Perspectives on Human Development

Psychoanalytic Perspctive

Important theories: Freud’s psychosexual theory and Erikson’s psychosocial theory

Basic Propositions:

Freud: Behaviour is controlled by powerful unconscious urges.

Erikson: Personality is influenced by society and develops through a series of crises.

• Both are stage oriented

Casual Emphasis:

Freud: Innate factors modified by experience.

Erikson: Interaction of innate and experiential factors.

Active/ Reactive Individual:

Freud: Reactive

Erikson: Active

Learning Perspective

Important theories: Behaviourism or traditional learning theory (Pavlov, Skinner, Watson) and Social learning - Bandura’s social cognitive theory

Basic Propositions:

Pavlov, Skinner, Watson: People are responders; the environment controls behavior. 

Bandura: Children learn in a social context by observing and imitating models; they are active learners. 

• Both are not stage oriented

Casual Emphasis:

Pavlov, Skinner, Watson: Experience

Bandura: Experience modified by innate factors

Active/ Reactive Individual:

Pavlov, Skinner, Watson: Reactive

Bandura: Active and Reactive

Cognitive Perspective

Important theories: Piaget's cognitive-stage theory, Vygotsky's

sociocultural theory, and The Information-processing theory.

Basic Propositions:

Piaget: Qualitative changes in thought occur with development.

Children are active initiators of development.

Vygotsky: Social interaction is central to cognitive development.

Information-processing theory:Human beings are processors of symbols.

• Piaget and Vygotsky are stage oriented, while the information processing theory is not. 

Casual Emphasis:

Piaget: Interaction of innate and experiential factors

Vygotsky: Experience

Information-processing theory: Interaction of innate and experiential factors

Active/ Reactive Individual:

Piaget: Active

Vygotsky: Active

Information-processing theory: N/A

Contextual Perspective

Important theory: Bronfenbrenner's bioecological theory

Basic Propositions:

Development occurs through interaction between a developing person and five surrounding, interlocking contextual systems of influences.

• Not stage oriented 

Casual Emphasis:

Interaction of innate and experiential factors

Active/ Reactive Individual:

Active 

Evolutionary/ sociobiological Perspective 

Important theory: Bowlby's attachment theory

Basic Propositions:

Human beings are the product of adaptive processes, which interact with the current environment to shape behaviour.

• Not stage oriented 

Casual Emphasis:

Interaction of innate and experiential factors.

Active/ Reactive Individual: 

Active and reactive (theorists vary)