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psychology is the field that deals with the study of human behavior and the changes that come with age.
Humans have and will always remain in the constant loop of evolution, as we are born so shall we die. A fact undisputed, none the less the metamorphosis that we go through, is evident in our progression which is both physical as well as psychological. Developmental psychology is one such field that deals with the scientific analysis of the behavioral changes that occur in people throughout their lifespan. Initially, this field was centralized around the study of how infants and children portrayed behavioral changes, though now it has diversified into finding out the circumstantial causes and effects of childhood on adults as well. Why some people behave in different situations differently and why some people just seem overtly sensitive to seemingly normal incidences? The reason being that each individual is keyed according to the experiences as well as traumas that affected the course of their lives. That is why this field of psychology tries to inspect and extract the tiny nuances, that might have had a decisive role in affecting the way some people behave. This field tries to help them improve their lives for the better.
What is the Main Focus of Developmental Psychology?
The main focus of developmental psychology is to gather information about human development, through observation. It includes the study of the progress and behavior of humans from the womb until the grave. They focus on studying the progression as well as the factors that determine people's personalities, intelligence, genealogy, morality and the way they approach and handle circumstances. This field has existed for centuries in some form or the other, wherein several theories of developmental psychology have been conceptualized by various psychologists. One of the most popularly accepted as well as protested, theoretical perspectives of psychology, was 'Childhood and Society', which was put forth by Erik Erikson in 1963. His work involved the study of human behavior in relation to themselves and their society, in a few basic stages of developmental psychology. Here is what he stated, the 4 stages deal with children, which go on to affect their behavioral tendencies as adults:
Stage 1 - Trust vs Mistrust - This stage occurs from the child's inception, or his birth up till the age of 1 year. Erickson believed that children develop a sense of trust or mistrust based on the way they are treated. They bestow their trust on only those who fulfill their needs of food, comfort, protection and sleep. If these are absent then the child would feel mistrust towards the world, even in the long run.
Stage 2 - Autonomy vs Shame - This stage dwells on the personalities children develop between the age of 1-3, wherein children will be autonomous if their parents or guardians allow them the freedom to explore their curiosity, ask questions freely without fear of being reprimanded, and to be able to express their imagination without any hesitation. On the lateral side of the spectrum lies the verdict of shame. This emotion develops among children if their parents are overtly restrictive and stifling. These children find it hard to express themselves freely and when they do, they feel insignificant and fearful of the repercussions. Thus they develop introvert characteristics.
Stage 3 - Initiative vs Guilt - This stage unravels the personalities of children between the age of 3-6 years, wherein children try and do things with a sense of further curiosity and initiative. Some times they succeed and they feel good about themselves. But at times they fail or things go wrong, and they experience guilt. Though a lot depends on how parents deal with their children, which predominantly affects their personalities. Parents who encourage their children to explore and at the same time explain to them the disadvantages of doing something incorrectly, often have children who develop a healthy and balanced persona.
Stage 4 - Industry vs Inferiority - This is the last stage that deals with children between the age of 6-12. Herein children at this age develop a sense of initiative as well as competency in all spectrum of their life. That may include, at school, among friends as well as at home. Parents who help them grow and progress through words of comfort and encouragement have children who develop industrious personalities. While children who are discouraged and ridiculed by their parents for having failed, end up developing an inferiority complex. Wherein they feel that they are constantly being compared with others, and that they are not good enough as individuals. They fail to please their parents, which have emotionally traumatic effects on the way they feel about themselves and about others who are better off.
Humans have and will always remain in the constant loop of evolution, as we are born so shall we die. A fact undisputed, none the less the metamorphosis that we go through, is evident in our progression which is both physical as well as psychological. Developmental psychology is one such field that deals with the scientific analysis of the behavioral changes that occur in people throughout their lifespan. Initially, this field was centralized around the study of how infants and children portrayed behavioral changes, though now it has diversified into finding out the circumstantial causes and effects of childhood on adults as well. Why some people behave in different situations differently and why some people just seem overtly sensitive to seemingly normal incidences? The reason being that each individual is keyed according to the experiences as well as traumas that affected the course of their lives. That is why this field of psychology tries to inspect and extract the tiny nuances, that might have had a decisive role in affecting the way some people behave. This field tries to help them improve their lives for the better.
What is the Main Focus of Developmental Psychology?
The main focus of developmental psychology is to gather information about human development, through observation. It includes the study of the progress and behavior of humans from the womb until the grave. They focus on studying the progression as well as the factors that determine people's personalities, intelligence, genealogy, morality and the way they approach and handle circumstances. This field has existed for centuries in some form or the other, wherein several theories of developmental psychology have been conceptualized by various psychologists. One of the most popularly accepted as well as protested, theoretical perspectives of psychology, was 'Childhood and Society', which was put forth by Erik Erikson in 1963. His work involved the study of human behavior in relation to themselves and their society, in a few basic stages of developmental psychology. Here is what he stated, the 4 stages deal with children, which go on to affect their behavioral tendencies as adults:
Stage 1 - Trust vs Mistrust - This stage occurs from the child's inception, or his birth up till the age of 1 year. Erickson believed that children develop a sense of trust or mistrust based on the way they are treated. They bestow their trust on only those who fulfill their needs of food, comfort, protection and sleep. If these are absent then the child would feel mistrust towards the world, even in the long run.
Stage 2 - Autonomy vs Shame - This stage dwells on the personalities children develop between the age of 1-3, wherein children will be autonomous if their parents or guardians allow them the freedom to explore their curiosity, ask questions freely without fear of being reprimanded, and to be able to express their imagination without any hesitation. On the lateral side of the spectrum lies the verdict of shame. This emotion develops among children if their parents are overtly restrictive and stifling. These children find it hard to express themselves freely and when they do, they feel insignificant and fearful of the repercussions. Thus they develop introvert characteristics.
