow was a psychologist who was not satisfied with the way things had always been done and he did not like the way other psychologists viewed people. He believed that individuals have great potential and thought that there had to be more to humans than simply rewards, punishments, and subconscious urges. To Maslow, people were full of positive potential. He developed humanistic psychology, which focuses on the potential of people to become all that they can be. Other psychologists helped develop different elements in humanistic psychology, but Maslow is largely considered to be the father of the humanist movement in psychology. Weiten (2013) mentioned that Maslow argued that humans have an innate drive towards personal growth that is, evolution toward a higher state of being (p. 377). Maslow wanted to understand what motivates an individual, believing that individuals possess a motivational system unrelated to rewards or unconscious desires. Maslow (1943) stated that people are motivated to attain certain needs. When one need is fulfilled, an individual seeks to fulfill the next one. Maslow 's greatest

    Read More

  • Child Psychology And The Development Of Child Development

    1012 Words  | 3 Pages

    Child psychology, also known as child development, is the study of psychological growth of children; how these mechanisms develop from infancy to adolescence and why they deviate from one child to the next. Child development is associated with biological, psychological, and emotional diversity that occur in humans. Although there is a different advancement for each child, these developmental changes may be greatly determined by genetic factors and experience during prenatal life. The early years of a child’s life are very important for his or her health and development. Parents, health professionals, educators, and others can work together as partners to help children grow up to reach their full potential.

    Read More

  • The Nature of Child Development

    1166 Words  | 3 Pages

    Human development has been a subject of interest since ancient Greece and Rome. Different approaches derive from two basic directions: the nativists` and empiricists` ones. The latter method is to regard human development as a gradual change which has been influenced by the individual`s experience .On the other hand, the former approach has found its roots in the biological structure of the human organism which considers our development as a series of stages. However, referring to human development only as continuous or gradual would produce inconsistent and insufficient understanding of the developmental process .As a result, combining ideas of both viewpoints(continuity and phases) will provide a more explicit of understanding of the developmental processes and their final aim which is to create individual`s integrity within the social norms.

    Read More

  • The Benefits Of Developmental Psychology And Human Development

    1200 Words  | 3 Pages

    In addition, a person has different influences that shape combinations of her/his life by culture and society. On the other hand, the development is the one person that has changed in her/his buddies, her/his thoughts, and her/his ideologies. For instance, developmental psychology has some developmental periods produced during the life span that emotional, physical, and behavioral changes. These include developmental stage changes, prenatal, infancy, toddler, early childhood, middle childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, middle adulthood, and older adulthood.

    Read More

More about Humanistic Psychology: The Different Theories Of Child Development

Open Document