The Theories Of Human Development

“While a theory explains why something happens, a practice model shows how to use a theory to create an image.” (Simmons 2016) The two social work human behavior theories I chose to talk about today is the Attachment theory and psychosocial development theory. I though these two theories would be the best to talk about because, they has always been of interest to me.

Developmental theory, with Piaget as the most prominent theorist, presents the idea that children actively construct knowledge as they manipulate and explore the world around them. Development is seen to take place in broad stages from birth through to adulthood, with each stage characterized by qualitatively distinct ways of thinking. However, some developmental theorists, in contrast to Piaget, place more emphasis on personal, social and emotional development rather than cognitive development and prefer to delay ‘academic’ experiences until later, for instance after the age of seven years in Steiner’s theory.

From the day they are born, children are immersed in a social world. Rapid learning takes place and is supported not only by parents, siblings, teachers and friends but also the important values and beliefs within their culture. All of this provides the foundations for cognitive development. As trainee teachers, it is fundamental that we have a deeper understanding of how children learn and how we can support learning. In order to do this we must first look at some of the theories of learning.

B) our ability to modify our behavior based on the prospect of rewards or punishment.

The following essay will aim to explore two developmental theories. It will also look at how they have become relevant in counselling and psychotherapy practice, how they should be helpful and offer support when a presenting issue occurs from a client, and how the counsellor will work in partnership with the client. The chosen theories are based on John Bowlby’s attachment theory and David Winnicott’s developmental theory.

Theorists have studied people looking for answers to explain, how, why, what we are. “Briefly, the study of human development is how and why people change over time” (Berger, 1994, p. 4). Developmental scientists study development in six domains of human development: physical; cognitive; social; language; emotional and spiritual development.

Strengths of attachment theory are that interaction between a care giver and an infant (Berghaos, 2011). This theory made us understand the importance of responding to an infant’s cry can help them form an attachment (Berghaos, 2011). This led us to understand Ainsworth idea of that interaction as a secure base for the infant (Berghaos, 2011). Critics have said that some early attachments do not become consistent throughout the individuals life (Berghaos, 2011). They believe that attachment theory is too simple to explain adult relationships and psychopathology (Berghaos, 2011).

This assignment will discuss the main theories of child development and discuss the main principles across all area of development. The assignment will also evaluate an observation conducted on a child and link their behaviour to relevant child development theories. The assignment will firstly highlight some child development theories from behaviourists such as Bandura, humanists such as Maslow and constructivists such as Piaget. Secondly the child’s observation will be discussed and evaluated here relevant link to development theories will be made. Lastly the assignment will finish off with a reflection. Jennie Lindon defines development as” the sequence of physical and psychological changes experienced by human beings, which start with conception and continue throughout life.”(Jennie Lindon 2012:5) the early year’s foundation stage (EYTS) framework states that there are seven areas of learning and development however they view some are more important these are called the prime areas of development. There are three prime areas of development these are: communication and language, physical development, personal social and emotional development. The EYFS also states that “children develop in different ways at different times” (Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage 2014) which is why the development matters promote the message that every child is unique and has their own way of learning. (Development matters in the Early years Foundation Stage (EYFS) 2012)

Erik Erikson, in seeking to understand and describe human development, developed a theory in the early 1900s. His theory progressed to assume that humans must deal with or cope with the conflicts of a certain stage of life before they can move on to a higher level of development (Ashford et al, 2013). He organized eight different stages of psychosocial development from infancy to old age. Each of the eight stages represents an internal conflict that will greatly define who and individual becomes and the choices they will make later in life based on their experiences within each stage.

When working with children Attachment Theory is typically utilized for the population. For the purpose of this assignment, and also for the gain of personal knowledge, I want to focus on the mother. Her theory is different from the child’s perspective in using Attachment Theory, although I could explore the mother’s attachment to her parents/guardians and her child, I will focus on a new aspect. While working with the mother, I will utilize Person Centered Theory and Therapy. Major concepts of this theory is self-actualizing tendency, showing and being empathetic, and congruency. Person Centered theory sees the nature of humans and change of world view by seeing the optimism and strengths based aspect of the client. It is one of the most positive and optimistic theories in Social Work Practice (Walsh,

Freud’s Theory : Freud believed that most human behavior is motivated by the unconscious mind.

One of the most studied topics in today’s psychology is the attachment theory whose common references are from attachment models by Bowlby and Ainsworth. Since its introduction, the concept has developed to become one of the most significant theoretical schemes for understanding the socio-emotional development of children at an early stage. In addition, the theory is also developing into one of the most prominent models that guide parent-child relationships. Some of the key areas in these relationships that are guided by attachment theory include child welfare, parenting programs, daycare, head start programs, schools, and hospitals. Furthermore, attachment theory plays a crucial role as a concept that informs social

Child Development Theory: There were three theorists that we talked about that looked at child development. The first one was Erik Erikson, who believed that there was two main stages of children development during the first three years. The first of the two stages was Trust vs. Mistrust and the second stage was Autonomy vs. Doubt. During these stages the child developing many close relationships with those that are frequently in their life. As children are building these relationships they are also learning to become more of an individual and have more awareness of their own self. The second theorist we discussed was Jean Piaget, who believed that children develop actively by how they explore their "world". When the child has mastered that

Human existence is not fixed and people are developing incessantly (Thompson and Thompson, 2008). Thus, to undertake professional social work at a high level of competence an understanding of human development is crucial. This essay concerns the application of relevant social work theories of Zachary and Sarah. The essay aims to obtain a clear understanding of the difficulties faced by Sarah and her son Zachary with the use of appropriate social work theories. Three specific theories, namely Bowlby's (1958) Attachment theory, Bronfenbrenner's (1979) Ecological Theory, Erikson's (1959) Theory of Human Development, Piaget’s (1936)

There are three foundations of human development. The foundations are the biological development, psychological development, and social development. The concept of human diversity and cultural competences demonstrates how different people can be. General systems theory and social order are connected in some way.