Developmental Theories of Learning - Essay Example

DEVELOPMENTAL STAGE Introduction: This essay seeks to identify aspects of the theories advocated by Vygotsky and Freud and apply them to the stage of early adulthood. One aspect of Freud’s theories that are specially relevant in the case study I have chosen – myself – are the theory of oedipal impulses of childhood, which are sought to be overcome in adolescence, producing conflicts and a rebellious attitude in young adults. Vygotsky’s emphasis on the importance of social interaction as a factor influencing the nature and kind of development takes place is another important aspect that is applicable to the case study in question. Vygotsky focuses on development across the entire life span rather than development in stages and emphasizes the importance of the social environment within which a person grows as being a factor in development. He believed that the mental development of a human being is in a constantly evolving stage and culture is the primary factor that determines how an individual will develop.(Hahn, No Date). Therefore his theory ascribes a great deal of importance to the support systems that are established for a child to grow and develop; family and society are very important in contributing to the development of the individual. According to Vygotsky, “Every function in the child’s cultural development appears twice: first, between people (interpsychological) and then inside the child (intrapsychological). This applies equally to voluntary attention, to logical memory and to the formulation of ideas. All the higher functions originate as actual relationships between individuals.” (Vygotsky 1978:57) This highlights the importance that Vygotsky placed upon social interactions and relationships as a factor in both child and adult development. The kind of development that a child will have and the ability that will exist to function effectively as an adult. This is particularly applicable in my life because the person I have become is a reflection of many of the experiences I have had in early adulthood, which have shaped events as they stand now. I had a child at seventeen, was married and then divorced at eighteen. My relationship with my short term husband was a rocky one where there is a constant source of conflict that is generated between us almost all the time. My life remained traumatic after my divorce and was symbolized by constant changes and challenges. I moved into four different houses within the short space of two years, worked at a lot of jobs and had several different relationships during which I fell in with the wring crowd of people and experimented with drugs, trying to enjoy my life My adolescence was therefore a traumatic period and would perhaps fall in line with Freud’s psychological theory which was explained further by Anna Freud, who believed that the major problem of adolescence is the restoration of the delicate balance between the ego and the id, that is established during the latency period and gets disturbed during puberty.(www.chipola.edu). Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory is centered around the reawakening of oedipal impulses during adulthood; impulses that are a part of unconscious childhood drives. However Anna Freud (1958) carries this further and states that this critical period is also characterized by “adolescent turmoil” and that there is a loosening of the incestuous libidinal ties that originate in infancy and are reawakened in adolescence with hormonal changes associated with puberty. As a result, adolescents may adopt various defense mechanisms, such as intellectualization or a strong attachment to religion and an inclination towards spiritual values (p 257). The crisis that results in adolescence is the result of conflict between the child’s desire to stay within the safety parameters of childhood and a simultaneous desire to experience the freedom and independence of adulthood. The result of this may be contradictory or conflict generating behavior. I believe this principle applies well in my own life which may have been characterized by high levels of argumentative interactions doe to the problems generated by the typical adolescent conflicts. This may also serve to explain the deviations in my sexual behavior and my frequent and large number of relationships. However, my choice to have a child at an early age may be a reflection of the defense mechanisms that Anna Freud has discussed where there is a tendency to adopt spiritual beliefs. The conscious choice that I made to preserve life rather than seek an abortion because I was so young when I became pregnant reflects a leaning in the direction of spiritual values. Therefore, I may have been unconsciously exercising the defense mechanism against the oedipal unconscious inclinations of childhood. The patterns of my growth show that my learning has been shaped by the environmental patterns of my life. Vygotsky’s views have originated the term zone of proximal development, which indicates the gap that exists between what is sought to be taught at a particular stage and the current state of development that exists in that particular area. If there is too large a gap between the two, then the teaching process will not effective in achieving the necessary goals; if however the gap is too small, then the learning process will not be a challenging one for the student.