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The Theory Of Child Development

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Social scientists have given us several theories on child development. There have been three influential theories that have really shaped how we look at the subject. Each one of these theories offers an insightful perspective that has been very influential in how we view child development. The first theory, we will delve into is George Herbert Meads Theory of the Social Self which focused on social interaction with developing human beings. Meads believed that, “a symbolic interactionist, saw the self as the basis of humanity that develops not out of biological urges but from social interaction.”(Benokraitis pg338) Mead also believed that children were blank slates and that an infant’s interaction with people around them is how they begin to develop certain behaviors. Meads theory was split into three stages. Stage 1 is imitation, which last from the age of birth to two years old. In this first stage children really don’t know the difference from themselves or others. They simply imitate what they see. Stage 2 is playing and it last from the ages of 2 to 6. In this stage children begin to talk and they begin to understand the difference between themselves and others. In this stage they also learn how to socialize and they learn what is expected of them behavior wise. Stage 3 is games from ages 6 and up in this stage as children become older and their interactions with other children expand as they learn how to respond to social roles and they learn how to partake in

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