Child Development: Developmental, Physical, Psychological, And Emychosocial Development

In this writing it will be discussing childhood development, as well as some vital issues that might come along during those stages of development. Child development consist of the stage where the child is developing physically, cognitively, socially and spiritually. During these stages of development a child is maturing from infancy to becoming a young adult. For many years theorist such as Sigmund Freud, Erik Erikson, and Lev Vygotsky’s have researched how children mature from infants to adulthood. Each of the theorist have profound facts to how children develop, but which of the three men are correct on their findings?

The purpose of this assignment is to closely observe the development of a child through an interview and apply the theories and concept of child development in his particular cultural and educational context. I selected the child who lives in my neighborhood for the interview and began with seeking the permission from his parents. The child’s name is ‘Abdullah’ and he is seven years old. He lives with his family in Terre Haute and his family consists of parents and two sisters. Abdullah goes to Sugar Grove Elementary School in the Terre Haute city along with his two sisters and he is in grade 2. The interview was conducted at his home and I ensured his convenience. He was cooperative and provided insightful responses to the questions and he provided significant detail in the interview. I was able to track his development stages and connect it to different theories of Developmental Psychology including psychoanalytical perspectives and Piaget’s stages of development. In the following paragraphs, I will explain my observations about Abdullah’s development in the light of developmental theories with special focus on cognitive, social, linguistic, and emotional development followed by making connections between his socioeconomic and cultural background and development. Lastly, I will conclude paper by highlighting that the observations during the interview can facilitate my future practice as a teacher.

Psychoanalyst Erik Erikson’s psychosocial theory is also part of the psychodynamic perspective. According to Erikson (Berk, 2007) society and culture have an influence on human development. In contrast to Freud whose theory that proposed development was complete by adolescence (Berk, 2007), Erikson’s theory argues that development is continuous throughout the lifespan and occurs in eight stages. The first stage of development, trust versus mistrust, occurs during infancy (birth to 1-year-old). During this stage if an infant’s basic needs are met by a responsive and attentive caregiver, the infant will begin to trust the caregiver, thus establishing the foundation for future trust relationships. In contrast if an infant does not receive enough or irregular care, or if caregivers are unresponsive, the infant can develop mistrust. The autonomy versus shame and doubt is the next stage, which occurs between the first and third years

There are many theories of child development because we have been studying the field for so many years. Each theory has their different factors; biology, sociology, genetics, environment, relationships are just a few of them. “Thank you for making me so wonderful and complex”! (Psalms139:14). When one theory is formulated and used for awhile someone else may come behind that particular theorist and add some new points to expand the theory and then create a new one. That’s why I feel so many different theories exist.

Erikson believes that development functions by the epigenetic principle (Boeree, 1997). In this theory, there are eight stages through which we develop our personalities. Each stage has certain developmental tasks, which are referred to by two terms. The first stage is as an infant called the oral-sensory stage. Its psychosocial crisis is trust versus mistrust. The goal of this stage is to develop trust without eliminating completely room for mistrust. A significant relation in this stage is between the mother and the infant. With proper balance from the parent’s responses to the child, the child will develop hope and faith. With improper balance the child may develop sensory distortion and withdrawal problems. The second stage is called the anal-muscular stage, and starts at the age of a toddler. Its psychosocial crisis is autonomy versus shame and doubt. The goal of this stage is to achieve autonomy while reducing shame and doubt. A significant relationship in the stage is between the child and the parents. With proper balance from the parents’ responses the child will develop willpower and determination. With improper balance the child may develop impulsivity or compulsion. The third stage of Erik Erikson’s developmental theory is the genital-locomotor stage, which begins at the age of a preschooler. The psychosocial crisis is initiative versus guilt. The goal of this stage is to learn initiative without a lot of guiltiness.The significant relationship in this stage is between the child and the family. Proper balance will lead the child to courage and purpose. Loss of proper balance may lead the child to ruthlessness or inhibition. The fourth stage is

