Development Psychology and Theories - Assignment Example

?Running head: DEVELOPMENT PSYCHOLOGY Development Psychology Insert Insert Grade Insert 29 August Development Theories Development theories are of immense importance in explaining the development process as well as creating room for research on child development. Through developmental theories it is possible to plan and conduct research on the best intervention mechanisms for appropriate approaches of preventing disorders of childhood as well as adulthood. Therefore, development theories set the stage for careful analysis and evaluation of child development through which methods of intervention are developed to prevent further health and development difficulties. The significance for training medical graduate scholars in developmental methods to research is emphasized, and anticipated for a future of shared contributions of developmental in addition to clinical psychology are articulated in light of the actuality that, following a troubled history of separation of the two and even dynamic deprecation of one another's objectives and techniques, developmental and scientific psychology are manifesting joint acknowledgment of the advantages of mutual research. The importance of developmental theories lies in their ability to spur the formulation of strategies and mechanisms that provide for the prevention of childhood and future health complications (Thornberry, 2004). The process of development is best exemplified by the theory of cognitive development which is a brain child of Jean Piaget because it explains the manner in which children characterize and reason regarding the world. The theory therefore underscores the development trajectory of children through the lens of reason and representation at each respective stage. The process of development is undoubtedly discontinuous and the theory of cognitive development best portrays this discontinuity through the changing pattern of representation and reason concerning the world to children as they progress. Cognitive development is a crucial component of child development processes and the theory tracks the different frameworks of logic and characterization of the world among children as they climb the cognitive development ladder. The theory appropriately depicts the child development process (Austrian, 2008). Attachment Theory Attachment theory influences a person’s behavior later in life because it is on the basis of development of attachment with the primary caregiver that the child later develops relationships. In essence, attachment hypothesis describes the factors of enduring relationships involving humans. Its most imperative principle is that an infant requires developing a relationship with no less than one main caregiver for emotional, social and mental growth to happen normally. Attachment premise is a multifaceted study encircling the arenas of ethological, evolutionary, and psychological theory. A child’s success in developing strong emotional attachment with the primary caregiver is a pointer towards better relationship behaviors in the future. Therefore, an individual’s capacity to develop long-term relationships as an adult is influenced by the effective development of attachment with primary caregivers. Attachment represents a point of contact through which the child learns to grow emotionally which determines future relationship behaviors. Attachment theory has a lot of relevance of individual behavior later in life owing to the fact that the development of attachment assists infants to grow emotionally and psychologically as well as develop certain social and psychological behavioral patterns that run into their adult life (Kerr et al, 2000). The justification of the influence of attachment theory on a person’s behavior in the future is based on the fact that a child’s ability to nurture and maintain relationships in their adult life is directly proportional to the development of attachment to one primary caregiver during childhood. Success in developing attachment leads to effectiveness in developing and sustaining relationships while failure in attachment development leads to failure in the creation and maintaining of relationships late in life (Kerr et al, 2000). Parenting Theories On a survey to determine the types of punishment they use or used with their children, three parents were sampled and each of them required stating the modes of punishment used on their children. The parents gave different answers as each one of them used a different type of punishment on their children. The first parent stated that he uses physical or corporal punishment whereby the children are caned whenever they do wrong, this was considered appropriate because it acted as deterrence to wrongdoing. The second parent said that denial of comfort and certain privileges was a good form of punishment whereby the children could be denied a gift, a meal or something they liked whenever they wronged. The third parent stated that he used rebuke as a form of punishment where he condemned the children for doing wrong and at the same time teach them not to repeat it (Long & Hoghugh, 2004). The results of this survey fall under different theories of parenting which denote the diverse styles of parenting. Parenting by affectionate guidance along with firm boundaries is a theory of parenting, which describes the aspect of rebuking children when they do wrong in a tender manner as well as setting standards for behavior. The theory echoes the third parent who uses rebuke and chastening to punish ad correct children. Parenting using natural as well as logical repercussions theory applies to the second parent who denies children their privileges and other comforts as a way of disciplining them through the consequences of their wrong behavior. Here the parent lets the children learn through the consequences of their actions. The theory of teaching children with sticks applies to the first parent who uses caning as a punishment to children whenever they do wrong. The children avoid doing wrong to prevent being caned, caning serves as a deterrence to wrong doing (Chaib, 2008). Family Structures Families provide resources that are material, cognitive, emotional as well as a means for social support. Traditionally, most families consisted of two parents. Nevertheless, recently there has been an increase in single parent and blended families. These types of family structures have an immense impact on child development because they denote different platforms and avenues for child rearing. Moreover, each family structure has its relevant strengths and weaknesses that determine how successful the process of child development takes place. Traditional families had two parents in which both parents were present and supported the growth of a child. The presence of two caregivers made the process of child development more convenient as the child had two people to connect with in the growth progression (Home-ed, 2012). Single family structures are quite challenging as the single parent has to juggle between several obligations making it quite difficult to aid the child development process. This greatly hinders the overall development of a child. Additionally, blended families have a lot of issues that hinder the process of child development; blended families rarely create a sound environment for child development. In essence, the conventional two parent family structures are the best in comparison to blended or single families because two parent families provide a better avenue for child development where each parent plays a role in the process of child development. The joint efforts result in successful growth of children into responsible adults (Home-ed, 2012). References Austrian, S. (2008). Developmental Theories Through The Life Cycle. Columbia: Columbia University Press. Chaib, L. (2008). Relationship Between Perceived Parenting Styles and Personality Disorders. Washington: ProQuest. Home-ed. (2012). Parenting theories. Retrieved from http://home- ed.info/parenting/parenting_theories.htm Kerr et al. (2000). Attachment Theory: Social, Developmental, and Clinical Perspectives. New York: Routledge. Long, N. & Hoghugh, M. (2004). Handbook of Parenting: Theory and Research for Practice. London: Sage. Thornberry, T. (2004). Developmental Theories of Crime and Delinquency. Washington: Transaction Publishers. Read More