Developmental Psychology

Many psychologists agree that nurture play a greater part in the development of a human being. Studies such as those performed on monozygotic twins (identical), who share the same genetics and those performed

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.

There are three main theories of development that I shall discuss in this assignment, 'Cognitive', the main theorist being, 'Piaget', (1896 - 1980), The, 'Psychosocial Theory', 'Erikson', (1902 - 1994), and, The 'Psychosexual', of, 'Freud', (1856 - 1939).

Psychology is diverse, and there are many diverse specialty areas available to individuals seeking a career in the field of psychology. Most Psychologists choose to specialize in subfields that focus on specific subjects. Obtaining a profession in any of the specialty areas would require graduate study in that area of interest. Some professionals have a broad general knowledge, are skilled in several areas, and work with a range of clients. Some are specialist in treating a specific type of psychological disorder, or work with a specific age group. For those interested in specializing in a psychology career, developmental Psychology is one of the many fields available.

“What’s Eating Gilbert’s Grape” directed by Lasse Hallstrom delves into elucidating the various effects of three development concepts: genetics, the effects of environmental influences on an individual’s development, and the effects of developmental influences on young adults and adolescents. Michael Rutter, in his article, “The Interplay of Nature, Nurture and Developmental Influences,” further emphasizes the interplays between nature, nurture and developmental influences to elaborate the multifactorial connections between the effects of different influences on childhood development. In “What’s Eating Gilbert’s Grape,” Hallstrom demonstrates how not only are genetics environment and developmental influences intertwined with one another; but

One of the main, and most controversial topics discussed in a child’s development is, nature vs. nurture. Nature pertains to genetic influences that a child has inherited from their parents, such as traits, abilities, and capacities. For instance, what color eyes the child may have, how athletic they may be, and even their brain development. Whereas nurture, refers to the environment the child is raised in and how this shapes their behaviors. Such factors can include, the family’s socio-economic status, schooling, parental discipline, as well as whether the child is provided with enough resources. When it comes to nature or nurture having a stronger influence then the other, the answer is both, nature and nurture, influence the outcome of the child. This idea that both nature and nurture, play a part in how the child will develop, is known as the nature-nurture continuum.

This essay will describe child and adolescent behaviours reported in the media and will examine the link to development theories, learning styles and sociocultural influences on child and adolescent development. As a developing secondary school preserve teacher, my focus will be mainly on adolescent behaviours and development. I will be examining an article from a media how these developmental theories analyses and helps us to understand the behaviour of child and adolescents. I will also try to explain about the domain of development such as physical, cognitive, emotional and social.

Developmental psychology recognizes three main models of psychosocial and cognitive development. The first theory, presented by developmental psychologist and philosopher Jean Piaget, addresses cognitive development. The second theory, presented by psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg, focuses on the development of morality. The third theory, proposed by developmental psychologist and psychoanalyst Erik Erikson, outlines psychosocial development. All three theories are applicable from birth to death.

behavior. In reading Chapter Sixteen of the text book under environment, it describes how parenting styles affect children. Without knowing where the child came from and how they were raised, it would almost be impossible to know where their antisocial behavior stems from. The article explains that several examples of parenting styles that were linked to anti-social behavior and deviant behavior such as: hostility, excessive punishment, and constant blaming. Although the child’s upbringing is a giant factor, the researchers also consider biological factors. They claim that genetic factors have a direct influence on their antisocial behavior. (reading 16 p.276-80)

Pt is a 17y/o Caucasian female presenting to NNBHC with her parents due to SI and suicidal gestures. Pt communicated that she has been decompensating for several weeks, where she felt her Lamictal wasn’t effective. She soon becomes noncompliant with taking her Lamictal for several days. She states that she has been having increase panic attacks and anxiety. She states that she was in her room today sitting on the floor rocking, thinking about hanging herself. She states that she had a nuance in her hand, and her boyfriend found her who deescalated her. She states her boyfriend than called her parents to come home. She states a peer had committed suicide x3months ago, and its coming up on the anniversary of another peers who committed suicide on 11/20. Pt demonstrated an incongruent mood throughout communicating, about her suicidal gesture where she would begin to cry than transition to smiling. Pt denies psychosis, or paranoid thinking. Pt states she has been

A number of studies have found that, while adopted persons are similar to non-adopted persons in most ways, they often score lower on measures of self-esteem and self- confidence (Borders, Penny, & Portnoy, 2000; Sharma, McGue, & Benson, 1996). This result may reflect the fact that some adopted persons may view themselves as different, out-of-place, unwelcome, or rejected. Some of these feelings may result from the initial loss of birth parents and from growing up away from birth parents, siblings, and extended family members. They also may be caused by an ongoing feeling of being different from non-adopted people who know about their genetic background and birth family and who may be more secure about their own identity as a result. Additionally,

Chapters 11 and 13 combined with information presented by Dr. Janett Naylor and Dr. Carol Patrick are solid introduction to Developmental Psychology and advanced careers in the vast field of psychology. My first impression of Developmental Psychology is that it is a subdiscipline that is vital to our understanding human growth and maturity. Secondly, through Doctors Naylor and Patrick’s video it is apparent that Developmental Psychologists could specialize various areas given that lifespan developmental is so vast. Lastly, my impression of advanced careers in Psychology is that it is good summation of the graduate careers previous introduced throughout previous texts.

Development psychology refers to the scientific study of the systematic psychological changes that normally occur to human beings throughout their growth period from birth to old age. It was originally concerned with children and infants, but it has since expanded to include the entire life span of mankind including adolescence and adulthood. Development psychology covers the extent to which human development occurs through gradual accumulation of knowledge, and the extent to which children born with inmate mental structures learn through experience. Several psychological theories and approaches like the behavioral, humanistic, psychoanalytic, biological, and cognitive approaches have been developed to explain the

What variables influence the adolescent developmental process? Does biology outweigh the effect of environment? Do teenagers mature in a continuous or discontinuous fashion? What effect do early verse later experience influence the young people’s maturity into adulthood? Through the ages, researches have investigated these questions to better understand the growth adolescent experience between the ages of ten to twenty-one. The intermingling of the biological, cognitive, and socioemotional process constitutes the development of an adolescent. By examining the effects of nature verse nurture, continuous verse discontinuous development, and early verse later experiences, we will conclude that the developmental process in an adolescent is the intertwining of all these variables and not a result of one over the other.

Developmental Psychology has widened my perspective and knowledge of the nature of development from humans’ infancy to adolescence and emerging adulthood. Although I have learned about biological, cognitive, and socioemotional processes and periods of development, I am especially interested in socioemotional development in infancy because it is the foundation for a child’s future development. That is to say, if children have a healthy socioemotional development from infancy, they will have a healthy life later on. By understanding the developmental process in infancy, I will be fully prepared when I have children or when my family’s members do.