Sec 5: Developmental Theories

Exam 2

Identity Theorists

Erikson & Marcia

Attachment Theorists

Bowlby & Ainsworth

Moral Theorists

Kohlberg

Piaget's stages of development

• sensorimotor
• preoperational
• concrete operational
• formal operational

Sensorimotor (0-1.5)

Motor responses to sensory stimuli

Preoperational (1.5-7)

Lacks operations (reversible mental processes)

Concrete Operations (7-11)

Have concrete operations, but not abstract

Formal Operations (11+)

Logical reasoning & systematic planning

Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934)

• Development is influenced by social world / environment
• Competent others (teachers / caregivers /older peers) can help us move to the next "zone" of development

Erik Erikson (1902-1994)

stages of development based on age (toddler, preschool, adolescent, etc)

Erikson's Stages: Infancy through Adolescence

• infants
• toddlers
• preschoolers
• preadolescents
• adolescents

Infants

Development of attachment and trust

Toddlers

Develop a sense of control over physical skills and autonomy

Preschoolers

Develop a sense of control and power over the environment

Preadolescents

Develop confidence in navigating growing social sphere

Adolescents

Develop risk taking behaviors & personal identity

Erikson's Stages: Young Adult through Late Adulthood

• young adults
• middle adults
• older adults

Young Adults

• Develop plans regarding career, marriage, children
• Expend the maximum energy pursuing their goals.

Middle Adults

• Develop greater acceptance of selves and others.
  -Assess goals and prepare for the rest of life

Older Adults

Develop feelings of satisfaction about life lived. (Unless conflicts in many other stages remained unresolved)

James Marcia's Identity Status Theory

• identity achievement
• identity foreclosure
• identity moratorium
• identity diffusion

Identity Achievement

decisions already made
has explored/is exploring issues

Identity foreclosure

decisions already made
has not explored issues

Identity Moratorium

decisions not made
has explored/is exploring issues

Identity Diffusion

decisions not made
has not explored issues

John Bowlby (1907-1990)

Infants predisposed to bond/attach to caregivers (attachment system)

Attachment system

• proximity maintenance
• secure base
• safe haven

Attachment patterns

• secure
• anxious
• avoidant
• disorganized

Secure attachment

• Uses mother as base of exploration
• Some distress when mom leaves.
• Happy to see her upon return, goes to her and then goes back to toys

Anxious/Resistant Attachment

• Mixed responses to mother happy/angry.
• Great distress when mom leaves.
• Upon return infant can cling to her yet is not soothed.
• Child does not use her as base of exploration.
• Strong fear of strangers

Avoidant Attachment

• While mother present infant does not stay near her and does not interact much with her.
• May or may not cry when mom leaves.
• Child does not go to her when she returns.

disorganized attachment

• Infant lacks a consistent strategy and shows break downs in behavior, e.g., approaches mother while looking away.
• Alternates between approach and avoidance and shows more fear than affection

Lawrence Kohlberg (1927-1987)

development progresses in stages by age, focusing on moral reasoning

• Level 1 (Stages 1 & 2) - About 9 and younger
• Level 2 (Stages 3 & 4) - Adolescents & adults
• Level 3 (Stages 5 & 6) - Few people

Kohlberg's theory of moral development

preconventional, conventional, postconventional