Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development Applied to Teaching Technology

Children use a lot of technology. They use technology whether they are using social media, using a learning program, or reading an electronic book. The truth is, that there are more positives than negatives when children use technology. There is fear that if children use too much technology they will not have proper development especially cognitively. This paper will show how technology can benefit a child’s cognitive development.

Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development was the first theory that demonstrated the development from “womb-to-tomb.” His theory posited three tenets, the first that each era in life had a developmental crisis, and that at each period there was the opportunity for growth and development. Each developmental stage poses a developmental crisis that is central to that age, and as stated in Erikson’s second tenet, if there is an interruption in the development of one of the stages, the stages following will be effected. Though each developmental stage has one fundamental stage that is being worked on, Erikson’s third tenet states that the challenges of all of the other stages are still present; although there is one crisis that is

Erikson believed that people develop in psychosocial stages. He emphasized developmental change throughout the human life span. In Erikson's theory, eight stages of development result as we go through the life span. Each stage consists of a crisis that must be faced. According to Erikson, this crisis is not a catastrophe but a turning point. The more an individual resolves the crises successfully, the healthier development will be.

Eric Erikson was one of the most famous theorists of the twentieth century; he created many theories. One of the most talked about theories is his theory of psychosocial development. This is a theory that describes stages in which an individual should pass as they are going through life. His theory includes nine stages all together. The original theory only included eight stages but Erikson‘s wife found a ninth stage and published it after his death. The nine stages include: trust vs. mistrust, autonomy vs. shame and doubt, initiative vs. guilt, industry vs. inferiority, identity vs. identity confusion, intimacy vs. isolation, generativity vs. stagnation, integrity vs. despair, and hope and faith vs. despair (Crandell and Crandell,

Developmental is understood as the act or process of developing; progress such as child developmental. When children go through the process of developing, they all develop the same regardless of what state or country there from. The way children develop has been studied by two psychologists’ name Jean Piaget and Erik Erikson and they both develop a theory of how children develop through their entire life starting as a newborn baby through adulthood. Jean Piaget came about four theories of children develop and Erik Erikson came about eight theories of children develop.

In today’s society we are overwhelmed with technology. Technology is changing everyday, and will forever be a staple in our lives. The effect that technology has on our children has brought on some concerns and some praises. Children these days have no choice but to some how be influenced by the ever growing technology in our societies. Our common concern has been that although digital technology has boosted children’s talent for multitasking, their ability to process information deeply may be deteriorating (Carpenter, 2010). Many people have a wide range of opinions on if technology is having a positive influence on our children or a negative, there is a vast amount of evidence to support both of these arguments. Technology can refer to

the past few decades of American Society, technology has become a major factor in everyday life. As years go by, one will see many young children with phones, computers, or any form of technological device. This demand for technology has left children with an undesirable wanting for these devices. Because of technology, kids will forget the necessary foundations of life. Technology has resulted in a weakened foundation that children decades ago used to have. This includes the bases of necessary social skills and behaviors that children should have. The first image is from a Today.com news report. The second image is from a Huffington Post article. The growing technology field has severely impacted how children are able to adjust to minor adversities

Technology offers children an additional tool to learn and to develop learning skills. Computers can reveal hidden strengths about a child. For example some children have difficulty developing their fine motor skill,

Today everyone is using technology no matter how old they are. Ever since technology came out, it has been stapled to our lives forever. Today, a toddler of 12 months of age is spending hours using technology. There are lots of controversies whether technology is good or bad for our children. Many say technology can affect our children social skills, while others state that technology benefits our children because technology can be a resourceful way of helping children learn a variety of skills. It is hard to decide whether is good or bad to exposed our children to technology. What many people should realize, is that our children can use technology but to a certain extent.

The current generation of children is completely different than the preceding ones. They are living in the digital age. “Technology has blended in with daily activity to become a way of life and children today take for granted all of which is automated. It is hard for kids nowadays to imagine a world that existed without all of the gadgets, electronics and seamless operations that computer technology provides.” (3) “Children in the United States devote some 40 hours a week to television, video games and the Internet.” (12) Many psychologists and researchers are concerned about the impact that technology has on children. Children, tomorrow’s future parents and leaders, are being consumed by the negative effects that technology had on their

In Phuoc Tran and Kaveri Subrahmanyam (2013) journal article it explains and gives us evidence on how digital tools are and have become an important tool when it comes to children’s learning and development. They mention Vygotsky’s theory, on how cognitive development happens with the use of computers because it is a tool that is part of our culture. These tools are important because it helps the children develop many different skills (Tran and Subrahmanyam, 2013). They mention different pathways that help toward cognitive development. The first pathway is the amount of time that they spend using the computers. Children shouldn’t spend a long time using the computers they should limit their use of computers for a certain amount of time per day. They mention how kids that come from a low-income family and struggle with reading get many beneficial in learning from using the computers. It enhances their school readiness. The second pathway is the way kids interpret the language of the computer. For example, how to navigate a computer. Tran and Subrahmanyam mention, “Research has suggested that playing an electronic game can have positive effects on cognitive

Erikson developed eight stages of human development. Briefly I would describe all eight my I will concentrate on stages five and six which are adolescence and young adulthood. Myer describes the stages in the following manner. Stage one occurs during the first year This stage is called infancy (trust vs. mistrust) during this stage if needs are dependably met, infants develop a sense of basic trust. The second stage is called the toddler stage (autonomy vs. shame and doubt). This stage occurs while the baby is two years old, in this stage toddlers learn to exercise will do things for themselves, or they doubt their abilities. The third stage is called the preschooler between the ages of three and five (initiative vs. guilt). During this stage preschoolers learn to initiate

Erik Erikson is known for his psychoanalytic theory of psychosocial development comprising eight stages from infancy to adulthood. Psychologist Erik Erikson, is a major contributor to developmental psychology, who proposed a comprehensive theory of the ways that individuals develop their identity, a sense of who they are, and society's influence on that development. Erikson stated that people go through crisis at each stage of their lives. The stages each had a developmental task to be mastered. As an individual resolved these various crises an individual would have a better harmony with their social environment that they live in. If an individual could not successfully resolve a crisis, they would be” out of step”, and the individual would have a greater difficulty in their dealing with a crisis in the future. Erikson did however recognize that an individual can develop through a stage negatively and still go on with their life. Erikson stated that each of the psychological stages have a basic conflict and important event leading to growth. The theory was developed from his hundreds of clinical observations in children.

Although computers were initially created for use in business, they have since become a key resource for teaching all children, including those with special needs.(Winzer, 83) Many

Developmental areas include social and emotional, language, motor, cognition, and in addition a child will make approaches towards learning as well (Davis, 1998). Language development is very important during this time and computers help since children are exposed to them for reading and writing purposes. Also, it gives opportunities for them to be motivated to interact with other children if they are in groups. Research has shown that computer play encourages longer more complex speech and development of fluency (Baur, 1998). Cognitively, technology use is connected to children and the use of it can lead to greater motivation and self-direction. Development is very important socially, and placing children in groups or pairs helps interaction between their peers. This helps increased levels of spoken communication and cooperation that were demonstrated in a study.