As professional helpers, it is important to have a solid foundation of the various developmental models and theories that undergird the work of human behaviors and experiences (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015). In this week’s reading, we were introduced to theoretical perspectives that help to categorize human development models. In this paper, it is my hope to categorize human development theories based on the dichotomies of nature versus nurture, universality versus diversity, qualitative change versus quantitative change, and discontinuity versus continuity in human development and behavior.
Nature Versus Nurture Focused Human Development Theories
Today’s developmental researchers agree that both nature (genetic makeup) and nurture (external environment) are important (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015), while some developmental theories lean more on one side of the spectrum than the the other. For example, Sigmund Freud’s Psychosexual Stages of Development is one of the theories that would be characterized as theory that focuses more on the importance of nature than on nurture. The term “sexual” in psychosexual refers to the biological drive of humans and the need to satisfy these drives (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015). The five stages developed by Freud was based on his belief that certain instincts are awakened and must be satisfied at certain stages in one’s life. Although Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory has elements of both nature and nurture, he believed that reasoning and cognition naturally emerges from childhood through adulthood which then allows for adults in children’s lives to nurture learning opportunities through their environment (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015). On the other hand, incremental theories like Watson and Skinner’s behavior learning theories, and Bandura’s Social Learning Theories tend to focus more on the nurture of an individual than on the nature. According to Broderick & Blewitt (2015), behavior and social learning theories were developed on the belief that humans learn …show more content…
According the Broderick and Blewitt (2015), the progression that takes place in stage theories is a sequences that can be distinctly across various people groups and cultures. For example, Erikson’s Psychosexual Stages of Development suggests that at birth until about 1 year old, all babies, regardless of their culture and context, face the trust vs. mistrust stage (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015). Universally, it is believed that because newborns and infants are dependent upon their caregivers for safety and reliability, and during this particular stage will develop a hopeful positive outcome or a fearful negative outcome based on their experience. Since the stages are broadly described characteristics, it would not be uncommon for these characteristics to be found universally among cultures and contexts; while Multidimensional theories and Incremental theories are more diverse in their understanding of human growth and …show more content…
These qualitative focused developmental theories are characterized by the fact that there are “similar qualities within stages but different qualities across stages” (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015, p. 8). For example, the shift from the concrete operational stage to the formal operational stage, as described by Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory, would be marked by a typical 8th grade student who used logical thinking in a basic algebra math class context and then is able to understand more abstract material in his pre-calculus class as he transitions to high school. Quantitative focused theories would focus more on the person acquiring more knowledge and experiences that gradually build on to more as is seen in incremental developmental models, like Watson and Skinner’s Behavioral Learning theories, as well as Bandura’s Social Learning
Nature Versus Nurture Focused Human Development Theories
Today’s developmental researchers agree that both nature (genetic makeup) and nurture (external environment) are important (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015), while some developmental theories lean more on one side of the spectrum than the the other. For example, Sigmund Freud’s Psychosexual Stages of Development is one of the theories that would be characterized as theory that focuses more on the importance of nature than on nurture. The term “sexual” in psychosexual refers to the biological drive of humans and the need to satisfy these drives (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015). The five stages developed by Freud was based on his belief that certain instincts are awakened and must be satisfied at certain stages in one’s life. Although Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory has elements of both nature and nurture, he believed that reasoning and cognition naturally emerges from childhood through adulthood which then allows for adults in children’s lives to nurture learning opportunities through their environment (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015). On the other hand, incremental theories like Watson and Skinner’s behavior learning theories, and Bandura’s Social Learning Theories tend to focus more on the nurture of an individual than on the nature. According to Broderick & Blewitt (2015), behavior and social learning theories were developed on the belief that humans learn …show more content…
According the Broderick and Blewitt (2015), the progression that takes place in stage theories is a sequences that can be distinctly across various people groups and cultures. For example, Erikson’s Psychosexual Stages of Development suggests that at birth until about 1 year old, all babies, regardless of their culture and context, face the trust vs. mistrust stage (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015). Universally, it is believed that because newborns and infants are dependent upon their caregivers for safety and reliability, and during this particular stage will develop a hopeful positive outcome or a fearful negative outcome based on their experience. Since the stages are broadly described characteristics, it would not be uncommon for these characteristics to be found universally among cultures and contexts; while Multidimensional theories and Incremental theories are more diverse in their understanding of human growth and …show more content…
These qualitative focused developmental theories are characterized by the fact that there are “similar qualities within stages but different qualities across stages” (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015, p. 8). For example, the shift from the concrete operational stage to the formal operational stage, as described by Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory, would be marked by a typical 8th grade student who used logical thinking in a basic algebra math class context and then is able to understand more abstract material in his pre-calculus class as he transitions to high school. Quantitative focused theories would focus more on the person acquiring more knowledge and experiences that gradually build on to more as is seen in incremental developmental models, like Watson and Skinner’s Behavioral Learning theories, as well as Bandura’s Social Learning