Theorists
Growth and Development
Growth and Development
Child Development
Study of the child from conception to age 18. How a child
develops socially, emotionally, physically and cognitively.
Growth: Physical increase in size
that is easily observed.
Development: The ability of a child to do
things that are complex and difficult.
Five Stages of Development
1. INFANCY ( 0-12 months)
TODDLER (12 months-3 years)
PRESCHOOL (3-6 years)
SCHOOL-AGE (6-12 years)
ADOLESCENTS (13-18years)
HEAD TO FOOT

Baby’s head takes lead in
development. Two
months after conception
the head is half the size of
the fetus. The newborn’s
head is large in proportion
to his body. Baby first
learns to lift head to see,
then he uses arms and
hands to get an object.
Lastly he learns to walk to
get the object.
NEAR TO FAR

Development starts at
the trunk of the body and
moves outward. Babies
simply wave arms at first
when they see something
they want. It is later that
they develop enough to
pick up objects with
thumb and fingers.
Simple to Complex

Growth proceeds from
the simple to the
complex. At first the
infant just eats and
sleeps. Gradually he
learns to hold his bottle,
then he can eat with his
fingers and finally he
learns to use a fork and
spoon.
Growth is Continuous and
Orderly

Both legs and arms
grow at the same
time and rate; more
rapid at times.
Areas of Growth and
Development
Growth and Development

1. Physical
• Muscle
coordination
Growth and Development
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2. Cognitive
• Knowledge
(brain
development)
Growth and Development
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3.
Social
• Interacting with
others
Growth and Development

4. Emotional
• Understanding
feelings
• Child feeling
love for
another
Theorists
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Erickson
Freud
Gesell
Kohlberg
Maslow
Piaget
Why Study the Selected Theories?
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Popular and influential
Represent different approaches to
parent-child interactions
Offer help in the “real world” of daily
child rearing
Make good common sense
Why Study the Selected Theories?

Theories help people:
• Organize their ideas about raising children
• Understand influences on parenting,.
• Discover more than one way to interact
with children.
• Analyze the benefits and consequences of
using more than one theory
Theorist Presentations
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6 Groups
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Come up with a fun
way to teach the
class about your
assigned theorist.
Answer each
question on the slop
of paper given to
your group.

Presentations must
be creative, and
thorough
Theorist Round Robin

Visit each station to learn about each
of the following theorists:
• Erik Erickson
• Jean Piaget
• Abraham Maslow
• Lawrence Kohlberg
Erik Erickson
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Developed eight specific stages of
personality from birth to old age.
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He believes that the personality develops
continuously throughout the life cycle.
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The individual’s personality is in constant
motion; it is always re-developing itself.
Erik Erickson- Infancy
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Trust
• Needs were reasonably
meet.
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Mistrust
• Needs were not met
reasonably or not at all.
Erik Erickson- 2-4 years
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Autonomy
• Freedom
• Self direction
• independence
• “I can do it myself!”

