Introduction Psychology is a fluid and ever-changing discipline; therefore, the theories and mechanics need to adapt to accommodate new information. The theories of Freud, Vygotsky, and Bronfenbrenner greatly affected the development of psychology and the understanding of human interaction with the world around them. These theories tie into people’s perceptions on child development.
Freud
Sigmund Freud was an Austrian physician who treated patients with mental illnesses. Freud would listen to his patient’s dreams and their various fantasies, and, using this knowledge, Freud created the psychoanalytic theory. This theory states major development takes place in the first six years of life, and occurs in three stages (Berger, 2014, p. 39). …show more content…
This theory focuses on a child’s surrounding environment and how it affects that child’s development. Bronfenbrenner’s original theory had three levels that surrounded an individual: the microsystems, a person’s immediate surroundings like parents and friends, the exosystems, including things like school and church, and the macrosystems, which includes cultural values and economic policies. Over time, however, two more systems have been added, the mesosystem and the chronosystem. The chronosystem literally deals with the historical timeline that the person lives in, and the mesosystem deals with the interrelated parts and interaction of all the systems amongst themselves. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory has few weakness because it covers such a vast context of human life. He extends into various cultures and how that might affect a child growing up, and he covers plasticity, and a variety of disciplines. One small weakness is that many of Bronfenbrenner’s scenarios are hypothetical, as every person does not go through the same experiences in life.
Prenatal
Freud
Sigmund Freud was an Austrian physician who treated patients with mental illnesses. Freud would listen to his patient’s dreams and their various fantasies, and, using this knowledge, Freud created the psychoanalytic theory. This theory states major development takes place in the first six years of life, and occurs in three stages (Berger, 2014, p. 39). …show more content…
This theory focuses on a child’s surrounding environment and how it affects that child’s development. Bronfenbrenner’s original theory had three levels that surrounded an individual: the microsystems, a person’s immediate surroundings like parents and friends, the exosystems, including things like school and church, and the macrosystems, which includes cultural values and economic policies. Over time, however, two more systems have been added, the mesosystem and the chronosystem. The chronosystem literally deals with the historical timeline that the person lives in, and the mesosystem deals with the interrelated parts and interaction of all the systems amongst themselves. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory has few weakness because it covers such a vast context of human life. He extends into various cultures and how that might affect a child growing up, and he covers plasticity, and a variety of disciplines. One small weakness is that many of Bronfenbrenner’s scenarios are hypothetical, as every person does not go through the same experiences in life.
Prenatal