Developmental Theorists on Child Development, Essay Sample for Free

Many scientists have come forward and tried to tackle the issue of child development. They have all floated theories that attempt to explain the different perspectives of human development (Burns, 2013). Of all the theorists, few stand out of the crowd as the most influential. Sigmund Freud is credited with formulating the psychosexual theory, Erik Erikson came up with psychosocial theory, Lawrence Kohlberg defined the moral understanding theory, Jean Piaget came up with cognitive development theory, Urie Bronfenbrenner developed ecological systems theory, John B. Watson investigated Behavioral Developmental Theory, Albert Bandura floated the Social Learning Approach to Development, John Bowlby developed Attachment Theory and Lev Vygotsky drew up the Sociocultural Theory.

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Why a 3-year-old child has nighttime fears of the dark

Children at 3 years are trying to figure out the world around them. However children at this stage are not able to understand cause and effect. Therefore their reasoning is often flawed (Reviews, 2013). In addition young children at this age have vivid imagination and they don't comprehend fully the difference between realities and make believe. They also beginning to notice things around them that can hurt them. The world suddenly becomes a scary place especially if they are left alone which is the case during bed time.

Why an 8-year-old girl wants to be involved in a scouting group and is an avid collector of snow globes

At this age children are at the concrete operational level. The declining egocentrism and craving for social recognition makes the 8 year old want to join social groups such as scouts. This is the stage where the child has an increase in the ability to process complex information (Lewis & In Rudolph, 2014). The cognitive and organization skills are developed and that is why the child becomes a collector of such snow globes.

Why a 13-year-old male wants to go to a camp sponsored by his religious denomination with a group of friends from school

Abstract thinking becomes a reality at this age. The adolescent mind of the 13 year old develops intellectual capabilities. At this formal operational stage the child starts to crave more autonomy (Sylwester, 2010). They begin to distant themselves from the authority of their parents and want to be engaged more with their peers. The child starts to get involved in group activities with friends and that is why a religious sponsored camp session is more appealing to the 13 year old.

References

Burns, C. E., Richardson, B., & Brady, M. A. (2013). Pediatric primary care case studies. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

Lewis, M., & In Rudolph, K. D. (2014). Handbook of developmental psychopathology.

Reviews, C. T. (2013). Studyguide for child development, third edition: A practitioners guide by davies, douglas d. Place of publication not identified: Academic Internet Publish.

Sylwester, R. (2010). A child's brain: The need for nurture. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.