Shame/Doubt
• Independence is
discouraged.
• “Can you do it for me, I
can’t do it.”
• “I don’t know how.”
Erik Erickson- 4-6 years
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Initiative
• Dramatic play
• Pretend
• Sense of right or wrong
develops
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Guilt
• Child is told his
activities are senseless
or stupid.
Erik Erickson- School Age 6-12 years
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Industry
• Encourage curiosity
• Work is worthwhile
• Work is meaningful
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Inferiority
• Industry is discouraged
Erik Erickson- Adolescence
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Identity
• Comfortable with
yourself
• Like yourself
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Role Confusion
• Concerned with how
you appear to others
• Brand name clothing
• Gangs
• Cannot care about
others- too busy with
self
Erik Erickson- Young Adulthood
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Intimacy
• Can care about another
person
• Finding a companion
to share life with
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Isolation
• Cannot care about
another person- hasn't
found himself yet!
Erik Erickson- Adulthood
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Generativity
• Concern for family
members
• Concern for others
beyond family
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Self-Absorption
• Makes own needs the
primary concern
Erik Erickson- Aging
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Integrity
• Looks back on life
with satisfaction
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Despair
• Has regrets about how
life has been
• Cannot live with their
mistakes
Memory Jogger
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Erikson=8 Letters for 8 stages of man (hold
up 8 fingers)
 Letter E = Erikson, Eight, Emotional
Sigmund Freud
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Influenced many theorists works over the
years.
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Best known for the theoretical components
of personality and the psycho sexual stages.
Sigmund FreudComponents of Personality
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Unconscious driven motives
• ID
• EGO
• SUPEREGO
Sigmund Freud- ID
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This is the pleasure principle.
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The ID wants whatever seems satisfying
and enjoyable, and wants it NOW!
Sigmund Freud- EGO
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This is the reality principle.
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The role of the EGO is to mediate between
the ID and the SUPEREGO.
Sigmund Freud- SUPERGEO
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This is the selection of right from wrong
principle.
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The SUPEREGO is like a relentless
conscience that distinguishes right from
wrong.
Arnold Gesell
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Concerned with the physical development
of children.
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Developed age norms of what children
should be doing at certain ages.
Lawrence Kohlberg
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Theory is based on how children develop
morally.
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Three levels of moral development:
• Preconventional
• Conventional
• Post Conventional
Lawrence Kohlberg- Preconventional
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Children begin life with no sense of
right/wrong.
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Avoid punished behaviors
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Strive for rewarded acts/behaviors
Lawrence Kohlberg- Conventional
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Age 9- behave according to sense of what
other want/need
Follow rules - respect authority
Act in a right or wrong manner
Lawrence Kohlberg- Post Conventional
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Age 16 - individuals mature morally
Respect human rights
Develop individual principles to guide their
behavior
Motivation comes from within
Progressed from simply following the rules
Abraham Maslow
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Humanistic theory in which each person has
his own inner nature and a strong
motivation to express that nature.
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Created the hierarchy of needs
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If the base of the triangle is not met, other
needs will be stunted.
Abraham Maslow - Physiological Needs
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Air
Food
Rest
Drink
Abraham Maslow - Safety Needs
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Security
Stability
Freedom
from fear
and anxiety
Abraham Maslow - Love and Belonging
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Affection
Intimacy
from friends
and family
Abraham Maslow - Esteem Needs
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Self-respect
Respect for
others
Abraham Maslow - Self-actualization Needs
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Doing what
one is suited
for
Doing what
one is
capable of
Abraham Maslow
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Maslow estimated that only 2% of people
reach the level of Self-Actualization.
Jean Piaget
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Concerned with children’s cognitive and
mental development.
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He believed children at different ages think
differently.
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Developed four stages
Jean Piaget - Sensorimotor
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Birth - age two
It has six sub-stages
Children learn and experience the world
through their senses.
They combine the use of their sense with
their motor skills
Child is egocentric
Experiment, solve problems, and pretend
Jean Piaget - Preoperational
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Ages 2-7
Begins to form concepts and use symbols
Communication and language development
Imitate actions
Not interested in logical explanations- want
to discover for self.
Less egocentric, but still think people think
the same way they do
Preoperational Test
Jean Piaget - Concrete Operational
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Ages 7-11
Learn to use simple, deductive logic
Imagines what other people might think or
feel- thinking more flexible
Must involve concrete objects- real life
Law of Conservation
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Which one has more?
Which is heavier?
A
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million tons of lead
 or a
million tons of feathers?
Jean Piaget - Formal Operational
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Ages 11-15
Highest level of mental development
Can think abstractly, draw accurate
conclusions
Look to future- recall the past
Some people never master all the
intellectual skills associated with this stage
Memory Jogger
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Notice his name ends with “get” and he
taught children how to “get smart”
Get Smart- point to the head and say get
smart!
Formal Operations Test
“If Edith has a lighter
complexion than Susan, and
Edith is darker than Lily, who is
the darkest?”
Formal Operations Test
“If a card has a vowel on one side,
then it has an even number on the other
side.”
Card Answer
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Answer to the card question: The E and the
7. The E must have an even number on the
back -- that much is obvious. The 7 is odd,
so it cannot have a vowel on the other side - that would be against the rule! But the
rule says nothing about what has to be on
the back of a consonant such as the K, nor
does it say that the 4 must have a vowel on
the other side!
Reflection #4 and Date
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Agree or disagree: There are no bad
children, only bad parents. Explain