Personality According To Biological And Social Psychological Theories

Sigelman, (2013) believes that by age 3, children can walk or run in a straight line. Through being raised in a stable home, it can be argued that in Isaiah’s case nurture played a very big role in influencing most of his developmental stages from infancy to toddlerhood. One psychologist, suggests that negative cognitive effects may be ameliorated by a stimulating and sensitive care-giving environment. Cone Wesson also adds that the strong effect of the home environment for ameliorating the effects of prenatal cocaine exposure suggests that a family-focused approach for cognitive, language, and social-emotional habilitation would be beneficial to all (Cone-Wesson 2005). In one instance Isaiah displayed emotional disturbance when cymbals were played at her sister’s concert. Frightened by the sudden noise Isaiah threw a terrible tantrum that caused his mother to leave the concert early. Research has found that, cocaine exposure also may affect emotional–behavioral adjustment and several studies have found that cocaine-exposed infants and toddlers exhibit poorer emotional regulation and impulse control and increased externalizing problems (Bendersky & Lewis, 1998, 2001; Griffith, 1994; Hawley, 1995; Mayes, Bornstein, Chawarska, Haynes, & Granger, 1996; as cited in Bennett, Bendersky & Lewis, (2002). Isaiah still exhibited some developmental problems, but he seemed to have benefited across all developmental domains from being adopted by the Lewins

The lives of children are greatly influenced by the environment they grow up in, and the people they come in contact with. For years, psychologists, researchers, and social workers have studied children, and why they do what they do. All have developed many different perspectives on how to view social problems and the development of individuals.

Many factors in a child’s life from birth to adulthood can impact how they grow not only cognitively, but socioemotionally. As many children are different, so are their ways in which they react in different non-normative life events. “Non-Normative

     One of the most interesting components of Jordan's character is her carelessness, in driving, as well as in life. She states, 'It takes two to make an accident,'; implying that she can be careless herself. The way she says this statement makes it seem as if she were saying, 'I can do whatever I want -- other people have to watch out for me.'; She has quite a sense of self-confidence, as well as pride in herself and in her actions. She is not afraid to speak her mind, and also puts herself above others. All of these elements composing her personality are indicative of the

Over the last 100 years, the underpinning concepts in the fields of psychology and counseling were wrought. Within this period, these concepts have transformed and evolved from somewhat crude conceptions of the psyche toward more holistic interventions and approaches. As the profession continues to move forward, adaptations of the original theorists regarding the nature of man and the development of personality continue to emerge. These adaptations, along with the integration of new concepts and ideas, continue to contribute to the field. The author describes his view of man and human nature, personality development, and explores potential implications for counseling.

America has a staggering problem among its youths and is in desperate need of help. Every day, young, innocent children are being abused. Unfortunately, this rate only seems to be growing as the foster care system is becoming flooded with children who need help. According to the website, Foster Club, a child is entered into the foster care system every two minutes. The reasoning for a child being placed in foster care can range, but mostly it is because of abuse. These traumatizing experiences and memories can hinder a person for the rest of their life. These kids find themselves in a terrible situation and learn ways to cope with the pain. It can be easy to judge their behaviors but for somebody with a normal life we can never understand the trials that they have had to live through. Fortunately, the psychological damage that is done can be reversed but in order to understand this fully we first need to know the negative psychological affects abuse can have on a person.

Ian is a 5 year old Caucasian male that exhibits average verbal skills, average cognitive skills, and appeared to be of average height and weight. When entering his assessment, it was noted that his clothing did not match, his hair was unkempt and his mother seemed frazzled at best.

Child development is the genetic and internal changes that occur in children during early years. There are many internal and external factors that affect a child 's growth and development. The connection between a child’s environment and a child’s development are explored in Heather O 'Neill 's lullabies for little criminals where a child named Baby becomes a product of her environment. This is explored through the early death of Baby’s mother, her being raised by a young father and her father 's drug addiction. Baby’s bad decisions and choices come from a lack of guidance necessary for a child’s social growth and development.

In psychology, there are four major theories of personality: psychodynamic, trait or five-factor model, humanistic, and social-cognitive. The psychodynamic theory primarily focuses on the role of the unconscious mind. The social cognitive theory focuses on the effect of the environment on behavior and is based on theories of learning. Whereas, the humanistic theory emphasizes conscious life experiences and choices. The trait or five-factor model focuses on characteristics themselves and not the roots of personality.

Sadly, there are millions or children from around the world who encounter some form abuse. The abuse Dave encounter was physical, emotional abuse, and neglect from his mother. It is currently believed that factors that may increase the likelihood of developing antisocial behavior are child abuse and having an alcoholic parent. These factors are considered to be independent of each other, but may also be interactive in their effect on behavioral development (Pollock).

Many children are placed in foster care in the early years of life where the brain undergoes significant developmental changes, and they have usually undergone abuse and significant neglect in their lives resulting in them not experiencing a stable nurturing environment for them to develop normally in. At around 3-4 years of age the personality and emotional development of

David is currently “of time” with his psychological development. When looking at psychological development it is important to understand the attachment history of the child. Davies (2011) states that a preschooler who appears to have had a secure attachment history will turn to adults for support when they are in distress believing that they will receive the help that they need. However a preschooler who appears to have had an avoidant attachment history will not turn to an adult for help when distress, believing that others cannot be relied upon for support (Davies, 2011). It is evident that David has an attachment history of avoidant or insecure attachment. David struggles to rely on his foster parents for support when distressed, as evident

However with advantages come disadvantages. For example, with correlational studies there is no background information obtained. Therefore, the reliability of the correlational studies is questioned.

Pathway effects define how “…early life experiences set the stage for future experiences, which in turn give shape to subsequent ones” (Davidson 103). Therefore, social environment in which a child is surrounded by the majority of their life ultimately defines the individual the child will become as stress and neglect can cause changes in a child’s behaviour. Baby is introduced to certain habits and behaviours at a young age which causes her to attempt to reproduce these behaviours later on in life. The novel depicts the need for a proper role model to look up to and depend on in order to guide Baby to make good decisions and establish her role in life. She says that “The women that I was the most crazy about were drug addicts” (O’Neill, 163).

In the first few months of life, the sole purpose of any child’s behaviour is to survive. This, more often than not, results in actions that reduce the risk of harm and increase the chances of longevity. Of these behaviours, some argue that the most influential is attachment behaviour. “Attachment behaviour is any form of behaviour that results in a person attaining or maintaining proximity to some other clearly identified individual who is conceived as better able to cope with the world”(Bowlby, 1982). Therefore, children will make an effort to stay close to and under the protection of their primary caregiver. According to Webster, “through interactions with their primary caregiver, the child develops expectations and understandings about the workings of relationships. These mental representations of relationships become internalized to the degree that they influence feelings, thought and behaviour automatically and unconsciously” (1999, p.6). Moreover, the response of the identified individual plays a huge role in the child’s perception of the outside world. If the caregiver responds to the child’s needs in a caring and protective manner, the child will feel safe and comfortable in his or her surroundings. If, on the other hand, the caregiver is often emotionally and/or physically unavailable, the child is likely to