Observations of Human Growth and Development - Case Study Example

Relationship of Human Behaviors to Theories of Observations of Human Growth and Development A case study was carried out in a church setting to find out and aid in study of human behavior. The study involved grouping church attendants into various age group categories. The obtained results were recorded as follows. Observations Category one (from 0 to 3 years old) A girl of 3 years was observed her name was Eunice. She was sitting. She held her necklace. She was mumbling inaudible things to herself. She walked away and came back. She had a pencil and she was making zigzags on a piece of paper. She dug the ground with her pencil. She was sucking her finger. She was clinging to her mums dress. Category two (from 3 to 6 years old) A boy was observed his name was Michael and he was 6 years of age. He was comparing toys. He was keen to observe a man with a laptop and wanted to know what it was. He kept talking to his toy helicopter. He was generous to share his toy with friends. He talked to his friends in church. He said his dad drives them to school every morning. He was interrogating his friends to know their brothers and sisters. Category three (from 6 to 13 years old) A girl was observed her name was Catherine she was 12 years old. She said she was a member of church choir. She said she liked watching movies and listening to music. She said she liked acting and would have liked to become an actress when she grew up. She said she liked making new friends. She said she was waiting for an examination. Category four (from 13 to 19 years old) A young man was observed his name was Eric he was 19 years old. He looked trendy but casual. He said he was a football fun and that he liked Manchester United He said he wanted looking for a job as an accountant. He said that he wanted to work with a major company. When asked whether he was in a relationship, he said he yes and that he wanted to get married. He seemed jovial and known to most people in the church. Category five (from 19 to 65 years old) A woman was observed her name was Irene and she was 45 years old. She looked composed and friendly. She looked neat. She came back shook hands with most people in the church. When asked whether she worked, she said that she was a nurse at a local hospital. She seemed to like children and she kept toying with them. She swapped phone numbers with some new friends She got into a car and drove away. Category six (from 65 years and above) An old man was observed his name was Jackson. He was talking about the past and he was full of advice. He was with a gland son and he held his hand. He was neat and not in a hurry. He had a good car and he looked good. Observed Behaviors and Theories Psychosocial Theory This theory emphasizes on the chief importance of the society, culture, challenges surrounding man and the interferences that may stop his ego making him loose self worth. The theory proposed that an individual is known to grow and develop on three stages these include psychological stage which is concerned with individual behavior; social stage which represents membership of the society and biological which is the nature of an organism. The theory proposed a model that showed human development in five stages which covered up to the age of eighteen years and more stages ahead into adulthood. In relation to the observed behaviors, it is possible to correlate the stages of psychosocial theory with some of the observed behaviors. According to this theory, perfect completion of each of these stages results in a healthy and successful personality. The theory holds that the first stage is a stage of trust versus mistrust .He suggested that in this stage a child develops a great sense of trust in the events around him if care accorded to the child is sufficient (McLeod, 2012). This type of behavior was observed in Eunice in the first category of age groups who kept clinging to her mother’s dress. The second stage is characterized by autonomy, doubt and shame .This is an indication that the child is developing physically and also developing some form of independence. Eunice showed this behavior again as she walked away from her mother but came back later. The third stage is characterized by initiative where children assert themselves. This was observed in Michael at age of six as he plans activities to make games (David, Shaffer, & Kipp, 2009). The next stage involves competence where children begin to feel industrious and highly confident as they crave to achieve their objectives. This behavior was well observed in Catherine who fell in the age group of between six to twelve years. The fourth stage depicts identity and at times confusion .It is the most sensitive in a human life as one tries to realize him or herself both sexually and occupationally .It is accompanied by confusion which later subsides as one realizes who they are. The fifth stage is characterized by intimacy. It occurs during the age bracket of eighteen to forty years. It is characterized by long term relationships with people outside their own family. At times it is evidenced by fear of commitment, loneliness depression and isolation. The sixth stage is middle adulthood where people settle down in career and relationship