Theories of Human Development

Psychodynamic Perspective - Freud

• Unconscious feelings affect our behaviour – we do not know why we behave but all actions have a cause.
• Influenced by early childhood experiences.

Mental Mechanisms
• ID = ‘I want’ commands
• Ego = resolves conflict between ID and Superego.
• Superego = demands made by parents/society about how we should behave.

Psychosexual - Freud
Care Settings -
Useful as it uncovers unconscious thoughts in order to explain human behaviour to change if needed. Can be applied to settings, especially therapy settings where service user is relaxed.

Biological Perspective - Eysenck

• 3 traits describing human personality, biological basis for personality – criminal behaviour is linked to high levels of extroversion & inability.

Biological Perspective - Eysenck
Care Settings -

Emphasises the personality of humans in general, also gives a base to establish criminal behaviour through traits - more appropriate in legal settings.

Humanist Perspective - Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.
Physiological - food, warmth, shelter, sex.
Safety - physical & emotional freedom from threat.
Belonging - social inclusion & attachment.
Self Esteem - respect and secure sense of self.
All must be met to reach full potential; if not met person cannot reach self-actualisation.

Humanist Perspective - Maslow
Care Settings -

Outlines the needs of service users so their place on the hierarchy can be established, this can be put into practice in all areas of the setting.

Constructivist Perspective - Piaget's Theory of Learning

• Children & adults seek to understand the world, build mental representations in their minds.
• Kids learn through experience.
• As children grow they develop complex ways of interpreting the world.
Accommodation – fitting into existing schemas.
Assimilation – changing schemas, ideas and theories when new info is discovered.
Equilibrium – balance.

Constructivist Perspective - Piaget
Care Settings - Early Years

Behavioural Perspective - Pavlov

• Classical conditioning in dogs – dogs would salivate with the arrival of food after a bell was heard. The dogs learned to link bell with food (association).
• Bell = conditioned stimulus
• Salivation = conditioned response

Behavioural Perspective - Pavlov
Care Settings -

Social Learning Perspective - Bandura

• Learn through imitation based on how others are behaving socially.
• Not all learning is done through direct reinforcement (imitation of others)
• Bandura’s Bobo Doll experiment – adults punching the doll then children did the same thing.
More likely to imitate if;
• There are rewards for behaviour.
• Perceived as being liked.
• Similar to observer e.g same sex, age, ethnicity.
• Can be copied.
• Stands out & is noticeable.

Social Learning Theory - Bandura
Care Settings -

The role model will be more effective if the child see's them as:
• someone with similar values
• more powerful
• warm and loving
• liked and respected