Humanistic Theories of Human Development
This is an excerpt from the paper...
To someone with little or no knowledge of theories of human development it sometimes seems presumptuous for scientists to say that they can offer blanket explanations of human behavior, accounting for everyone in the world. This is not so difficult to accept if the theories are limited to explanations of purely physiological development because it is much easier to see physical commonalties. Behind the resistance to explanations of behavior, however, there is the firm belief that the individual "I"--the essence of the single, unique person who is an individual I--cannot possibly be reduced to formulas or charts, schedules of development, or schemes in which cherished personal traits are categorized like auto parts on a shelf. The irony is, of course, that this very resistance to classification is the result of one of the most important developmental processes. Most people go through enough trouble in actualizing the self that it is probably a sign of healthy development if a person does resist the idea that any schematic notion of development can account for him/her. In looking at the various theories of development it is sometimes necessary to set aside one's first reaction to them. What makes innate sense for one individual may merely be a reflection of his/her own experience or learning. Thus Abraham Maslow's humanist perspective on development strikes the reader as immediately convincing because his hierarchy of needs makes common sense, fits ordinary perceptions
. . .
e individual's control compel him/her to make adjustments. But unless the mechanism of such a shift in self-understanding is made clear the theory seems inadequate for describing the experience of the great majority of human beings. Piaget's cognitive developmental scheme seems to have the same difficulties as Freud's, while they may provide important insights into some facets of psychological and cognitive development they also seem to detach these parts of life from the rest. Erikson's is, therefore, the only one that accounts for the entire life span in any way that feels truly satisfactory.
Once again, of course, there is a certain amount of personal feeling involved in the choice. But it seems as if this might be based on a universally shared perception of the nature of development. Very few people would, it seems regard themselves as truly completed, finished, or fully developed at any point in their lives. People necessarily live within the constraints of time--both as a limit on what can be done or achieved and as a forward-looking framework in which one is forced to view one's life. This compels them to view future events as necessarily having some rewarding aspect. Retirement from work is, thus, described in te
. . .
Some common words found in the essay are:
Erik Erikson, James Marcia's, Olds Feldman, , Abraham Maslow's, erikson's theory, stages development, human development, theory development, Human Development, her/his own, maslow's theory, life span, development account, theories development, Boston McGraw-Hill, Papalia Olds, papalia olds feldman, adulthood crisis, charge own lives, her/his own life,
Approximate Word count = 2883
Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page)
More Essays on Humanistic Theories of Human Development
|
Customer Service
to Over
32,000 Professionally Written Papers!!!
