Development Throughout the Lifespan

Different theorists have today come forth with theories that try to explain the different stages that people develop in and their significance in their personality. Amongst the two best theories to express these include Sigmund Freud’s Freudian theory and Erik Erikson’s Erikson theory. According to Freud, development mainly occurred around the sexually sensitive organs of the body and could be studied as such. Erikson on the other hand based human development on its interaction with society and the external environment. Despite the two approaches both having merit, Eriskon’s approach is the best one for its logic, accuracy and comprehensiveness.

Throughout these interviews, the psychosocial appeared to be accurate and true. When a child is young and barely conscious, he is usually very likely to put anything in the mouth. That might range from his/her fingers to toys (Sigelman, 2014) . After that, the anal area becomes more sensitive and that is why beating the child on his ass has the effect of ensuring he is disciplined. Between 3 and 6 years, the children get to appreciate their genitals and their significance when it comes to sexual orientation and behavior. After 6 years the child’s sexual feelings do develop and as a result there is interest in members of the opposite sex (Berk, 2016) . After that, one’s sexual being develops significantly and it becomes it becomes very pleasurable to explore them. In the cases above, the stages have reflected in a manner that is true to the theory.

The Psychosexual approach is, however, not very detailed. Although the individual gets to experience all manner of sexual pleasures when they are past their youth, there are still a lot of changes that he or she might experience. These include menopause which Paulette Scott experienced and as a result had a low sexual lifestyle. Similarly, the research is focused on a very small aspect of the human life (Lerner, 2013) . Although we develop sexually, there are other aspects such as the mental that matters. When compared to the psychosocial approach, the psychosexual one appears to have been not only somehow out of scope but also less comprehensive.

The Psychosocial approach also proved to be true when it came to human development according to the interviews above. In most of the mentioned stages, there are two sides of the coin which is true depending on the age of the individual (Lerner, 2013) . For instance, when entering adolescence, it is possible for a child to find something they like and stick with it. A 13-year-old is likely to be in the chess club, football team and drama club while a 16-year-old will be in either one or utmost two which are somehow complementary (Berk, 2016) . In the case of Patrick, he still wants to try everything, has a short time span in everything he indulges in and is thus still confused about his identity. That is normal and expected in that stage of life.

Similarly, Paulette is almost getting into late adulthood and is therefore very determined to help those younger than them to lead a good life (Lerner, 2013) . She is in tandem with the young world and although she cannot help where elements such as technology are concerned, she knows about things such as childcare and what to do in particular situation. The Psychosocial approach it is well defined and is possible to analyze the growth of a person by considering the specific stages. Using this approach will very easily and accurately show whether the individual is developing like he or she should be. The psychosocial theory is also beneficial because it is comprehensive and focuses on how the individual interacts with his environment and his self (Berk, 2016) . It is this kind of behavior and interaction that shows how the individual is developing in reality vis-à-vis how it was desired.

It is possible to influence a personality development with Erikson’s psychosocial stages of development. By following the stages and ensuring that the individual does what is expected of him it will be possible for the worldview of the individual to change. For instance, between 4 and 5 years a child is confused between initiative and guilt (Sigelman, 2014) . Although at 4 years they will be guiltier than they are initiative, the parent could ensure that they increase their initiative through giving them simple responsibilities like putting away their toys. With that, they will be very likely to have a more purposeful approach to life.

Freud and Erikson’s approach in development of a lifespan have their similarities and differences. The similarities between the two approaches is that they recognize the importance of the subconscious mind when it comes to human development (Lerner, 2013) . They both recognize that development in the human body comes as a result of different forms of conflict. They also both acknowledge that ignoring the conflicts might lead to serious mental health issues. The two parties also recognize that childhood is crucial to human development (Lerner, 2013) . The differences include the fact that the Freudian stages concentrate on the first six years of their lives and their ability to be influence the development of a personality.

The approach also has three different stages. Erickson’s approach on the other hand had 8 different stages which lasted the entire lifespan of individual. The Freudian stages also revolve around the pleasure centers while Erickson’s do not (Sigelman, 2014) . The Freudian approach only recognizes one conflict which occurs during the Phallic stage that involves a child wanting to kill the same sex parent to access the opposite sex one. According to Erickson on the other hand, conflicts are in three stages; establishing purpose, independence and trust (Berk, 2016) . Out of these, Erickson’s approach is more logical, comprehensive and accurate and thus best represents me.

Both of the stated theories are accurate in their own manner. Freudian’s stages are practical and careful observation will show that most individuals experience that just as Erikson’s stages. However, the Freudian stages are less comprehensive and detailed. As such, it is not an easy method to find out whether an individual is developing like they should. Erikson’s on the other hand can be easily use for such a purpose and is thus the best of the two.

References

Berk, L. E. (2016). Development Through the Lifespan. Pearson Education. 

Lerner, R. M. (2013). DEVELOPMENT: A Life-Span Perspective. Child Development in a Life-Span Perspective , 21. 

Sigelman, C. K. (2014). Life-span human development. Cengage Learning.