Stage 3 - Initiative vs Guilt - This stage unravels the personalities of children between the age of 3-6 years, wherein children try and do things with a sense of further curiosity and initiative. Some times they succeed and they feel good about themselves. But at times they fail or things go wrong, and they experience guilt. Though a lot depends on how parents deal with their children, which predominantly affects their personalities. Parents who encourage their children to explore and at the same time explain to them the disadvantages of doing something incorrectly, often have children who develop a healthy and balanced persona.
Stage 4 - Industry vs Inferiority - This is the last stage that deals with children between the age of 6-12. Herein children at this age develop a sense of initiative as well as competency in all spectrum of their life. That may include, at school, among friends as well as at home. Parents who help them grow and progress through words of comfort and encouragement have children who develop industrious personalities. While children who are discouraged and ridiculed by their parents for having failed, end up developing an inferiority complex. Wherein they feel that they are constantly being compared with others, and that they are not good enough as individuals. They fail to please their parents, which have emotionally traumatic effects on the way they feel about themselves and about others who are better off.
Urie Bronfenbrenner's - Human Ecology Theory
Considered as one of the leading scholars of developmental psychology, Urie Bronfenbrenner's theory stated that development of a human being transcends 5 environmental systems. They were:
Both these psychologists believed that real world behavior patterns of humans was a stronger ground for research as compared to laboratory settings. Gibson's theory dealt with the fact that humans modulate and adapt their behavior as per the environmental settings in which they are placed. Which means that the same individual will have two distinct behavior when placed in two different situations. For instance when placed among society, the individual's nature would be socially appropriate when placed in a peaceful neighborhood, or a school. Though if placed in a war zone, the individual's first instinct would be survival, which could lead to appropriate behavior such as defensive or offensive reactions against the enemy. The theory revolves around the concept of 'Direct perception' which refutes the older school of though based on Indirect perception. Ecological psychology also rejected the concepts of cognitivist's view of human behavior as well as the theory of information processing, which believed in the latent information that all humans posses and manifest in the future. Gibson's theory believed that man behaved according to what he though was the appropriate to that situation. Therefore, the basis of what is appropriate or not is conceptualized through observation and learning.
Ironically, all theories except Gibson's, concentrate mostly on the developmental psychology of children as they believe it holds the crux to the personalities that these children develop as adults. The importance of developmental psychology, may or may not appease some, as not all situations can be categorized as good or bad. Adults who have come from vastly dissimilar backgrounds may face similar situations which may change their perception about life as well as their personalities. The fact remains that we are constantly changing and so are our thoughts, feelings and opinions. The following information on the research methods in developmental psychology helps shed further light on this article.
Hopefully this article helped you get a brief overview as to what is psychology all about. Psychologists have helped many people move on with their lives, by allowing them to let go off their past experiences that may have damaged the way they look at themselves.
Considered as one of the leading scholars of developmental psychology, Urie Bronfenbrenner's theory stated that development of a human being transcends 5 environmental systems. They were:
- Micro System: The micro system includes parents, school, pets, neighbors and every other entity that is a part of an individual's daily life. These influence determine the way the individual will react to different situations.
- Meso System: Refers to interpersonal social relationships. For example the relationship that one shares with parents and with school members. If the relationship is unsound at home, there is a high possibility that the child will have underdeveloped relationships with people at school etc.
- Exo System: Refers to the indirect consequences that may occur in social settings, wherein the affected individual does not have an active role to play nor do they have any control over the situation. For instance, if the husband is convicted of a crime and sent to jail, the wife and the child will be financially affected. Now there will be only one earning member thus more burden on the wife. More arguments between the couple and the fact that the child will not get to interact with his father often.
- Macro System: Refers to the influence culture and country has on an individual though process and lifestyle.
- Chrono System: Refers to the influence of sociohistorical events on people. Such as trends that change the socio political aspects of people's daily life, example: how the recession affected the way people manage their finance and job opportunities.
Both these psychologists believed that real world behavior patterns of humans was a stronger ground for research as compared to laboratory settings. Gibson's theory dealt with the fact that humans modulate and adapt their behavior as per the environmental settings in which they are placed. Which means that the same individual will have two distinct behavior when placed in two different situations. For instance when placed among society, the individual's nature would be socially appropriate when placed in a peaceful neighborhood, or a school. Though if placed in a war zone, the individual's first instinct would be survival, which could lead to appropriate behavior such as defensive or offensive reactions against the enemy. The theory revolves around the concept of 'Direct perception' which refutes the older school of though based on Indirect perception. Ecological psychology also rejected the concepts of cognitivist's view of human behavior as well as the theory of information processing, which believed in the latent information that all humans posses and manifest in the future. Gibson's theory believed that man behaved according to what he though was the appropriate to that situation. Therefore, the basis of what is appropriate or not is conceptualized through observation and learning.
Ironically, all theories except Gibson's, concentrate mostly on the developmental psychology of children as they believe it holds the crux to the personalities that these children develop as adults. The importance of developmental psychology, may or may not appease some, as not all situations can be categorized as good or bad. Adults who have come from vastly dissimilar backgrounds may face similar situations which may change their perception about life as well as their personalities. The fact remains that we are constantly changing and so are our thoughts, feelings and opinions. The following information on the research methods in developmental psychology helps shed further light on this article.
Hopefully this article helped you get a brief overview as to what is psychology all about. Psychologists have helped many people move on with their lives, by allowing them to let go off their past experiences that may have damaged the way they look at themselves.
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