Developmental Psychology

Important elements:

• Hold babies during feedings,
• Respond to signals of distress, and
• Support babies’ attachment through primary caregiving.

The important event in this stage is feeding, and the lasting theme is hope. Erikson’s concept is that if the infant’s primary caregiver is responsive, and basic needs are consistently met, a sense of trust will develop. If fundamental care needs (i.e. feeding) are not met with reassuring consistency, a sense of mistrust will develop. It is believed that infants that are not firmly attached to their primary caregiver at this stage, could be more hostile with their interactions, and less cooperative later in life.

There are several other theories/opinions relating to my chosen stage of development, which I will explore in detail in my assignment. Below are some details relating to each metatheory.

Cognitive Development: Jean Piaget 1896-1980. Sensorimotor stage (birth to 2 years)

Important elements;

• Object Permanence
• Keep Babies Safe but Interested
• Respond Reassuringly to Separation Anxiety (Mooney, 2013.
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Piaget’s theory suggests that children will go through 4 stages of psychological development. The first is the Sensorimotor stage; which I will be focussing on in my essay.

“During this earliest stage of cognitive development, infants and toddlers acquire knowledge through sensory experiences and manipulating objects. A child's entire experience at the earliest period of this stage occurs through basic reflexes, senses, and motor responses…” (Cherry, 2019)

Piaget understood that recognizing object permanence, (the perception that objects exist even when they are not seen) was an important component at this point in an infant’s development.

It is believed that passing through Piaget’s 4 stages in order, contributes to normative development.

Psychosexual Development: Sigmund Freud 1856-1939. The Oral Stage - Erogenous Zone = Mouth (Birth to 1 year)

Important elements;

• Infant derives pleasure from oral stimulation, e.g. eating
• Comfort through oral stimulation = Trust
• Child must become less dependent at weaningthe focused stage or there will be issues with dependency (Cherry, 2019)

Erikson’s theory was greatly inspired by Sigmund Freud.

Freud’s belief was that “…As a person grows physically certain areas of their body become important as sources of potential frustration (erogenous zones), pleasure or both [and] Each of the psychosexual stages is associated with a particular conflict that must be resolved before the individual can successfully advance to the next stage” (McLeod, 2019)

The libido is focussed in a baby’s mouth during the first stage of development (i.e. sucking, biting to satisfy libido, hence its id demands). It is thought that “oral stimulation could lead to an oral fixation in later life [for example smoking, nail-biting, and thumb sucking] Oral personalities engage in such oral behaviors, particularly when under stress” (McLeod, 2019)

Attachment Theory: John Bowlby 1907-1990 & Attachment Styles: Mary Ainsworth 1913-1999.

Attachment is a deep emotional tie that bonds one individual to another. Attachment is established through the infant/primary caregiver relationship and impacts adult life. The key points of interest in this stage are;

• Importance of relationship with Mother
• Pre-attachment, attachment in making, and clear-cut attachment
• Formation of reciprocal relationships (David, 2016)

Bowlby Ainsworth

Attachment is Evolutionary Attachment is Situational

Attachment is Hard-wired Attachment is a learned behaviour

Nature Nurture

“Mary Ainsworth devised an assessment technique called the Strange Situation Classification (SSC) to investigate how attachments might vary between children… findings provided the first empirical evidence for Bowlby’s attachment theory” (McLeod, 2018)

More Contemporary Theories

Ecological Systems Theory - Urie Bronfenbrenner 1917-2005 (Microsystem)

Bronfenbrenner’s theory touches on how every aspect of the environment influences a child’s development. His systems include;

• Microsystem, Mesosystem, Exosystem, and Macrosystem

I will be using the Microsystem level within my essay as it is the most relevant to the development age I have chosen.

The microsystem refers to an infant’s immediate environment in which they live. It will include immediate relationships and organizations such as caregivers, family, or daycare. The way that these groups interact with the infant, will affect how they grow. “…the more encouraging and nurturing these relationships and places are, the better the child will be able to grow” (Oswalt 2020)

Social Cognitive Theory - Albert Bandura 1925-Date

Bandura’s theory focuses on human motivation, thought, and action. His studies involved social aggression, emphasizing the impact of observational learning and modeling behaviors.

“Bandura emphasized that children learn in a social milieu and often imitate the behavior of others” (GoodTherapy, 2015)

Bibliography

1. Cherry K. 2019. Freud’s Psychosexual Stages of Development. Available at: https://www.verywellmind.com/freuds-stages-of-psychosexual-development-2795962 [Accessed: 23 February 2020]
2. Cherry K. 2019. The Four Stages of Cognitive Development. Available at: https://www.verywellmind.com/piagets-stages-of-cognitive-development-2795457 [Accessed: 29 February 2020]
3. David L. 2016. Attachment Theory (Bowlby). Available at: https://www.learning-theories.com/attachment-theory-bowlby.html [Accessed: 23 February 2020]
4. GoodTherapy. 2015. Albert Bandura. Available at: https://www.goodtherapy.org/famous-psychologists/albert-bandura.html [Accessed: 2 March 2020]
5. McLeod S A. 2018. Mary Ainsworth: Simple Psychology. Available at: https://www.simplypsychology.org/mary-ainsworth.html [Accessed: 29 February 2020]
6. McLeod S A. 2019. Psychosexual Stages: Simple Psychology. Available at: https://www.simplypsychology.org/psychosexual.html [Accessed: 29 February 2020]
7. Mooney C G. 2013. Theories of Childhood. 2nd Edition. USA: Redleaf Press.
8. Oswalt A. 2020. Urie Bronfenbrenner and Child Development. Available at: https://www.gulfbend.org/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=7930 [Accessed: 1 March 2020]