There are several developmental theories in psychology which can be attributed in the growth and development of all persons. These developmental theories include Freud theory of psychosexual development, Erickson’s theory of psychosocial development, Piaget theory of cognitive development, Kohlberg’s theory of moral development, attachment theory, parenting styles amongst others. This paper is going to focus on these theories in relation to individual development. Reasons for the selection of specific theories will be outlined and their strengths and weaknesses also given.
Human development is affected by various aspects on the course of the development of the person. The human behaviour can be molded by the culture, religion, environment, parentage among other factors, which determines the behaviour and the personality of an individual.
The developmental theories provide a framework for thinking about the human growth, development and the learning process. These theories provide an insightful platform to understand the reasons behind the motivation in humans and hence giving much understanding to the society.
According to Sigmund Freud, human personality is mostly established by the age of five. The experiences of a person when still young play a significant role in the determination of human personality development and have an influence in the behaviour later in life. According to Freud, personality develops through a series of childhood stages. During these stages, the pleasure seeking energies are believed to be focused on curtained erogenous areas which are believed to affect certain behaviour. When these stages are completed successfully, the individual personality is believed to be healthy while if there is a divergence in the stages, their results to what is referred to as fixation.
This theory was chosen due to various aspects of my life. It might be true that the personality of an individual is affected and molded at the tender age probably below five years as stated by Freud. At a young age, children often seek pleasure and happiness, and if this are not met early the personality is usually affected. As a young Muslim girl, pleasures were sought in various ways, and this shaped the personality of the person that I am today. The early life consisted of a young girl who felt unwanted since her father would have preferred her to be a boy rather than a girl. This led to the denial of the fatherly love that every child would want in the family. This, therefore, led to the low self esteem which has been carried through to adulthood. Another aspect that has been portrayed from the early childhood days is the days that I spent with my mother. As a young girl, my mother was always supportive and due to the nature of the poor health experienced at a young age, I found pleasures in being loved by my mother, which in one way or another shaped the personality and traits I have in adulthood.
Another theory, which would be appropriate, is the Erickson theory of psychosocial development. The theory believes much like the Freud’s theory that the personality of an individual develops through a series of stages. Contrary to the Freud theory, Erickson describes the impacts of social experience throughout the whole life. The development of the ego identity is one of the most important aspects of the Erickson theory. This is the conscious sense of self that we develop through the social interaction. Ego identity constantly changes due to the experiences and the information we acquire in the daily interaction with other individuals. The Erickson stages involves being competent in a certain area of life. If handled properly, one would have the mastery of the stage while a sense of inadequacy will be felt if the stage is poorly handled. Erickson believed that people experience a conflict that makes a big impact to psychological development. These conflicts are centered on either developing the psychological quality or on the other hand, failing to develop it. At such a stage, the potential for the personal development is high, and so is the potential for failure.
The first stage of psychosocial was the development of trust or mistrust. With a caring parent, it was important that development of trust was inevitable. Security was felt as my parents had given me a platform to be happy. The second stage involves acquiring a sense of personal control. As a child, self control is important. This will involve one’s food choices, toy preferences and what clothes one chooses to wear. With the society that showed one that there are certain things such as clothes which you are required to wear, one is most likely to feel inadequate and therefore, develop self doubt. Through the cultural diversity, it always felt that the life that society and the family were not adequate. The lifestyle in the native Somalia seemed enjoyable and hence more adorable than in the Middle East. The gender profiling in the Middle East led to the development of the sense of self. These led to viewing of the American lifestyle as attractive and consequently not agreeing with principles laid by the society. Although the culture was confusing, the guidance from the parents always came handy in giving me the security and skills to deal with various issues in life. Life relationships are important. According to Erickson, who develops close, committed relationships with other people will form relationships that are committed and secure.
These theories however, have their weaknesses. Freud theory is difficult to test scientifically. Some aspects he uses such are libido are not testable, and therefore, cannot be tested scientifically. The theory is also focused too much on the male, and therefore, the development is neglected. The Erickson theory also has its own weaknesses. The Erickson culture timing might not be right or might not apply to all cultures. An example is where in some cultures, people will marry at a tender age of thirteen and may start to get children after that as compared to today’s society where marriage is delayed up to nearly thirty years of age. Another weakness is that Erickson agreed with Freud that the personality differences are biologically based. Therefore, this theory is more applicable to boys than girls. Finally, Erickson work focused too much on infancy period. He should have realized that more attention should have been paid to the adult lifetime than in the childhood.
References
Cherry, K. (n.d.). Psychology Theories. Retrieved July 15, 2013, from About.com: http://psychology.about.com/od/psychology101/u/psychology-theories.htm#s7
Crandell, T. L., Crandell, C. H., & Zanden, J. W. (2009). Human Development. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Miller, P. H. (2011). Theories of Developmental Psychology. New York: Macmillan Publishers.
