Developmental Psychology

Developmental Psychology

Developmental psychology is a branch of psychology that deals with changes in mental processes and behaviors throughout a person’s lifetime, from birth to death, considering age and environmental factors.

 

It focuses on the development of intellectual, emotional, and social processes in individuals. The principles of development are not only applied to the rapid physical and intellectual changes and the formation of behavioral patterns that occur up to the age of 20 but also to the complex and continuous aspects of development that occur throughout life. It looks at identity, human relationships, and creativity as three important areas of life.

 

The psychologist Erik Erikson divided human development into 8 stages, explaining the characteristics formed at each stage. He believed that one's self and social perception are determined by the environments and situations encountered at each stage of life.

 

The research areas can be divided into physical, intellectual, emotional, and social development, or into prenatal, infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, middle age, and old age. Additionally, specific areas like brain development, conscience development, and personality development can also be examined.

 

It encompasses various research methods and topics in psychology, such as the development of motor skills, cognitive development, and personality development. Changes are broadly categorized into qualitative changes (structural changes, stage changes) and quantitative changes (continuous changes, non-stage changes). There has been much debate on whether development is more influenced by nature (innate factors) or nurture (environmental factors), but recently, the range of reaction model has been widely accepted as the prevailing view.

 

Psychosexual Development Stages Sigmund Freud focused on the libido to explain a child’s development:

• Oral Stage (Birth-1.5 years): Pleasure centers on the mouth.
• Anal Stage (1.5-3 years): Pleasure involves bowel and bladder elimination.
• Phallic Stage (3-6 years): Pleasure zone is the genitals.
• Latency Stage (6 years to puberty): Dormant sexual feelings.
• Genital Stage (Puberty onward): Maturation of sexual interests.

 

Adaptation Jean Piaget, in his theory of cognitive development, discussed the concepts of assimilation and accommodation to explain adaptation. According to his theory, assimilation involves integrating new information into existing frameworks, while accommodation is the process of changing one's cognitive framework to accommodate new information.

 

 

Psychosocial Development Stages For more information, see the main article on Erik Erikson.

Erikson’s theory of personality development emphasizes lifelong development:

1. Trust vs. Mistrust (Infancy, 0-1 year): Learning to trust caregivers.
2. Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt (1-3 years): Developing a sense of personal control.
3. Initiative vs. Guilt (Preschool, 3-6 years): Beginning to assert power and control over their environment.
4. Industry vs. Inferiority (Childhood, 6-11 years): Coping with new social and academic demands.
5. Identity vs. Role Confusion (Adolescence, 11-18 years): Developing a sense of self and personal identity.
6. Intimacy vs. Isolation (Young Adulthood, 18-40 years): Forming intimate relationships with others.
7. Generativity vs. Stagnation (Middle Adulthood, 40-65 years): Creating or nurturing things that will outlast them.
8. Integrity vs. Despair (Late Adulthood, 65+ years): Reflecting on life and feeling a sense of fulfillment or regret.