Understanding Human Development
Human development is a big idea that looks at how people change and grow throughout their lives.
This is important for psychology because it helps us see how we grow physically, think, feel, and interact with others from when we are babies until we become adults.
In Year 10 Psychology class, students will study some important ideas about human development. They will learn about three main theories: Freud’s psychosexual stages, Erikson’s psychosocial stages, and Piaget’s cognitive development stages.
Sigmund Freud believed that our development depends on solving certain problems during childhood. He thought that what we go through early in life shapes who we are as adults.
Freud outlined five stages:
Oral Stage (0-1 year): Babies find pleasure through their mouths. Things like sucking or biting are really important. If they don’t get enough comfort during this time, they might grow up to be overly dependent or aggressive.
Anal Stage (1-3 years): Here, toddlers learn about controlling their bladders and bowels. If parents are too strict or too easy during toilet training, it can lead to traits like being overly neat or messy as adults.
Phallic Stage (3-6 years): Children start to notice their bodies and explore their sexual identities. Boys might feel jealous of their dads for their moms’ attention, and girls might feel the same about their dads (this is called the Oedipus and Electra complexes). How these feelings are handled can influence their adult relationships.
Latency Stage (6 to puberty): During this time, kids focus more on friendships and learning rather than sexual feelings. It’s all about building skills and confidence.
Genital Stage (puberty onward): Now, the focus returns to sexual feelings, and teens learn about adult relationships. Successfully dealing with earlier challenges helps build healthy relationships.
Unlike Freud, Erik Erikson focused on social and emotional challenges throughout life. He made eight stages, each with a main conflict to solve:
Trust vs. Mistrust (0-1 year): Infants need to feel safe and cared for. If they don’t, they may grow up feeling doubtful of others.
Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt (1-3 years): Toddlers learn to do things for themselves, like toilet training or getting dressed. If they succeed, they gain confidence; if they fail, they might feel shame.
Initiative vs. Guilt (3-6 years): Kids start to take charge and play more. If they’re encouraged, they feel confident; if not, they may feel guilty about their desires.
Industry vs. Inferiority (6-12 years): In school, kids face new challenges. Success builds confidence, while failure can make them feel inferior.
Identity vs. Role Confusion (12-18 years): Teens look for their identity and question who they are. Figuring this out leads to self-confidence; confusion can cause problems in understanding their values.
Intimacy vs. Isolation (young adulthood): Young adults focus on forming close relationships. Doing this well leads to happiness, while struggling can cause loneliness.
Generativity vs. Stagnation (middle adulthood): Here, adults want to create or help things that will last, like family or community projects. Success makes them feel useful, while stagnation can leave them feeling unproductive.
Integrity vs. Despair (late adulthood): In this last stage, people look back at their lives. If they feel fulfillment, they feel integrity; if they have regrets, they might feel despair.
Jean Piaget looked at how children’s thinking changes as they grow. He laid out four main stages:
Sensorimotor Stage (0-2 years): Babies learn about the world through their senses and actions. A big development is understanding object permanence, which is realizing things still exist even when they are out of sight.
Preoperational Stage (2-7 years): Children start using language and play but don’t think logically yet. They often see things only from their own point of view. They also struggle with the idea that changing the shape of something doesn’t change its amount.
Concrete Operational Stage (7-11 years): Kids begin thinking logically about real situations. They understand the concept of conservation and can categorize things but still struggle with abstract ideas.
Formal Operational Stage (12 years and up): Teenagers start to think abstractly and reason through problems. They can consider hypothetical situations, leading to better problem-solving.
Learning about human development is important for many reasons:
Understanding Yourself: Knowing the stages helps make sense of personal growth and behavior. Reflecting on these theories can help individuals understand their own lives.
Career Use: For those working in psychology, education, or health, understanding these theories is essential. They support many approaches in therapy and teaching.
Empathy: Knowing how people develop helps us be kinder and more understanding. It highlights challenges that different age groups face.
Cultural Awareness: Exploring human development also reveals how different cultures impact growth and needs, enriching discussions on the topic.
To help students grasp the ideas better, here are a few fun activities:
Personal Reflection Session: Let students think about and share their own development experiences. This will help them make connections with Freud, Erikson, and Piaget’s ideas.
Profile Creation: In groups, students can create made-up characters at different stages of development, covering conflicts or cognitive abilities related to the theories.
Role Play Scenarios: Using situations that match Erikson’s conflicts, students can act out how to resolve these issues, helping them see the practical sides of psychology.
Debate on Theories: Divide students into groups, each representing a key theorist. They can debate whose ideas matter most today, deepening their understanding of these theories.
By engaging in these activities, Year 10 psychology students will better understand human development and how it relates to behavior and growth throughout life.
