Humanistic, Contextual, and Evolutionary Perspectives of Development

humanism

emphasizes human potential and an individual’s ability to change; rejects biological determinism

humanism figures

Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow

Carl Rogers

humanistic psychologist

What did Carl Rogers develop?

developed a personality theory that emphasized the importance of self-actualizing tendencies in shaping personalities

Carl Rogers believed…

humans are constantly reacting to stimuli with their subjective reality, which always changes

phenomenal field

a person's reality, objects, behavior, thoughts and people

self-concept

our thoughts and feelings about ourselves

ideal self

the person you want to be

real self

the person you are

congruence

our real self and ideal self align with each other

incongruence

there is great discrepancy between our real self and ideal self

What is key to self-concept?

unconditional positive regard

unconditional positive regard

unconditional love, free of preconceived notions of value

Carl Rogers’ 7 traits of “the good life”

1. growing openness to experience

2. living each moment fully

3. increasing organismic trust

4. freedom of choice

5. higher levels of creativity

6. reliability and constructiveness

7. a rich full life

Abraham Maslow was best known for…

hierarchy of human needs in motivating behavior

Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs

1. self-actualization

2. esteem

3. love and belonging

4. safety

5. physiological

self-actualization

the desire to accomplish everything that you can

esteem

desire to be accepted and valued by others

love and belonging

need for friendships, intimacy, and belonging

safety needs

need for personal, emotional, financial, and physical security

physiological needs

main physical requirements of human survival

contextual perspective

considers the relationship between individuals and their physical, cognitive, and social worlds

contextual figures

Lev Vygotsky and Urie Bronfenbrenner

Lev Vygotsky’s theory

sociocultural theory

sociocultural theory

emphasizes the importance of culture and interaction in the development of cognitive abilities

3 themes of sociocultural learning

1. human development and learning originate in social, historical, and cultural interactions

2. use of psychological tools (language) mediate development of higher mental functions

3. learning occurs within the zone of proximal development

scaffolding

adults demonstrate how to solve a problem and then step back, offering support as needed

zone of proximal development

the difference between what you can do with and without help

Urie Bronfenbrenner’s theory

ecological systems theory (renamed to biological model)

ecological systems theory (biological model)

explained how the inherent qualities of a child and their environment interact to influence how they develop

biological model rings

• individual

• microsystem

• mesosystem

• exosystem

• macrosystem

• chronosystem

microsystem

environment where a person has direct interaction; immediate influences

mesosystem

interrelationships and interactions between microsystems

exosystem

larger contexts of the community; can impact a person’s development without direct interaction

macrosystem

cultural elements; global economy, war, tech, values, philosophies, society’s response

chronosystem

relevant historical context and timeframe; environmental events and transitions

evolutionary perspective

genetic inheritance determines physical traits, personality traits, and social behaviors

ethology

examines how our biological makeup influences our behavior

Konrad Lorenz

discovered newborn geese are genetically pre-programmed to get attached to the first moving object they see after birth

imprinting

any kind of phase-sensitive learning that is rapid and independent of the consequences of behavior

behavioral genetics

uses genetic methods to investigate the nature and origins of individual differences in behavior and studies the effects of heredity on behavior