Theories Of Child Development As They Pertain To Middle Childhood And Adolescence

“It is theory that decides what can be observed.”

Whether one believes Mark Twain’s fictional street smart character or the brilliant architect of the theory of relativity, it must be acknowledged that theories are a valuable way to think (and argue) about the world. For the scientific method of discovery, theories are essential. Theories are the starting point from which all systematic efforts can be directed for a theory is fundamental in the first step of the scientific method- conceptualizing the problem. Specifically, a theory is a set of interconnected statements that describe imperceptible, unobservable processes, events, or structures and relate them to each other and to observable events. In psychology, a theory provides general principles that help us to observe, e

A third major cognitive perspective is Lawrence Kohlberg’s theory of moral development. Again, like previously discussed theories, Kohlberg proposes that moral reasoning develops in stages. The stages can be grouped into three levels: preconventional reasoning, conventional reasoning, and postconventional reasoning. Preconventional reasoning is a level in which there is no internalization of values and external rewards and punishments drive reasoning. Conventional reasoning is characterized by some internalization of values, but these values are those set by others such as parents. In postconventional reasoning, morality is entirely internalized and not based on extrinsic sources. In each level, there are two stages which further delineate the differences in moral reasoning. In the first level, there is stage 1 in which punishment and obedience determine morality and stage 2 in which rewards and self-interest determine reasoning. In the second level, stage 3 interpersonal norms such as loyalty and trust are the main factors while in stage 4 a social system such as law and justice are the main bases of reasoning. In the third level, stage 5 the community versus the individual’s rights where values and laws are relative is the main focus of reasoning while in stage 6 universal human rights become the bases for moral thought. According to Kohlberg, middle childhood is characterized by reconvention moral reasoning while adolescents reason in a more conventional manner.

In conclusion, it should be known that all of these theories have strengths and weaknesses, clear foci and blind spots, and all have their “hole in them somewhere, sure, if you look close enough” but it does not necessarily mean that they must be completely disposed of or worse yet, synthesized together. Rather, each theory can be very well used as a complementary piece of puzzle. One would be highly advised to use each theory as they see fit in a certain situation for they all give interesting insights into the leviathan that is middle childhood and adolescence. At their collective best, they can provide very effective solutions to real life problems of children. At their collective worst, they allow us to argue and “a place to rest on, a spell.”

Another major theory is rooted in biological and evolutionary foundations- ethological theories. Fundamentally owing from Charles Darwin’s work in evolutionary theory, ethologists such as Konrad Lorenz (1903-1989) proposed that development was influenced by biology, especially biology that is molded by evolution, and that there are many critical periods in which imprinting (rapid learned attachment) can occur.

According to Freud, a child in middle childhood would be in the latency stage where the child focuses on same sex friendships, internalizes sex specific behaviors, attitudes, and morality, and develops social and intellectual skills. An adolescent would be in the last stage of development, the genital stage where the focus is on heterosexual relationships with non-family members. At either of these stages, maladaptive behaviors can crop up if the child did not pass through previous stages with the optimum gratification.

In cognitive theory, the emphasis is on the person’s conscious thoughts and how knowledge is attained. The giant in this specific field is Jean Piaget (1896-1980) who put forward a cognitive developmental theory. He proposed that children are active learners who construct knowledge rather than acquire it as if it they were sponges. Biologically, children are innately adaptive and also learn through use of cognitive maps or schemas. He proposed that children assimilate new information into already existing schemas, but also accommodate differences in information by adapting schemas. Piaget, like the psychoanalytic theorists, proposed that development could be tracked through a series of stages as well. For Piaget, they would be stages of cognitive

Some topics in this essay:
Jean Piaget, Sigmund Freud, According Erikson, Urie Bronfenbrenner, Lawrence Kohlberg’s, Mark Twain’s, Walter Mischel, Lev Vygotsky, Konrad Lorenz, According Freud, middle childhood, social learning, cognitive theory, operational stage, middle childhood adolescence, concrete operational, cognitive skills, sociocultural context, learning theory, developmental stages, major theory, social learning theory, manner major theory, reasoning conventional reasoning, school aged child,