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Psychoanalytic Child Development Theories

Sigmund Freud proposed that child development occurs through psychosexual stages and that experiences in each stage can impact adult personality. Erik Erikson also believed development occurs in stages but across the entire lifespan, with conflicts arising and being resolved at each stage impacting overall functioning. Jean Piaget suggested children think differently than adults and actively construct their understanding through stages of cognitive development. Behavioral theories view development as shaped purely by environmental interactions and rewards/punishments with no consideration for internal thoughts or feelings.

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2K views

Psychoanalytic Child Development Theories

Sigmund Freud proposed that child development occurs through psychosexual stages and that experiences in each stage can impact adult personality. Erik Erikson also believed development occurs in stages but across the entire lifespan, with conflicts arising and being resolved at each stage impacting overall functioning. Jean Piaget suggested children think differently than adults and actively construct their understanding through stages of cognitive development. Behavioral theories view development as shaped purely by environmental interactions and rewards/punishments with no consideration for internal thoughts or feelings.

Uploaded by

Romelyn Angadol
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Psychoanalytic Child Development Theories

Sigmund Freud
The theories proposed by Sigmund Freud stressed the importance of childhood events and
experiences, but almost exclusively focused on mental disorders rather that normal
functioning.
According to Freud, child development is described as a series of 'psychosexual stages.' In
"Three Essays on Sexuality" (1915), Freud outlined these stages as oral, anal, phallic, latency
and genital. Each stage involves the satisfaction of a libidinal desire and can later play a role
in adult personality. If a child does not successfully complete a stage, Freud suggested that
he or she would develop a fixation that would later influence adult personality and behavior.
Learn more in this article on Freuds stages of psychosexual development.
Erik Erikson
Theorist Erik Erikson also proposed a stage theory of development, but his theory
encompassed human growth throughout the entire lifespan. Erikson believed that each stage
of development was focused on overcoming a conflict. For example, the primary conflict
during the adolescent period involves establishing a sense of personal identity. Success or
failure in dealing with the conflicts at each stage can impact overall functioning. During the
adolescent stage, for example, failure to develop an identity results in role confusion. Learn
more about this theory in this article on Eriksons stages of psychosocial development.

Cognitive Child Development Theories


Theorist Jean Piaget suggested that children think differently than adults and proposed a
stage theory of cognitive development. He was the first to note that children play an active
role in gaining knowledge of the world. According to his theory, children can be thought of
as "little scientists" who actively construct their knowledge and understanding of the world.
Learn more in this article on Piagets stages of cognitive development.

Behavioral Child Development Theories

Behavioral theories of child development focus on how environmental interaction influences


behavior and are based upon the theories of theorists such as John B. Watson, Ivan Pavlov
and B. F. Skinner. These theories deal only with observable behaviors. Development is
considered a reaction to rewards, punishments, stimuli and reinforcement. This theory
differs considerably from other child development theories because it gives no consideration
to internal thoughts or feelings. Instead, it focuses purely on how experience shapes who
we are. Learn more about these behavioral theories in these articles on classical
conditioning and operant conditioning.

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