Another expert, Erik Erikson, proposed an eight-stage psychosocial development process. In his theory, each stage involves a task that must be completed if infants are to successfully move to the next stage. The initial stage of “Trust versus mistrust” in psychosocial development arises in the first year of life. During this stage infants need to develop a sense of trust in themselves and in the world around them. The infant depends on the parents, with an emphasis on the mother, for nourishment. Their relative interpretation of world and society stems from the parent-child interaction. If the parents expose the child to consistency, and steady affection, the child 's perception will be that of trust. However, if parents fail to provide a safe environment that meets

Erikson’s theory of development gives us a psychosocial insight. This theory consists of eight stages from infancy to adulthood. During each stage, the person will either have a positive or negative outcome to a crisis which they will face. The role of culture and society will play huge role in this. Erikson puts a great deal of emphasis on the adolescent period, feeling it was a crucial stage for developing a person’s identity (McLeod, 2017).

The human life is separated into multiple stages that reflect the different phases the mind and body go through. Early childhood is one of these stages and is perhaps the most important stage of all. During early childhood, the brain and body are growing, learning, developing, and adapting to the environment that they are placed in. These developments are fairly constant through human history and therefore, there have been many studies and observations done to better understand the significant phase that is early childhood.

There are eight stages to Erikson’s crises in the development of a healthy personality. The first stage is trust versus mistrust. During this stage, the infant is trying to see if the world is good or bad. The infant needs reassurance and comfort from his or her parent in order to feel safe and secure in the world. The second stage is autonomy versus shame and doubt. Children in this stage need to be able to explore what they can do independently. Too much parent involvement during this stage can lead the child to doubt himself or herself. They will doubt if they can or cannot do things on their own. The third stage is

There are various different aspects of human growth and development. During the first six years of life, humans develop at a high rate and development at this age can affect an individual for many years to come.

Phillips, R. (2010). How Firm is Our Foundation? Current Play Therapy research. International Journal of PLay Therapy, 19(1), 13-25.

Knowing and understanding how children learn, grow and change is significant when one is asked to diagnose certain physical, and cognitive concerns with a child. It allows others to realize and accept the physical, emotional, cognitive, social and educational growth a child goes through from the time they were born throughout their early adulthood. Engagement in the social and physical world pushes their development forward. Child development can be seen as a social constructivism, (development becomes determined by culture), and there can be many different reasons for this. Reasons which are comparable to social constructivism. However, above all the culture and surroundings of the child also influences their spoken word, the things they do, and their education. These differences, however different, will always affect the development of the child.

Child development was largely ignored throughout much of history as children were often viewed simply as smaller versions of adults. It was once researchers recognised the direct effect that development has on individuals that its relevance became important. Childhood development begins from infancy to adolescent and follows a predictable sequence yet progresses through a unique form of growth within each child. Understanding childhood development is essential because it allows us to fully appreciate the cognitive, emotional and physical growth that children experience, Some of the major theories of child development are Gesell, Piaget, Erikson and Bronfenfrenner.

In continuation from Freud 's theoretical perspective, Erik Erikson overlaps in theory and expansion with Freud’s five stages and adding three adult stages (Berk, 2013). However, Erikson differs from Freud in various regards. In addition to expanding on psychosexual stages above childhood, Erikson focuses additional importance on historical and social influence (Feist & Feist, 2006). In fact, Erik Erikson, psychosocial stages theory suggests the significance over-all psychosocial development between the parent-child relationship (Leggett, 2017). Erikson postulates that the first stage infants seek their basic essential needs relies on trust versus mistrust, which is parental responsiveness that helps infants to determine the first year of psychological conflict (Leggett, 2017), for example. Subsequently, throughout the second stage of autonomy versus shame and doubt, a toddler pursues further independence and can experience discouragement if feeling shame (Leggett, 2017), for instance. In his psychosocial theory, Erikson suggests that negotiations amongst the id desires and the influences of the superego, the ego creates a beneficial developmental influence, attaining ways of thinking and creating abilities which make individuals contributing and active family and community members (Dunkel & Sefcek. 2009). Interestingly, Erikson writes that although the interaction between the

Early Childhood Education emphasizes the development of the whole child: Cognitive, social and physical. Some educators emphasize the cognitive domain, neglecting social and physical development. Student learning is enhanced when teachers incorporate the three domains into planning and implementation of curriculum. This paper will investigate how cognitive, social, and physical domains of development are inextricably linked and how they affect the development of the whole child.