Perspectives on Development: Psychoanalytic and Cognitive Theories

Psychoanalytic Theories

Focus on unconscious influences and emotions in development.

Freud's Psychosexual Stages

Five stages determining adult personality through conflict resolution.

Fixation

Being locked in a psychosexual stage due to gratification issues.

Erikson's Theory

Social motivation drives behavior across eight psychosocial stages.

Psychosocial Stages

Eight key crises that must be resolved throughout life.

Cognitive Theories

Emphasize conscious thoughts and active understanding in development.

Piaget's Cognitive Development

Four stages where children construct world understanding actively.

Organization and Adaptation

Key processes in Piaget's cognitive development theory.

Concrete Operational Stage

Ages 7-11; logical reasoning about concrete events.

Formal Operational Stage

Ages 11+; abstract and idealistic reasoning develops.

Preoperational Stage

Ages 2-7; symbolic thinking begins with words and images.

Sensorimotor Stage

Birth-2 years; understanding through sensory experiences and actions.

Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory

Cognitive development guided by culture and social interaction.

Information-Processing Theory

Gradual development through manipulation and monitoring of information.

Skinner's Operant Conditioning

Behavior shaped by rewards and punishments.

Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory

Behavior, cognition, and environment interact in development.

Imprinting

Rapid learning and attachment during a critical period.

John Bowlby

Studied attachment theory and its lifelong consequences.

Secure Attachment

Predicts optimal development throughout childhood and adulthood.

Ethological Theory

Behavior influenced by biology and critical/sensitive periods.

Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Theory

Development influenced by multiple environmental systems.

Microsystem

Immediate environment affecting individual development directly.

Mesosystem

Connections between different microsystems in a person's life.

Exosystem

Indirect environmental influences on an individual's development.

Macrosystem

Cultural and societal influences on development.

Chronosystem

Changes over time affecting development.

Eclectic Theoretical Orientation

Combines elements from various theories for understanding development.