Understanding Human Development
Human development is a big idea that looks at how people change and grow throughout their lives.
This is important for psychology because it helps us see how we grow physically, think, feel, and interact with others from when we are babies until we become adults.
In Year 10 Psychology class, students will study some important ideas about human development. They will learn about three main theories: Freud’s psychosexual stages, Erikson’s psychosocial stages, and Piaget’s cognitive development stages.
Sigmund Freud believed that our development depends on solving certain problems during childhood. He thought that what we go through early in life shapes who we are as adults.
Freud outlined five stages:
Oral Stage (0-1 year): Babies find pleasure through their mouths. Things like sucking or biting are really important. If they don’t get enough comfort during this time, they might grow up to be overly dependent or aggressive.
Anal Stage (1-3 years): Here, toddlers learn about controlling their bladders and bowels. If parents are too strict or too easy during toilet training, it can lead to traits like being overly neat or messy as adults.
Phallic Stage (3-6 years): Children start to notice their bodies and explore their sexual identities. Boys might feel jealous of their dads for their moms’ attention, and girls might feel the same about their dads (this is called the Oedipus and Electra complexes). How these feelings are handled can influence their adult relationships.
Latency Stage (6 to puberty): During this time, kids focus more on friendships and learning rather than sexual feelings. It’s all about building skills and confidence.
Genital Stage (puberty onward): Now, the focus returns to sexual feelings, and teens learn about adult relationships. Successfully dealing with earlier challenges helps build healthy relationships.
Unlike Freud, Erik Erikson focused on social and emotional challenges throughout life. He made eight stages, each with a main conflict to solve:
Trust vs. Mistrust (0-1 year): Infants need to feel safe and cared for. If they don’t, they may grow up feeling doubtful of others.
Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt (1-3 years): Toddlers learn to do things for themselves, like toilet training or getting dressed. If they succeed, they gain confidence; if they fail, they might feel shame.
Initiative vs. Guilt (3-6 years): Kids start to take charge and play more. If they’re encouraged, they feel confident; if not, they may feel guilty about their desires.
Industry vs. Inferiority (6-12 years): In school, kids face new challenges. Success builds confidence, while failure can make them feel inferior.
Identity vs. Role Confusion (12-18 years): Teens look for their identity and question who they are. Figuring this out leads to self-confidence; confusion can cause problems in understanding their values.
Intimacy vs. Isolation (young adulthood): Young adults focus on forming close relationships. Doing this well leads to happiness, while struggling can cause loneliness.
Generativity vs. Stagnation (middle adulthood): Here, adults want to create or help things that will last, like family or community projects. Success makes them feel useful, while stagnation can leave them feeling unproductive.
Integrity vs. Despair (late adulthood): In this last stage, people look back at their lives. If they feel fulfillment, they feel integrity; if they have regrets, they might feel despair.
Jean Piaget looked at how children’s thinking changes as they grow. He laid out four main stages:
Sensorimotor Stage (0-2 years): Babies learn about the world through their senses and actions. A big development is understanding object permanence, which is realizing things still exist even when they are out of sight.
Preoperational Stage (2-7 years): Children start using language and play but don’t think logically yet. They often see things only from their own point of view. They also struggle with the idea that changing the shape of something doesn’t change its amount.
Concrete Operational Stage (7-11 years): Kids begin thinking logically about real situations. They understand the concept of conservation and can categorize things but still struggle with abstract ideas.
Formal Operational Stage (12 years and up): Teenagers start to think abstractly and reason through problems. They can consider hypothetical situations, leading to better problem-solving.
Learning about human development is important for many reasons:
Understanding Yourself: Knowing the stages helps make sense of personal growth and behavior. Reflecting on these theories can help individuals understand their own lives.
Career Use: For those working in psychology, education, or health, understanding these theories is essential. They support many approaches in therapy and teaching.
Empathy: Knowing how people develop helps us be kinder and more understanding. It highlights challenges that different age groups face.
Cultural Awareness: Exploring human development also reveals how different cultures impact growth and needs, enriching discussions on the topic.
To help students grasp the ideas better, here are a few fun activities:
Personal Reflection Session: Let students think about and share their own development experiences. This will help them make connections with Freud, Erikson, and Piaget’s ideas.
Profile Creation: In groups, students can create made-up characters at different stages of development, covering conflicts or cognitive abilities related to the theories.
Role Play Scenarios: Using situations that match Erikson’s conflicts, students can act out how to resolve these issues, helping them see the practical sides of psychology.
Debate on Theories: Divide students into groups, each representing a key theorist. They can debate whose ideas matter most today, deepening their understanding of these theories.
By engaging in these activities, Year 10 psychology students will better understand human development and how it relates to behavior and growth throughout life.