Developmental psychology essays have tremendous scope to define and teach how human development takes place, issues involved during the different stages of development, and theories based on development. The human mind can never be predicted and has been the subject of many psychological studies. Everyone has experienced development through their lives, both mental and physical. The study begins with a small beginning unique to an individual and then develops throughout the life of the individual. The most obvious example would be to observe that a child’s growth is associated with visible physical growth. But there is another aspect to be considered, the cognitive development. This would include perception, reasoning, intuition, emotional development, and the ability to feel complex emotions like embarrassment or pride.
Essay questions need to be raised about issues related to developmental psychology to fully understand the concepts. One of the most pertinent questions raised is whether early experiences have the maximum impact or do later events also play an important role in developmental psychology. A custom essay on issues of learning how to identify emotions expressed by others and social development would be very useful. These could include how to understand friendship, how to share, and how to interact with others. Some of the issues involved have been listed below in more detail.
1. Continuity is a major issue that needs to be discussed. Sigmund Freud proposed that development occurs through energy created by survival and sexual instincts. He reasoned that a child’s personality was mostly established by the age of five. There have been several theories and developmental psychology essays written outlining the cognitive growth cycle. Some believe that changes occur when confronted with quantity, while others believe that it happens in stages where skills emerge at a certain point of the development cycle.
2. Inheritance and the environment have contributed in their own way. Those who believe in the theory of inheritance claim that ideas are inborn while the environmental theory suggests that the mind is blank at birth and experience and exposure to different environmental situations determines the knowledge one acquires. Today, most people believe that there exists a balance between these two forces that cause development including those that are distinctly biological and those that occur on reaching puberty.
3. There have been several debates concerning the role of early experiences versus later-stage experiences. Some theories support the fact that developmental psychology has more effects based on events occurring in early childhood. This theory has been found wanting as researchers discovered that childhood influence does not necessarily produce behavioral effects throughout life. There are many who have developed into normal, responsible adults even with a troubled childhood.
Parents are always concerned about whether their child is developing normally or not. An essay guide would offer guidelines that list out the age at which children develop certain skills and the ability to complete assignments successfully. Obviously, parents show concern when their child falls behind and develops deficits in behavior. Developmental psychology essays can help describe these deficits in great detail so that child development is progressive and thorough.