and begin families this was observed in Irene at forty five. This stage precedes the stage of old age after sixty five years where people become senior citizens and at this stage most people contemplate their achievements. Some people will become dissatisfied if they did not achieve what they were aiming to achieve and they tend to despair. This was observed in Jackson who looked satisfied and composed. This theory was proposed by Erikson. The theory looks at human behavior in the following perspectives; Death is inevitable and that as individuals age, they tend to withdraw from their social groups. It also reflects on the fact that an individual is aware of scarcity of time and shortness of life. It also perceives life as punctuated by stage where the younger people posse’s skills and knowledge to face the life ahead of them. The Learning Theory This theory is concerned with change and formation of growth .It’s a theory that discusses issues based on the external world and the role of environment in human being (David, Shaffer, & Kipp, 2009). It focuses on behavior as opposed to emotions and thoughts .The theory emphasizes that punishment has a role in shaping the behavior of a child which can have a positive or a negative impact this can happen through addition of an environmental desirable stimulus or undesirable environmental stimulus. It holds that it’s possible for the people to learn through direct behavior reinforcement, but equally through watching the behavior of others .This becomes possible through mimicking the behavior observed after storing it in mind through active thinking. According to this theory, the best way to inculcate morals to children is through being polite and humble so that they can copy such behaviors which in turn will help them to interact socially. This theory is not applicable where acquisition of first language is concerned, but rather it is empirical as it uses scientific methods as means of information. It is also the method used in schools to teach students. This behavior was well observed in Michael who was keen on laptop and wanted to know what it was; Catherine was also observed to talk much about school as she waited for her examination. Eunice is also observed to have a pencil which she used to make diagrams on a paper and thick was likely to have been a behavior borrowed from her parents. This theory was proposed by Bandura, Skinner and Watson and Thorndike. The theory has a perspective that suggests that we not only learn through conditioning but also through recognition and thinking as well. This means that only that behavior that is seen can be studied and such a behavior can be though new learning. The other perspective is that all species do learn in a similar way and complex behavior can arise from simple mechanism. The cognitive theory The theory, suggests that thought processes develop as we mature in age .This development is in stages and it is true that humans become efficient in thinking as they mature up. Moral reasoning holds the basis of ethical behavior which occurs in stages. In later days the theory was improved and modified to suggest that morality and logics can only be realized through stages that are constructive. The theory suggests three stages the first one being pre conventional stage. In this stage people judge morality based on any consequences that may result after doing a certain activity. These are external consequences that are usually brought by some actions .At this point the person has not fully internalized the conventional requirements of the society in which they are living which means they don’t know when they are right or wrong. It is common in children and it has two stages the first one being obedience and punishment driven. In this case an individual perceives something as wrong if he or she is liable for punishment. It is at this stage where one lacks recognition for lack of respect of other people’s opinion. This behavior is common to people in the age bracket of one to twelve years before the onset of adolescence. The second stage is characterized by intrinsic respect without concern for others and its perspective is relatively moral. This behavior is clearly exemplified by Eunice who was observed to mumble things to her, holding her necklace, sitting and walking away from her mother from time to time. The behavior is also exemplified by Michael who kept talking to his toy helicopter indicating that he was only engrossed into his own behavior by being egocentric. The second stage is the conventional stage. It is a phenomenon common in adolescents and adults and it involves. People at this level judge their actions by comparing them to what is expected by the immediate society. They tend to obey rules and norms knowing well that there are no consequences or threats, but most opt to adhere. People at this level already know what is expected of them hence bad domains are easily separated from good domains where those who don’t obey end up facing the law. Thirdly is the post conventional level. It is driven by the realization that individuals are separate entities from the entire society and that their behaviors can make an impact over societies view. Most theorists believe that most people may never reach this stage as it is to