Child and Adolescent Development
Adolescent development study has been a topic of interest to most of the researchers, and over the past years, there have been changes. Knowledge has increased, and the issues of concern have increased. The study now includes different adolescent dimensions, the various behaviors that are associated with adolescence, the difference in the process, and timing in different individuals. Different theoretical perspectives are associated with puberty, and they have also been researched and improved.
The research carried out by different individuals has shown that during the second decade, a lot of changes have occurred when it comes to both behaviors and physically. There is an increase in physical growth, hormonal change, and emotional growth, and it is also a time of self-exploration and one’s desire to be independent. The scholars and researchers have associated these changes to biological influence in which individuals in different regions will display different development as a distinct culture even surrounds them.
Other researchers and scholars have associated adolescent changes to hormonal change as it is at this time that one has a mixed production of hormones. These hormones bring about the raging desires, aggression and the need to explore more sexual activities that are associated with adolescence.it is also at this stage that conflict between adolescents and their parents increase and they are unavoidable.it is assumed that this conflicts can be evaded by not always giving the adolescents the goods and the services they ask for.
In recent years, research has continued to show that adolescence is a period that includes difficult development challenges, and that is influenced by biological changes, behaviors, and adjustments. Therefore, this indicates that there are roles that can be played by the parents, community members, social institutions, and the services provided in promoting healthy development among adolescents. There is also the perception that adolescence and poverty cannot be well understood without considering the social and the family setting in which they grow.
Adolescence has faced a lot of influence from the physical and societal environment in which one grew up in. In connection to this, if one was not given much freedom, then it is at this stage that they fight for independence. This is because the main conclusion will be that they are developing and if not guided, they can get lost. Adolescents are also easy to influence, and they can also be easily controlled. This will have them doing an unimaginable thing without the knowledge and can affect them in the future.
The research has also included different theories that have been added and with support from scientific and technological sources than in the past. These theories have helped in understanding the different perspectives in human development and the various influencing factors. This is because different people have different responses in their development, and a factor that affects one’s behavior may not influence another. The theories are as discussed below.
Erikson’s Psychosocial development theory that was developed by Erik. In this theory, he describes growth and development throughout an individual’s life relating it to the social interactions and the conflicts that arise at different stages of one’s progress. He uses the eight steps to explain the changes that one faces from infancy to death and the various changes they experience. Therefore, this theory thus focuses on development in all life stages and the influence of social interactions.
Piaget’s cognitive development theory was developed by Jean Piaget and focused on the development of a person’s thought and how the thought process influence how we understand the world and the interactions afterward. There are four different stages that he included ion the thought process development, namely, the sensorimotor stage, the pre-operational stage, the concrete operational stage, and the formal operational stage. These stages explain the thought development and the influence it creates in an individual’s life at each stage.
Freud’s psychosexual development theory was developed by Sigmund Freud in which he stated that the childhood experiences and desires influence individual behavior as they grow. He says that the conflicts that occur in every stage of life influence personal development and, in turn, affect their actions. He focused on different pleasure areas ion the body that are attributed by development.
Bowlby’s attachment theory was developed by John Bowlby, in which he said that individual development is also influenced by the relationship they had with the caregivers. Children are born with a need attachment, and the accessories they create will affect their growth and life in the future. These attachments influence their behavior and motivational patterns and will be characterized by what they were brought up knowing.
Lastly, Bandura’s social learning theory related to the works of Albert Bandura in which he believed that conditioning and reinforcement process could help explain and understand human learning. Therefore, this means that through observing the actions of the people surrounding them, children can develop different behaviors, skills, and information.
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