Theories Flashcards
Psychoanalytic
One of the most influential theories of human development. Many modern theories of counseling or psychotherapy are extensions, modifications, or reactions against psychoanalytic theory. Psychoanalytic theory examines the factors that motivate behavior by focusing on the role of the unconscious.
Strength: its awareness of unconscious motivation and the importance of early experiences on development
Limitations: cannot be quantified so lacks research
Systems
Human development can also be examined as a product of the interaction of complex systems that influence an individual. Theories that support this view are known as systems theories. Systems theories look at how people interact with their environment and how these interactions relate to biological factors and behavior.
Strengths: its emphasis on the interaction of many different factors in determining development. This is also its main weakness because the complex interactions taking place are difficult to test scientifically.
Cognitive
Another way to look at human development is through cognitive development theories. Cognitive development theories are concerned with the development of thought processes and how these thought processes influence our understanding of the world around us. A major figure in cognitive development theory is Jean Piaget. He revolutionized the way we look at child development by proposing the idea that children think differently than adults
Strengths: Cognitive behavioral theories are supported by research and are influential in parenting and in the field of education. However, a weakness of the theory is the limited consideration of emotional factors.
Learning
As a reaction to the lack of empirical evidence to support the claims of psychoanalytic theory, psychologists became increasingly interested in developing a more scientific approach. In order to do this, some researchers began to study only those things that could be measured and quantified. This led to the emergence of learning theories. Learning theories focus on how behavior is learned.
