theories of development Flashcards
what is Freud’s model of development (MOD)?
The child’s innate Biological drives for aggression and sex are controlled by social forces and Parents’ failure to control these urges in their child leads to lifelong neuroticism and consequent psychosocial dysfunction
what are the problems with Freud’s MOD
No evidence that early parental “failure” is predictive of life-long dysfunction in the child; or the reverse
No evidence to support Freud’s claim that individuals cannot recover from early adversity later in life
Clarke and Clarke, Rutter, Plomin - the child is Resilient and development is complex and plastic (changeable)
Caveat: there are individual genetic differences in Resilience and Vulnerability
some individuals will be better than others at coping with adversity
what was Watson’s approach t development?
believed Biology plays no part in development:
The social environment is the only variable in development
Environmental pressures cause developmental outcomes
Provide the appropriate social pressure and supports and any child will become an intelligent, well-functioning individual
what 2 errors did Watson make?
The individual’s physiology responds to any given environmental input (for example in sensations, perceptions and emotions), hence both the environment and biology must be active in any developmental situation
He (incorrectly) assumes we each respond physiologically in the same way to the same input. We don’t. Why: Because of our individual genetic differences we experience the same environment in different ways
what did the Clarkes believe about development?
Development reflects an individual’s characteristics engaged in a life-long process of constancy and change
Unpredictability of developmental outcome results from the unique cocktail of many known and unknown forces
These forces interact to drive development in infinite ways
what is the biopsychosocial view on development?
the development of any characteristic involves both the individual’s genes and the environment constantly acting and interacting together, and they do so in a particular personal and social context that is unique to the individual
what are Clarkes 4 headlines of development?
Biological trajectory (Nature)- Our unique biology is the source of our individual (genetic) differences in personal characteristics Social trajectory (Nurture)- The human environment is predominantly social, and the social world most individuals inhabit is largely determined by accidents of birth Transactions (the effect of the individual on their environment, which, by a feedback cycle, acts upon them)- children play an important part in creating and influencing their own social environments and thus unwittingly effect their own development in indirect ways The Chance event- Chance events are a major factor in making the individual’s life path unpredictable
