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Running Head: CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHOLOGY ON DEVELOPMENT

Child and Adolescent Psychology on Development

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CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHOLOGY ON DEVELOPMENT
Introduction

For children and adolescents, the process of growth and development is one that is made up of

various methods all who have to be met for the children to have a healthy growth process. The

growth and development process is one that needs multiple psychological, physical and social

needs that needs to be satisfied before a child or an adolescent can be regarded to be growing

healthy. According to Shaffer & Kipp (2013), the study of adolescent psychology on

development is an essential study in the fact that it enables scientists to understand the process of

growth for children and adolescents better. Such knowledge can be better used to help ensure

children and adolescents are left to grow and develop in environments where they can become

healthy and be able to fulfill their full potential during that time.

Importance of Child and Adolescent Psychology on Development

The need to invest in the future of young children and adolescents is a crucial process that

requires the efforts of not just parents but also professionals who can offer the right advice.

Various neurological researches have revealed that it is the early years of life that determines

how best a child’s brain may develop (Shaffer & Kipp, 2013). Children begin to learn at a tender

age, and it is what they learn at this age that plays a role in how they grow and develop. The

relationships they create at this young age especially with their parents or caregivers also play a

similarly crucial role that may affect not just their physical growth but also their emotional,

social and cognitive growth.

How Child and Adolescent Psychology Development Studies Have Changed Over Time

The study of child and adolescent psychology development is one that has undergone various

changes over the years. Theorists such as John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau are always
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CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHOLOGY ON DEVELOPMENT
regarded as some of the most important researchers that were able to open up this field of study.

Before that, there were few studies on children and most people viewed them as small adults.

However, as John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau would reveal, children undergo a long and

delicate process of growth and development before they can become adults (Fuhrmann et al.,

2015). Recent research in this area of study has even revealed more knowledge than ever before.

Researchers have been able to come up with much more different observations that have

explained how the various processes of growth occur from the first decade of life to the second

decade of life including the puberty stage.

Five Theoretical Perspectives and Associated Theories

There exists a total of five approaches in contemporary psychology that can be used to explain

child and adolescent development. These approaches mainly focus on different areas of growth

and can be summarized into five theories which include:

1. Freud’s Psychosexual Child Development Theory

Developed by Sigmund Freud, it focuses on how events experienced at childhood affects the

growth and development of children. This theory suggests that the process of development for

most children occurs in certain stages known as ‘psychosexual stages’ (Carr, 2015). It is these

stages that play a role in shaping the adult personality of the child later. Any stage that is not

fully completed during growth may affect the adult personality of the child when they grow.

2. Behavioral Child Development Theories

This theory suggests that the process of learning for children occurs based on the interactions

they have with the environment in which they live. Through the processes of classical
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CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHOLOGY ON DEVELOPMENT
conditioning and operant conditioning, children and adolescents can easily learn from their

environment and the things they learn as children or adolescents will affect their lives as adults.

3. Cognitive Child Development Theories

It refers to the processes involved with the changing of the thought processes of a child as they

grow. Piaget’s theory explains how these processes occur through the four stages. These include

the Sensorimotor Stage, the Preoperational Stage, the Concrete Operational Stage and the Formal

Operational Stage (Carr, 2015).

4. Erikson’s Psychosocial Child Development Theory

It is a theory that focuses mainly on how social experiences play a role in the growth of children.

This theory effectively lines up the process of growth from the time one is born until their death.

5. Social Learning Theories of Child Development

This theory focuses on the role persons surrounding a child play in their growth and

development. These persons mainly parents, caregivers, siblings, peers among others play a

crucial role in shaping the growth and development process of children from a young age (Carr,

2015). Children may either develop an attachment to these people, they learn and are also taught

some things that may change their lives as adults.

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CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHOLOGY ON DEVELOPMENT
References

Carr, A. (2015). The handbook of child and adolescent clinical psychology: A contextual

approach. Routledge.

Fuhrmann, D., Knoll, L. J., & Blakemore, S. J. (2015). Adolescence as a sensitive period of brain

development. Trends in cognitive sciences, 19(10), 558-566.

Shaffer, D. R., & Kipp, K. (2013). Developmental psychology: Childhood and adolescence.

Cengage Learning.