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Child Development Theories
From Kendra Van Wagner
Major Theories
of Child Development
The developmental changes that occur from birth
to adulthood were largely ignored throughout much of history. Children were
often viewed simply as small versions of adults and little attention was paid
to the many advances in cognitive abilities, language usage, and physical
growth. Interest in the field of child development began early in the
20th-century and tended to focus on abnormal behavior.
The following are just a few of the many theories of child development that
have been proposed by theorists and researchers. More recent theories outline
the developmental stages of children and identify the typical ages at which
these growth milestones occur.
Psychoanalytic Theories
Sigmund Freud
The theories proposed by Sigmund
Freud stressed the importance of childhood events and experiences, but
almost exclusively focus on mental disorders rather that normal functioning.
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According to Freud, child development is described as a series of 'psychosexual
stages.' In "Three Essays on Sexuality" (1915), Freud outlined these
stages as oral, anal, phallic, latency period, and genital. Each stage involves
the satisfaction of a libidinal desire and can later play a role in adult
personality. Learn more in this article on Freud’s
stages of psychosexual development.
Erik Erikson
Theorist Erik
Erikson also proposed a stage theory of development, but his theory
encompassed development throughout the human lifespan. Erikson believed that
each stage of development is focused on overcoming a conflict. Success or
failure in dealing with conflicts can impact overall functioning. Learn more
about this theory in this article on Erikson’s
stages of psychosocial development.
Cognitive Theories
Theorist Jean
Piaget suggested that children think differently than adults and proposed a
stage theory of cognitive development. He was the first to note that children
play an active role in gaining knowledge of the world. Learn more in this
article on Piaget’s
stages of cognitive development.
Behavioral Theories
Behavioral theories of development focus on how
environmental interaction influences behavior and are based upon the theories
of theorists such as Watson, Pavlov,
and Skinner.
These theories deal only with observable behaviors. Development is considered a
reaction to rewards, punishments, stimuli, and reinforcement. Learn more about
these behavioral theories in these articles on classical
conditioning and operant
conditioning.
Social Development Theories
There is a great deal of research on the social
development of children. John Bowbly proposed one of the earliest theories of
social development. Bowlby believed that early relationships with caregivers
play a major role in child development and continue to influence social
relationships throughout life. Learn more in this overview
of attachment theory.
More About Child Development
Issues in Developmental PsychologyStages of Prenatal DevelopmentResearch Methods in Developmental Psychology
Child Development Theories
Psychoanalytic Theories of DevelopmentLearning Theories of DevelopmentCognitive Theories of Development
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