Theories of Child Development

Theories of Child Development

Monica De La Garza

PSY104: Child & Adolescent Development

Instructor: Eric Harris

May 16, 2013

Theories of Child Development

Experts have been able to tie certain decisions about the right and wrong of child development. To understand child development it will allow us to raise our children to be courageous, devoted and socially allowed. There are three major theories when it comes to child development. This paper will discuss Freud’s Psychosexual, Erikson’s Psychosocial, and Piaget’s Cognitive theories and their effects on child development.

In this section of this paper it will discuss Freud’s Psychosexual Stages of Development. Once a mother has given birth to a child they are beginning to start the first stage of Freud’s Psychosexual Theory. The first stage in this psychosexual theory is called the oral stage. Within this stage the child’s purpose is mainly done through their mouth. The baby will do things like sucking or tasting with their mouth. The stimulation the child is having allows him to bond with his parents. With all the stimulation the baby will become comfortable. The child will realize that he will never be hungry because the bond they have allows them to trust their caregiver. There can be a bad process that can have and affect a child’s development.

This bad process is what’s known as fixation. Freud believed this fixation process happens when children go through problems and they can end up having problems like, “obsessive orderliness, attention to detail, or hoarding behavior” (Mossler, 2011, pg. 1.5). It can also cause problems like alcohol abuse, eating disorders and smoking. “We see oral personalities all around us such as smokers, nail-biters, finger-chewers, and thumb suckers” (McLeod, 2008). A lot of these personalities happen when there is stress involved with the child. The oral stage happens from birth to a year old.

The next stage in Freud’s psychosexual development...