Understanding Human Beings - Article Example

Understanding human beings Though there has been a lot of research on human development, everyone can agree that human mind grow and change as one progresses from a child to an adult. Psychology as a field has been gaining much interest in studying the changes that are age related in thinking, behaviour, personality and emotions, a term referred to as human development (Boyd & Bee 2005). Use of self is very essential in social work practice as it combines the values, skills and knowledge which are acquired through education with the features of one’s personal self such as systems of beliefs, personality traits, cultural heritage and life experiences. This makes it an important tool in human development where the social workers are able to achieve genuineness with their clients and also honour the ethic and values in social work practice (Dewane 2006). Psychosocial skills and resources are also useful in human development as they allow people to relate, interact with, perceive and influence others. The psychosocial skills need to be combined with communication skills to enable proper interaction with others and function in a way that is socially meaningful (Edwards & Bess 1998). Providing a universal way to which human develop is a complex task. There are various theories that explain the development of human. This essay applies the Erickson’s psychosocial crisis stages in human development theory in the analysis Luke’s case. Luke has undergone six stages of the eight stages of Erickson’s theory of human development. These psychosocial crisis stages include the trust versus mistrust which is infancy, autonomy versus shame and doubt which is early childhood, initiative versus guilt referred to as play stage of life, industry versus inferiority which is the school age, identity versus role confusion referred to as adolescence, intimacy versus isolation referred to as young adult and generativity versus stagnation which is referred to as adulthood and finally, integrity versus despair which is mature stage of life (Chapman 2011). Erickson states that each person has to experience the eight stages of psychosocial crises which are responsible for defining one’s personality and growth. Of the eight psychosocial stages, each of them is characterised by a conflict that is said to be between two opposing attitudes or positions. Luke’s condition can be understood by analysing the six psychosocial crisis stages that he has undergone throughout his life (Chapman, 2011). From the infant stage of life a healthy balance between the child’s trust and mistrust may be developed if the child is cared for and fed properly. If a child is neglected or abused, the child’s trust will be destroyed and mistrust will be fostered. On the other hand, if the child is protected from any or all feelings of normality and surprise, this also lead to a false sense of trust which could result into sensory distortion. This results to failure to accept or appreciate the reality. In Luke’s case, his mother describes him as changing from a ‘lovely boy’ to a ‘loner’. This condition may have originated from the infant stage by being protected from all feelings of normality and surprise by her mother making him not to appreciate the reality (Crittenden 1985). In the early childhood stage of life, the child develops either autonomy or shame and doubt. Autonomy is developed through self reliance as the child gains independence of thinking by acting or thinking on oneself. Shame and doubt is developed by slowing a child’s development of his or her own ideas and slowing down the child’s self expression. As self reliance is created by encouragement, parental reactions and patience, in Luke’s case his dad is said to be busy thus having a little time with him. Lack of encouragement from his dad’s reactions may have led to lack of self reliance at this stage which may be the cause of his present condition. This is evidenced as Luke is said to be doing very little in home which is a sign of lack of self reliance (Bowlby 1958). In the play stage of life, a child is either initiative or guilt. Initiative is brought about by making a child to gain confidence in what he or she is doing even if the child is at risk of making a mistake or failing. On the other hand, a child feels very inappropriate in case something goes wrong due to lack of confidence. In Luke’s current condition, he has gone to a point of locking himself in the house as he feels a sense of being uncared for, unsafe and dispassionate. This may be caused by lack of confidence to a condition of thinking that the entire world is out to harm him (Minuchin 1985). The school age was very essential stage of life for Luke as this is the stage that he was supposed to enlarge his relationship from parents to teachers, friends and neighbourhood with the main issues on accomplishment and achievement of his goals. At this stage one either develops industry or inferiority. Industry refers to the ability to develop skills and competence and also confidence which is very essential in one’s experiences in school. However, inferiority is attributed to failure at the tasks and work performed at school. In addition, it is developed through denial of the opportunity to develop and discover one’s own strengths, capabilities and unique potential. This makes one feel useless and inferior. From Luke’s case, he relates the difficulties that he is undergoing to physical attacking and bullying from the school. This makes it clear that Luke is feeling inferior and useless as the bullying and physical attack that he is experiencing from school has denied him the opportunity to develop and discover his own strengths, capabilities and unique potential. This is also evidenced in the case as his dad says that Luke was once a skilled footballer and but current he is seen as wasting his talent. Luke also admits that he was not as active as he used to be (Chapman 2011). The adolescent stage of life is also very influential for Luke where he was supposed to relate with peers and groups in order to resolve his direction and identity and also become a grown up. This stage leads to development of either identity or confusion. The identity shows how one is supposed to see himself in relation to his world. Through identity, one develops a sense of individuality or self in life’s context and also in what is ahead. On the other hand, confusion leads to lack of identity where one will not see at all who he is or and how positively can one relate to the environment. At this stage, one will struggle to be affirmed and accepted and to become an individual. From Luke’s case, he seems to lead to confusion. This is evidenced as Luke is locking himself in the house and also refuses to go out. Luke is seeing himself as useless in relation to his world and he is not in a condition to relate with his peers. This is evidenced as his mother is very worried as he no longer socializes with his peers. In addition confusion is evidence as his dad claims that he keeps away from Luke’s sleeping behaviour throughout the day as this makes his dad to shout at him the moment he find Luke sleeping (Chapman 2011). Luke is at his sixth stage of life which is young adult stage. This