The theory of development still has many unresolved issues because people can either undergo atypical or typical development from childhood to adulthood. Average growth, in this case, is where a person suffers different stages of development while undertaking activities and displaying similar skills as the majority from childhood to adulthood. Atypical growth on the other side is a situation where a child exhibits some changes in his or her growth that are different from the majority ( Vanderwert & Nelson, 2014). Freud and Erikson are two theorists who have made efforts to explain the development even though they have similarities and differences with regards to their explanations.
Both theorists recognize the importance of the unconscious mind as the child develops. In both cases, there are conflicts as a child grows from unconscious to consciousness. Failure to resolve these conflicts can lead to mental illnesses ( Spanò et al., 2016). Both agree that childhood is critical in the development stage since there are a lot of factors which can lead to mental distress which can distort the child’s growth. In this case, it is apparent that both theorists suggest education as a means of shaping the mind for proper growth.
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The difference between the theorists is that Sigmund Freud roots his view on biological needs such as food and sex while Erik Erikson anchors his perspective on environmental factors and culture, and how they shape growth. From their beliefs, it is apparent that a child needs the education to understand his or her biological needs and how she or he can control sexual desire. Also, a child needs the education to get to know means of socializing and learn other people’s culture through interacting by them and reading them for proper growth ( Crain, 2015). One weakness of both theories is their ignorance on typical and atypical growth. They do not consider the fact that different factors affect the children as they grow which could potentially lead to either atypical or typical growth.
References
Crain, W. (2015). Theories of Development: Concepts and Applications: Concepts and Applications . Psychology Press.
Spanò, G., Peterson, M. A., Nadel, L., Rhoads, C., & Edgin, J. O. (2016). Seeing can be remembering: Interactions between memory and perception in typical and atypical development. Clinical Psychological Science , 4 (2), 254-271.
Vanderwert, R. E., & Nelson, C. A. (2014). The use of near-infrared spectroscopy in the study of typical and atypical development. Neuroimage , 85 , 264-271.
