Developmental psychology: main theories and authors.

The most prominent theories that tell us about psychological development in childhood.

The theories of child psychological development pay attention to how children grow and develop throughout childhood in different areas: social, emotional and cognitive.

Many researchers have focused on learning more about this stage of life, and the results of a Wide range of studies in the fields of anthropology, medicine, sociology, education and, of course, developmental psychology, have highlighted the importance of childhood in the formation of intelligence, personality and social behavior.

Psychological theories of childhood development

Psychologists such as Sigmund Freud, Erik Erikson, Jean Piaget or Lev Vygotsky have tried to explain the different aspects through their theories. And while not all of them are fully accepted today, the influence of their perspectives have been a great help in understanding how children grow, think and behave, the influence of their perspectives have been a great help in understanding how children grow, think and behave..

The following are some of the many theories of child theories of child development that have been proposed by theorists and researchers.

1. Sigmund Freud's Theory of Psychosexual Development

Freud is considered the father of Psychoanalysis. The psychoanalytic theory of child development tends to focus on such things as the unconscious, drives and ego formation. Although his proposals do not enjoy great popularity today, few doubt the importance that childhood events and experiences have on the child's future development.

According to Freud, the development of the child is described as a series of psychosexual stages: oral, anal, phallic, latency and genital. However, this conception of the development of the mind and personality is a child of its time, and is now outdated.

To learn more about this theory, we explain it in detail in this article: "Sigmund Freud: life and work of the famous psychoanalyst".

2. Erikson's Theory of Psychosocial Development

Erikson's Theory of Psychosocial Development (by clicking on the link you can access a magnificent summary elaborated by psychologist Bertrand Regader) is one of the most widespread and accepted theories in Developmental Psychology.. It is also a psychoanalytic theory, and this theorist, like Freud, proposed that there are different stages of development.

Erikson thinks that the resolution of the different stages gives rise to the acquisition of a series of competencies that help to resolve the goals that will be presented during the next vital stage. In this way, psychological growth takes place.

For example, the main conflict during the period between the ages of 6 and 12 years, called Laboriosity vs. Inferiorityinvolves the mastery of social experience. At this stage the child begins preschool and school instruction, and is eager to do things together with others, to share tasks, and so on. If the child does not get through this stage in the appropriate way, i.e. if he/she feels inferior, this will negatively affect his/her overall functioning.

3. Jean Piaget's Theory of Learning

The Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget, considered the father of constructivism, suggested that children's cognitive development occurs according to a series of stages. He observed that children play an active role in gaining knowledge of the world, that is, he considered them "little scientists" who actively construct their knowledge and understanding of the world, albeit by means of mental standards that differ qualitatively from those used by adults.

Piaget's ideas are no longer valid as he formulated them, but this is one of the most important developmental theories in the world. one of the most important developmental theoriesIn fact, it is considered to have laid the foundations of what is known today as Developmental Psychology.

You can learn more about his theory in this article: "Jean Piaget's Theory of Learning". If you want to go deeper into the different stages that the Swiss theorist proposed, this other article will be of great help: "Jean Piaget's 4 stages of cognitive development".

4. Sociocultural theory of Lev Vygotsky

Another psychologist named Lev Vygotsky proposed a theory of children's cognitive development that has become one of the most influential and important theories, especially in the field of education and learning.

Like Piaget, Vygotsky is a constructivist psychologist, and he believed that children learn actively and through practical experiences. Now, unlike Piaget who explains that knowledge is constructed individually, Vygotsky concludes that learning is constructed through social interactions, with the support of someone more expert.with the support of someone more expert.

Thus, according to this theory of psychological development, the social context is part of the process of cognitive development, and cannot be considered something external that only "influences". The use of language itself, for example, is both collective and individual, and allows the emergence of the great higher cognitive abilities, based on the development of very abstract concepts.

Vygotsky was important in understanding collaborative learning. collaborative learning and to learn more about the influence of the sociocultural environment on the cognitive development of children.

To delve into this interesting theory, just click here: "Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory".

5. Behaviorist Theories: Classical Conditioning and Operant Conditioning

The behaviorist theories were important because they they emphasized how an individual's interaction with his or her environment influences his or her behavior.. Three were the main exponents of these theories: Ivan Pavlov and John B. Watson as precursors of the Classical Conditioningand B.F. Skinner as the father of the Operant Conditioning.

Although both theories are important in the field of learning, they deal only with observable behaviors. Thus, development is considered a consequence of rewards (or reinforcements) and punishments, and they do not take into account internal thoughts or feelings as they are conceived by cognitive psychologists, but consider them mere attributions to behaviors that are more difficult to observe than movements.

Would you like to know more about these theories? Here are two links to help you understand them better:

• "Classical conditioning and its most important experiments".

• "B. F. Skinner: life and work of a radical behaviorist".

6. Albert Bandura's social learning theory

Albert Bandura realized that behaviorist theories did not explain the learning of individuals in its totality, since they underestimate the social dimension of human behavior and the internal dimension of the subject, reducing it to an association that occurs due to repeated trials. Therefore, understood that children's learning and development cannot be understood without both components..

In addition to highlighting the importance of expectations and intrinsic reinforcement, such as a feeling of pride, satisfaction and achievement, in the motivation of human beings, his theory emphasizes that children learn new behaviors from the observation of other people.. By observing the actions of others, including parents and peers, children develop new skills and acquire new information.

Don't miss his theory in full. Here are several articles by this Ukrainian-Canadian psychologist that you can read:

• "Albert Bandura's Social Learning Theory."

• "Albert Bandura's Self-Efficacy: do you believe in yourself?"

• "Albert Bandura's Theory of Personality."