is a stage that he is supposed to work, experience social life and have intimate relationships as he is required to be connected to work and lovers. Through intimacy, one is supposed to develop relationships with marital partners and the family. This is when one develops emotional and physical connection, love, trust, support, comfort and other factors related to a healthy adult. On the other hand, isolation leads to a condition of feeling excluded from the experiences of usual life such as mating and dating. This leads to a feeling of social withdrawal, loneliness, non- participation and alienation. From Luke’s case, his mother complains that his condition is not healthy for a 21 years old adult as he never socialises and also spends most of his time in bed. His mother also says that at his age, he is not in a position to start any conversation. This has led to worsening of Luke’s condition to a point of feeling excluded from usual life experiences. This is evidenced as his mother calls him a ‘loner’ due to his condition of not participating in anything (Biggs 1999). The adulthood stage is the seventh stage and involves relating with community and children in the process of giving back, contributing and helping the society. This stage leads to develop either generativity or stagnation. Generativity is characterized by giving unconditionally the parental care and love to the offspring. This stage extends potentially to the future generation which equips the modern generation with a responsible perspective which is successfully achieved through giving and caring to such as putting things back to life. However, stagnation will lead to intimacy extension which results to self absorption and self interest. Stagnation is characterised by a feeling of greed, selfishness, lacking interest in young generation and self indulgence (Ridley 2003). The final stage is the mature stage of life and involves how an individual relates to the society and the world with the aim of acceptance and achievement in life with a purpose and meaning. The stage leads to development of either integrity or despair. The positive attitude leads feeling of peace with the world and with oneself. At this stage, individuals leave the world as a better place than the way they found it. On the other hand, despair leads to a feeling of regret, wasted opportunities as an individual wishes to turn back and acquire a second chance (Chapman 2011). Use of self varies for different individuals as they depend on the individual’s personality, development capacity and relational skills. Analysis of use of self in Luke’s case can be viewed in various perspectives such as use of personality, self disclosure and belief system. Use of personality traits and also identification of these traits will assist a social worker to relate with Luke in order to realize himself in a manner that is positive. By use of self disclosure, a social worker can share his or her past problems and experiences in a way that will normalize Luke’s experiences. This will assist Luke to accept himself after realization that he is not the only one that experiences problems giving him a chance to move positively in life. Use of believe system is also an effective tool for a social worker as organizing, understanding and making sense of the surroundings will make Luke to view the world around him in a positive way (Dewane 2006). Psychosocial skills will allow a social worker to influence and relate with Luke through experiencing his feelings and recognizing his identity. Psychosocial skills can be categorized as core mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotions regulations and interpersonal effectiveness skills. Core mindfulness skills will assist Luke to focus, participate in life and to observe self and others in a positive way. Distress tolerance skills will assist Luke to overcome feelings and thoughts of distress by replacing skills that are self destructive. Emotional and regulation skills will help Luke to strengthen his ability to manage his emotions. Interpersonal effectiveness skills will assist Luke in forming relationships that are trusting and meaningful. Psychosocial resources which include a sense of personal control, optimism, social support and coping style will have an influence on individual’s health. For instance, an environment that will undermine Luke’s personal control will impact his current health status and lead to increased stress (Edwards & Bess 1998). Conclusion Erickson theory of human development emphasises an essential sequential importance of eight psychosocial stages. The human development theory also affirms that human beings have a continual development and change all through their life. Use of self is important in social work practice as it combines the values, skills and knowledge which are acquired through education with the features of one’s personal self such as systems of beliefs, personality traits, cultural heritage and life experiences. Psychosocial skills and resources are also useful in human development as they allow people to relate, interact with, perceive and influence others. Luke has undergone through the six Erickson’s psychosocial stages of human development. These stages are responsible for defining Luke’s personality and growth. The first three stages which are infancy, childhood and play stages on Luke’s attitude are modified by parents and the entire family. These three stages may be as a result of Luke’s current condition and are based on the parents care and availability. The other three Erickson’s stages of life which are school age, adolescence and young adult can be said to be the major causes of Luke’s current condition. It was at this stage that he was supposed to relate with teachers, friends, neighbourhood, peers, at work, experience social life and have intimate relationships. However he admits being bullied and harassed physically in school a condition that has lead to a feeling of being useless, inferior, being excluded and confused. This may be the result of depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation as it was reported by his professionals in mental health. References Biggs, S. 1999, The Mature Imagination: dynamics of identity in Mid-life and beyond, Open University Press, Buckingham, Bowlby, J. 1958, The nature of the child’s tie to his mother, International Journal of Psycho-Analysis, vol.39, Pp. 350-73 Boyd, D., & Bee, H. 2005, Lifespan Development, Pearson, Boston. Chapman, A 2011, Erikson’s psychosocial development theory,viewed 18 January, 2012, http://www.businessballs.com/erik_erikson_psychosocial_theory.htm Crittenden, P 1985, Maltreated infants: vulnerability and resilience’ Journal of Child Psychology & Psychiatry, vol. 26, Pp. 85- 96 Dewane, CJ 2006, Use of self: A primer revisited. Clinical Social Work Journal, vol 34, no.4, Pp. 543-558. Edwards, J. & Bess, J 1998, Developing effectiveness in the therapeutic use of self. Clinical Social Work Journal, vol. 26. no.1, Pp 89-105 Minuchin, P. 1985, ‘Families and individual development: provocations from the field of family therapy’, Child Development, vol.56, Pp. 289-302 Ridley, M 2003, Nature Via Nurture: Genes, Experience, and What Makes us Human, Harper Collins, New York. Read More