(www.hsc.csu.edu). Therefore, during the adolescent years, the degree to which a person is able to assimilate adult experiences is related to the gap between what is taught and what the person is capable of learning. Therefore, this provides an indication that there may have been a gap between normal learning that needs to take place during adolescence and what my capacity to learn was. There was obviously a gap between the two and this could be the reason why my young adulthood reflects an aberrant pattern and is ridden with conflict. The conflict itself is a reflection of the disparity between the learning goals and the pattern of learning that my own mind was capable of. It is the level of proximal development that is responsible for problem solving. While IQ may measure actual development, the problem solving skills may be enhanced or retarded by the level of interaction with adults and two adolescents with the same level of mental skill may manifest different levels of problem solving. During my own young adult years, I was presented with relationship problems and also the problem of child birth and it is possible that my levels of interaction with adults may not have been satisfactory, as a result of which it has also been difficult for me to creatively solve these problems in my relationships. I have taken drugs and fallen into the wrong company and all this may be a reflection of the limitations of my zone of proximal development. Therefore my ability to solve problems may have been different from others who may have been at the same stage of actual development, because their ability to interact with adults and arrive at solutions to their problems may have been better refined than mine was. My young adult years may therefore be largely characterized as a non normative period. Erikson views adolescence as a period when the goal is to achieve ego identity and to avoid role confusion.(Papalia, Olds and Feldman, 2007). In the battle between gaining the freedom and independence of adulthood vis a vis giving up the security of childhood, there has been considerable role confusion in my life. My constant change of relationships and my foray into drugs are typical of adolescence and the struggle to achieve ego identify. This process of achievement of ego identity has been one that has been fraught with conflict and difficulty in my case, as a result of which my experiences during my young adulthood have been non normative and uncharacteristic of other adults. Vygotsky also highlights the importance of language development in cognitive development and that the experiences of young adults may be fashioned by the culture that they are a part of. In my case, the rich nature of my interactions through the variety of relationships that I have had and the high levels of conflict with the father of my child are akin to the exercise of the language development that I have engaged in with my family members at first and then in adolescence, with my peers and friends. My interactions still reflect the need to engage in high levels of vocal and lingual interactions with other people. The social networking that Vygotsky views as essential for human growth and a determinant of the kind and nature of interaction that takes place in human beings, was perhaps lacking in my childhood and has impacted upon my development. Therefore, in conclusion, the pattern of my relationships and my inability to establish long term relationships may be indicative of a disturbed family background at a young age. As a result of such a disturbed background, the pattern of my relationships has been affected adversely. Adolescent issues are generally resolved very slowly and the pattern of my life seems to show that I have been making lots of mistakes. I have had to learn from these mistakes because the pattern of my development through social interactions as laid out by Vygotsky, may not have proceeded entirely normally. Vygotsky also states that the main purpose for the development of language in children is for social reasons and it is interrelated with action, helping to reflect on and direct behavior of human beings. The patterns of conflict reflected in my case may also be the need to express linguistic development that may have remained unexpressed in younger years. The traumatic patterns of my young adult years are mostly characteristic of adolescence and the struggle to establish identify ad develop the concept of oneself as a separate adult individual. However, levels of conflict are quite high and there is a pattern of broken, interrupted relationships which suggests that my problem solving abilities and the ability to interact effectively with adults may not have developed to their full potential. Social interaction is vital according to Vygotsky in shaping and influencing human development. My pattern of development in young adulthood reveals several non normative issues, such as an early pregnancy, a history of several broken relationships, conflicts galore and a history of drugs. Therefore, it may be concluded that my social interactions in childhood may not have developed in an entirely satisfactory manner and may have been characterized to a significant degree by conflict and lack of effective communication and interaction. However, at the same time, the results of such lack in social interaction or interaction with adults to develop problem solving skills, have not been of a very damaging level because throughout I have retained a sense of optimism to face life and to seek happiness through a variety of means without resporting to depression. My decision to give birth to my child is also an indication that I may have unconsciously chosen spiritual goals and a spiritual way in which to handle the conflicts generated by the turmoil of adolescence. This may have been a defensive mechanism in order to cope effectively with the inner turmoil, however overall it has been a positive development. I have chosen to maintain my positive outlook on life and seek happiness wherever I can find it, rather than sinking into depression, which may be a function of the spiritual choices I have made. References: * Developmental Theories of Learning. [online] available at: http://hsc.csu.edu.au/pro_dev/teaching_online/how_we_learn/developmental.html * Freud, A, 1958. “Adolescence: The psychoanalytic study of the child.” New York: International Universities Press, 255-278 * Hahn, Chris, No Date. “An overview of Human Development” [online] available at: http://constructiveagreement.com/Development.html * Papalia, Diane E, Olds, Sally Wendkos and Feldman, Ruth Duskin, 2007. “Human Development” (10th edn) McGraw Hill * Theories of Adolescence” [online] available at: http://www.chipola.edu/instruct/social%20science/Andreu/DEP%202004/Chapter%2011.ppt#7 Read More