Theories of Personality Development

Social psychology and personality psychology both came into fruition around the same time – the 1920’s and 1930’s. Needless

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.

Prior to the early 20th century little interest was paid to how a child developed; indeed most early research appears to be based on abnormal childhood behaviour (Oates et al. 2005). However, over time researchers began to acknowledge that both genetics and environment factors impacted on the way a child developed. Although there are many theories of child development, in particular constructivism, behaviourism, social constructivism and social learning have influenced developmental psychology enormously (Oates et al. 2005).

Evaluation of a Psychodynamic Theory of Personality Development The basis of Freud's psychoanalytic theory was that the mind contained three parts: The Id, Ego, and Superego. He argued that the Id controlled the primal instincts such as aggression and sexual desire ('libido'), and was found in the unconscious mind. Its purpose is to gain immediate gratification, according to the 'pleasure principle'. The Id, he said, was in competition with the ego.

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)

The guiding principle surrounding psychodynamic theory is that it perceives development as a continuous process with tenets in both the subconscious and conscious and a focus on inherent biological motivations and social safeguards (Hoffnung et al 2013:36). As a result of these concepts, several theorists have hypothesised psychodynamic theory in healthy development.

The concepts and theories of human development are important for a school counselor to have knowledge on. Knowledge on these topics can aid the counselor in better understanding the circumstances of their students. There are three main developmental sections which will be discussed in this paper. Those three include physical development, cognitive development, and social development. Each section contains multiple theories and concepts that would be beneficial to school counselors but this paper will only discuss six of those. Those six include gross and fine motor skills, Jean Piaget’s stages of development, information processing theory, Erik Erickson’s stages of

I already knew before seeing the final results of the collages that my description of myself would differ from my partner’s portrayal of me. No matter who I had chosen to do it, I knew the final product would end with positive traits on their collage, and negative traits on my own. I am my worst critic, and am sometimes very blind to the good impressions I leave on other people. I do see a few of the same words between the two collages, as well as some general key themes I can make out between the two. I also notice my self criticism is very apparent, even from the other person’s point of view. I chose my mother to make the other half of the collage for me. So, obviously there is going to be a bit of a bias towards my good qualities rather

Through zero to nineteen months of age infants are going through a lot of development changes such as social, emotional, cognitive and physical changes. This progress report will be assessing the process and development of Alina’s zero to two years of life. This report will discuss the various mild stones, obstacles, goals and development reached by Alina during her first two years of life. The purpose of this paper is to compare different theories of development to the early years of life, it will also touch basis on achieved motor skills expected in the first years of life.

Theories of personality, among many other theories in the field of psychology, must use some sort of scientific basis in order for the theory or research to be looked upon by others as credible. Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behavior, therefore it should be crucial for theories of personality to be evaluated according to scientific criteria. Forming a hypothesis, testing it out, observing, racking up data -- it should all be used during research. There needs to always be a theory in conjunction with research (Cloninger, S. 2013). Scientific criteria gives psychologists or reseachers a firm base to follow, which makes it easier to validate theories. Evaluating a theory based on personality without using scientific criteria

Allport defines personality as ‘the dynamic organisation within the individual of those psychological systems that determine his unique adjustment to his environment’ (Allport, 1937). An individual’s unique personality traits and attributes are a powerful indicator of how he/she will interact with the work environment. The difference between average and outstanding employees can often be solely personality related. As the employee is the most valuable asset to the company, ‘selecting the right employee during the process is critical’ (Carbery and Cross, 2013, pp. 41-53)

Jean Piaget’s theory focused on cognitive development as mental operations mature based on “simple sensory and motor activity to logical, abstract thought” (Papalia, et al., 2006). Piaget’s view was that growth occurs as a child matures and interacts with his or her surroundings; he looks at the human mind as a focal point and base for everything around it (Heffner, 2004). Cognitive development occurs in three interrelated processes, according to Piaget. The interrelated processes are organization, adaptation, and

Attachment states to a particular strong bond with a specific person or persons. The bond among the person is emotional and effective, and the person that an infant bond to in this way is known as an attachment figure as said by Schaffer(1977),there are three ways in which attachment can be developed. There are three ways in which attachment can be developed. The first one is when the new born baby is attached to any human; secondary, they learn to differentiate between the primary and secondary caregivers, but accept care from anyone and finally they focus attachment on a single specific attachment figure

Leigh Anne Touhy is the fictional representation of the real life Leigh Anne, famed adoptive mother of Michael Oher from the 2009 film The Blind Side. Leigh Anne is a white interior designer, living in the south with her husband and two children. The family is considered to be part of the upper class, and made their money from owning a string of fast food chains. Leigh Anne and her family take in a black homeless boy, Michael, and throughout the film experience a growing love and bond. They eventually adopt Michael and the Leigh Anne becomes a fiercely protective mother. Very little is revealed about her upbringing

Erik Erikson was a psychoanalyst and based his work off of Sigmund Freud’s ideas about the structure and topography of personality. Unlike Freud’s idea that personality is shaped by the age of five, Erikson believed that personality continues to change over the life span. With this theory in mind, Erikson came up with a stage theory of personality development. “Stage theories assume that (1) individuals must progress through specified stages in a particular order, because each stage builds on the previous stage, (2) progress through these stages is strongly related to age, and (3) development is marked by a major discontinuities that usher in dramatic transitions in behavior” (Weiten, 2008).