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PROFED 3 - Chapter 3

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20 views

PROFED 3 - Chapter 3

Uploaded by

jessabongbong
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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MODULE CHILD ADOLESCENT AND DEVELOPMENT

Chapter 3: Issues on Human Development

Objectives:
a.) Describe how nature and nature affect human development.
b.) Analyze how the issues on human development influence growth.

There are a number of important issues that have been debated throughout the
history of developmental psychology. The major questions include the
following:

 Is development due more to genetics or environment?


 Does development occur slowly and smoothly, or do changes happen
in stages?
 Do early childhood experiences have the greatest impact on
development or are later events equally important?\

Developmental Psychology Issues and Debates


 Here are some of the basic questions within the realm of developmental psychology and
what many psychologists today believe about these issues.

Nature vs. Nurture

 The debate over the relative contributions of inheritance and the environment usually
referred to as the nature versus nurture debate is one of the oldest issues in both
philosophy and psychology.
 Philosophers such as Plato and Descartes supported the idea that some ideas are
inborn. On the other hand, thinkers such as John Locke argued for the concept of tabula
rasa—a belief that the mind is a blank slate at birth, with experience determining our
knowledge.
 Some aspects of development are distinctly biological, such as puberty. However, the
onset of puberty can be affected by environmental factors such as diet and nutrition.

Early Experience vs. Later Experience

 A second important consideration in


developmental psychology involves the relative
importance of early experiences versus those
that occur later in life. Are we more affected by
events that occur in early childhood, or do later
events play an equally important role?
 Psychoanalytic theorists tend to focus on events
that occur in early childhood. According to
Freud, much of a child's personality is
completely established by the age of five. If this
is indeed the case, those who have experienced
deprived or abusive childhoods might never
adjust or develop normally.

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MODULE CHILD ADOLESCENT AND DEVELOPMENT

 In contrast to this view, researchers have found that the influence of childhood events
does not necessarily have a dominating effect over behavior throughout life. Many
people with less-than-perfect childhoods go on to develop normally into well-adjusted
adults.

Continuity vs. Discontinuity

 A third major issue in developmental psychology is that of continuity. Does change occur
smoothly over time, or through a series of predetermined steps?

Most theories of development fall under three broad areas:

1. Psychoanalytic theories are those influenced by the work of Sigmund Freud, who
believed in the importance of the unconscious mind and childhood experiences. Freud's
contribution to developmental theory was his proposal that development occurs through
a series of psychosexual stages.
1. Theorist Erik Erikson expanded upon Freud's ideas by proposing a stage theory
of psychosocial development. Erikson's theory focused on conflicts that arise at
different stages of development and, unlike Freud's theory, Erikson described
development throughout the lifespan.
2. Learning theories focus on how the environment impacts behavior. Important learning
processes include classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and social learning. In
each case, behavior is shaped by the interaction between the individual and the
environment.
3. Cognitive theories focus on the development of mental processes, skills, and abilities.
Examples of cognitive theories include Piaget's theory of cognitive development.
4. Abnormal Behavior vs. Individual Differences- One of the biggest concerns of many
parents is whether or not their child is developing normally. Developmental milestones
offer guidelines for the ages at which certain skills and abilities typically emerge, but can
create concern when a child falls slightly behind
the norm. While developmental theories have
historically focused upon deficits in behavior,
focus on individual differences in development is
becoming more common.
5. Psychoanalytic theories are traditionally
focused upon abnormal behavior, so
developmental theories in this area tend to
describe deficits in behavior. Learning theories
rely more on the environment's unique impact on
an individual, so individual differences are an
important component of these theories. Today,
psychologists look at both norms and individual
differences when describing child development

To know more about the Issues on Human Development please click the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNvx225p8Hg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mKvYic-4Do
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k50yMwEOWGU

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