do with abstract moral reasoning. These traits are well exemplified by people above teenage. The theorists of this theory are Piaget, Kohlberg Neal E. Miller and John Dollard. The perspectives of this theory revolves around an individual’s awareness of rules about morals and regulations. What an individual s skill is and what they are capable to do and ability of an individual to construct behaviors. Ecological and Systems Theory It is made up of five systems which focus on environment Microsystems. In this case for instance institutions and groups have an immediate impact on Childs development (Hepworth, & Rooney, 2010). Other systems include mesosystems which focuses on family relations, exosystems which focuses on social settings, macro system which focuses on an individual culture and chronosystems which focuses on historical transition. It is therefore obvious from the text that ecological theory focuses on factors of environment which in fact play a major role of environment. Good examples of these behaviors were shown by Eric and Catherine who kept talking of their examinations. Also in church where we find Catherine participating in church choir and Eric being a footballer. The main proponents behind the development of this theory are Urie Bronfenbrenner, Lawton and Nahemow. The perspective behind this theory is that ecological components are an important way to explain how individual or family processes become influenced by the environment.Anothher perspective is that an individual constantly adapts, restructures and gets used to the environment. Lifespan Theory The theory holds that development occurs at all stages in human in life span. It looks at behavior change from birth to old age for instance; people observed in stage one of this case have different behaviors with those in category two through the last. In category one, we observe Eunice sucking her fingers ,scribbling on a paper ,running and mumbling ,but in category four Eric was seen to be very relational ,ambitious and outgoing. The perspective behind this theory is that there occurs behavior change with increase in age. The theorists of lifespan theory include Paul Baltes, Darwin and Neil Smelser. The lifespan theory has the following perspectives. That lack of effective regulation of children below adolescent level could lead to indulging in consequential behaviors. Also the possibility of an adolescent to indulge in self impulsive behavior diminishes with age. Human Evolutionary Theory This reflects on identification of which human traits are evolving including language and modern perspective. This is exemplified in this case by the various categories of age groups. In the first category the people in that age group show lots of infancy which is shed of with time as they mature mentally. For instance the behaviors we observe in Eunice like biting nails, mumbling to herself, clinging to her mother and holding her necklace are not the same ones observed in Eric and Catherine. This theory was proposed by Darwin. The perspectives behind the theory are; Behavior and physical characteristics change and they also evolve with each generation where only the strongest animals survive. These characteristics are passed on to the off springs. Reflection The case study was highly informative based on the six theories, perspectives, behaviors and the respective theorists. It is obvious that as one grow up; he or she develops both physically and emotionally and at the same time becomes mature mentally. Basically humans grow by making their human potential to actualize. Along the way they encounter challenges some from the environment, society and work place which they outgrow by resolving. It is therefore conclusively true that for an individual to get satisfied with their career, he or she ought to have coped well with these challenges in order to be able to express their emotions freely and to ensure that financial and career life are going on smoothly. All the same growth process can go wrong and make people lack means to move forward hence growth is complex and intricate. All the levels of growth should therefore be harmonized promote health ,maturity and fulfillment. Therefore, this is very useful information to me as a future director of school. As far as my career is concerned, I was able to learn that leadership is an adaptive behavior and it can enable me to solve social problems related to students and teachers. This would enable me to maintain a good relationship with subordinates and all stake holders in a school setting. I was also able to learn that a modern organization should integrate ancestral matters in its program and try to look for solutions before moving to new areas. This fit appropriately with the reasoning of evolutionally leadership which will help me understand the psychology of my students and subordinates making it possible for me to practice leadership that is more desirable and effective to working culture. References David, D., Shaffer, R., & Kipp, K. (2009). Developmental psychology. New York: Cengage Learning. H, D., Hepworth, H, R., Rooney, & Rooney, G. D. (2010). Direct social work practice. New York: Cengage Learning. McLeod, S. (2012, 06 02). Developmental Psychology . Retrieved 04 06, 2013, from Simply Psycology. Read More