Child Psychology in Practice - Report Example

Running head: Development Psychology-Midterm Development Psychology-Midterm Insert Insert Grade Insert 12 September The child is undergoing the phase of autonomy versus shame and doubt at the age of three years in which he tries to do things on his own or in his own way. At this point the child is very active in playing and moving around the house and rarely settles. According to Erikson’s premise of child development, the confidence of a person depends on how a child is handled at this stage because by trying to make minor decision the child is exercising his ability to do things. If the child is criticized then he will grow up with self doubt while if the child is supported or allowed to make some minor decisions he will grow up full of confidence (Rathus, 2010). At this stage the child is growing in body size and has began walking or is crawling at the same time talking. He is making several physical movements by walking from one place to the other trying to do something as he shouts and make noise. Socially he tries to interact with people but is still afraid of strangers, so he only mingles with strangers in the presence of his parents. There is an urge in the child to explore new things, move to unfamiliar places and learn new things (King & Maholmes, 2012). Child development is a function of many parameters including family structure, cultural factors as well as the socio-economic status of the family. The child under discussion is equally affected by these factors as he grows through the development processes. The family structure can be described as nuclear family where the child resides with both parents and other siblings. This means that the child’s life is limited by the nature of people who interact with him because it is only on occasional basis that the child mingles with other people. The child spends most of the time in the family compound and is rarely allowed to go out. In accordance with the culture, the child is not allowed to intermingle with strangers as it could bring a bad omen. This restricts the child’s interaction and play with other children. The family is not economically well-off and their status in the family can be ranked as ordinary. Therefore, they only manage to satisfy the basic needs of the child and could ignore other important aspects like child growth and welfare (Lerner, 2006). The child’s development can be perceived through the lens of several theorists who endeavor to explain the process of child development. Several theorists have advanced diverse thought regarding child development where majority of these processes involve stages of growth. As a result, child development is governed by numerous conjectures that describe the process of transformation from childhood to adulthood. As noted, one of the characteristic features of child development premises is stages of growth. Children develop through different stages whereby each stage represents a certain age group. Each stage informs the subsequent stage whereby there is no stage that is more important than the other. A successful child development process therefore is one that ensures that the child effectively passes through each stage. The overall development of a child is directly related on how successful the child is in overcoming the challenges of each stage (King & Maholmes, 2012). The child’s development can be described differently in accordance to the various theorists on the subject and their premises. The most relevant theory is that of Erik Erikson who considered the process as governed by several stages that are founded on social parameters of evolution. As a result, the child is undergoing the stage of independence versus shame and doubt in which he endeavors to do things his own way and make certain decisions on his own. According to Erikson, if the child is supported in his quest for autonomy he will become more confident in his future and incase he is discouraged and criticized he will develop low self esteem (Rathus, 2010).. Piaget’s theory of cognitive development endeavors to underscore the mechanisms and procedures through which a child undergoes to grow into a person who can reason by applying assumptions. According to Piaget’s theory the child is undergoing a stage that is relevant to his cognitive ability through which he will be able to acquire intelligence and reason accordingly. As a result, the child’s quest for doing things is a way of learning and developing intelligence (Fabes & Martin, 2008). In accordance to Feud’s conjecture of child development, the child is undergoing Phallic Stage in which he is experiencing sexual intimacy with the mother. Part of the reason why the child is obsessed with the mother, as per Feud’s premise, is because at this age the child feels sexually bonded to the mother and is often afraid that the father will punish this behavior (Lerner, 2006). Interviewing the child provided an opportunity to make certain observations that are crucial in explaining the development of the child. The child was very much attached to the mother and even in the course of the interview he became restless whenever the mother was absent. In order to succeed in the interview, I had to ensure that the mother was near. This proves Feud’s theory that at three years the child is undergoing a period of sexual intimacy with the mother and that his attachment to the mother is immense. It was also noted that the child was very much busy trying to do and say things in a different and assertive manner without wanting to be interrupted. According to Erikson the child is trying to assert his confidence by endeavoring to do his own things in his own way. This is a very crucial stage of development because the child’s future level of confidence is based on how he is handled at this stage. Other observations indicated that the child was overtly busy either talking or trying do something and at times he could stare at things or people for a long time without uttering a word. Piaget’s cognitive conjecture states that every stage of development for a child is an opportunity to develop intelligence and reason. As a result, the child was exercising his reasoning capacity as well as evolving intellectually throughout the process (Fabes & Martin, 2008). Numerous theorists on child development have described the process as integral to the overall maturation of a child. This underscores the inherent significance of child development. One feature that prevails in all the theories of child growth is the aspect of stages. The process is demarcated into several stages through which children grow to become mature adults. The child under discussion is at the age of three and Erikson, Freud and Piaget all agree that this is a stage of prime significance to the child’s, sexual, cognitive and physical development. Where Freud concentrates on sexuality as having great impact on the child at this stage, Erikson affirms the primacy of social aspects as the child tries to make social cues towards growth. Piaget asserts the significance of this stage in the child’s cognitive, intelligence and logical growth insisting that each stage has an impact on the child’s ability to develop intelligence and reason (Lerner, 2006). The process of child development undoubtedly has a number of problems that hinder the complete development of the child. A primary problem in child development is the inability of a child to successfully pass through a particular stage. Due to a number of factors influencing development, it is not possible for a child to successfully undergo all the stages of developing which implies that the child could skip or fail to mature in certain areas that will create imbalances in their future life (Fabes & Martin, 2008). References Fabes, R. & Martin, C. (2008). Discovering Child Development. Washington: Cengage Learning. King, R. & Maholmes, V. (2012). The Oxford Handbook of Poverty and Child Development. London: Oxford University Press. Lerner, R. (2006). Handbook of Child Psychology, Child Psychology in Practice. Washington: John Wiley & Sons. Rathus, S. (2010). Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development. Washington: Cengage Learning. Read More