Development is an aspect of life explained by scientists using different and comprehensive approaches. The developmental theories aim to ensure that individuals understand the various stages of their lives and how they influence human behaviour. As a social work professional, one must be conversant with these theories and apply them in daily operations to achieve better client outcomes. In this course, the two main theories that have been discussed are Erikson’s Psychosocial stages and Piaget’s Cognitive development stages. These theories aim to understand different developmental stages and how they impact human behaviour. This paper seeks to evaluate developmental theories, the assumptions on human behaviour, and how social workers can apply them in their operations.
Theories of Development
Theories of development explored in this course help social workers and individuals understand the different developmental stages and their impact on their lives. Erikson’s psychosocial theory addresses the different stages individuals go through in their development. According to this theory, every developmental stage unlocks a new crisis that an individual needs to resolve to properly develop (Hutchison, 2019). The developmental stages significantly affect individuals by ensuring that they develop a healthy life where most of them can handle the different challenges affecting them. In this case, developmental stages start from infancy to older adults. The different stages related to this theory are trust vs mistrust for infants, autonomy vs shame and doubt for toddlers, initiative vs guilt for preschool years, industry vs inferiority for the middle school, identity vs confusion for teenagers, intimacy vs isolation for the young adults, generativity vs stagnation for middle age and integrity vs despair for older adults (Hutchison, 2019). These stages are represented by a specific crisis that the individuals at these stages must solve.
In the course, Piaget’s stages of development are represented by a theory that focuses on child development and explains the development of intellectual capabilities. As individuals develop from infancy to adulthood, there are different stages that they have to go through to ensure that they develop the right intellectual capabilities (Hutchison, 2019). The theory addresses the development of aspects such as judgement capabilities, knowledge, and thoughts. The theory has four main stages, which are the sensorimotor stage, which occurs from birth to 2 years when children are aware of the things around them; the preoperational stage, from 2-7 years, where they develop a symbolical understanding of things, the concrete operational stage, between 7-11 years where they develop some concrete and reasoning and formal operational stage from 11 years and above where the children build self-consciousness (Hutchison, 2019). The theory addresses how individuals significantly develop through these stages and how this impacts their behaviour.
Assumptions on Human Behavior
The developmental theories are based on different assumptions that relate to human behaviour and their impact on these theories. According to Erikson’s psychosocial theory, numerous assumptions must be considered to make it plausible and effective in addressing human behaviour. This theory assumes that human interactions play a crucial role in how individuals can deal with the crisis they are going through. At every stage, an individual relies on their surrounding social environment to develop a perspective on how they can deal with the crisis (Samsanovich, 2021). The theory also assumes that development is a lifelong journey, which means that individuals must find different ways to learn and develop themselves continually. This means that an individual needs to address challenges throughout life to assume that conflicts are a common part of life, and individuals must continually find different ways to address the problem (Samsanovich, 2021). Additionally, the theory states that they become more self-aware by addressing the different conflicts in their lives, which helps develop their ego.
Piaget’s developmental theory also has theories that help build a foundation for the theory. The theory assumes that development is a universal process every individual must go through. This means that all individuals go through the stated stages despite their location. Intellectual development is joint globally, but differences arise in an individual’s environment (Rochat, 2023). The theory assumes that individuals can develop intellectual capabilities through active learning. In this case, individuals from childhood to adulthood must be engaged in different activities to acquire the necessary knowledge to develop proper intellectual capabilities. The theory also addresses the different limits through which every stage cannot exceed. The intellectual capabilities can only develop up to a certain point, after which the next stage occurs (Rochat, 2023). These assumptions help determine human behaviours and explain them more effectively, which helps to ensure that individuals understand the different factors that contribute to the developmental phases.
Social Privilege and Oppression
The two theories explore Social privilege and oppression at different levels. In Erikson’s theory, social interactions are crucial in the developmental stages. This shows that social privilege affects how most individuals turn out. The surroundings impact individuals regarding their values, beliefs and other factors, which could influence how they think and address their conflicts (Samsanovich, 2021). However, the theory does not consider how social oppression could significantly affect how individuals address their conflicts. The different stages might not be applicable globally, which means thatsome individuals are affected differently by the developmental stages. Cultural differences create different perceptions of how different individuals address their problems. This means that the methods of addressing the conflicts might not be universally acceptable. However, the theory plays a significant role in addressing how the theory is dependent on the social surroundings and how these facilitate proper or improper conflict resolution.
In Piaget’s cognitive development theory, social factors have been significantly overlooked. The theory mainly bases its argument on biological maturation, where all children go through different stages based on age (Rochat, 2023). The ages determine the different stages they must go through and the different maturity levels without being affected by their surroundings. There are also different barriers that this theory has not adequately addressed. In this case, the social and cultural background could affect development by ensuring that individuals have access to resources to help develop their cognitive abilities. Factors such as education could affect the development of intellectual capabilities, and in modern society, technological advancements make it much easier for children to develop.
Influence on Social Workplace Practice
As a social worker, I believe these two significantly impact my practice significantly. The theories provide a comprehensive understanding of the developmental stages. This means that a social worker would be capable of identifying the different challenges individuals are going through at different stages. Therefore, this would be essential as I navigate dealing with clients with different needs. Teenagers usually experience some common problems that developmental stages have as they try to develop their identity. Most of them struggle with confusion, and conversing with this theory helps to develop a proper understanding of the challenges they are going through and the best possible way to address them. By helping the clients address the conflicts, I will be giving them the opportunity to grow and develop. As the clients continue to grow, individuals are affected by different issues and might need support. As a professional, I must understand the challenges and provide support where necessary. The theories are also crucial in understanding cultural sensitivity. As a social worker, I must ensure that I can properly interact with clients from different cultural backgrounds. The theories help in understating the different ages, stages of life and backgrounds, and this helps in properly navigating development.
In conclusion, developmental theories play a significant role in explaining human behaviour through the different developmental stages. The main theories addressed in this course are Erikson’s Psychosocial and Piaget’s Cognitive development stages. Erikson’s Psychosocial stages focus on the different stages involved in development and the conflicts that arise in these stages. The theory addresses how these conflicts impact how individuals develop and their impact in dealing with their surroundings. Piaget’s Cognitive development stages focus on how individuals develop their cognitive abilities through the different life stages. This theory mostly focuses on childhood development and how their intellectual capabilities are impacted. Individuals can better understand human behaviour through the assumptions created by the theories. These theories can be applied in my practice by promoting client understanding, providing support, and promoting cultural sensitivity.
References
Hutchison, E. D. (2019). Dimensions of human behaviour: The changing life course (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Rochat, P. (2023). The evolution of developmental theories since Piaget: A Metaview. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 17456916231186611.
Samsanovich, A. (2021). Theory and diversity: A descriptive study of Erikson’s psychosocial development stages.
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