Major Theories of Child Development
By Kendra Van Wagner, About.com
Child development that occurs from birth to adulthood was largely ignored throughout much of history. Children were often viewed simply as small versions of adults and little attention was paid to the many advances in cognitive abilities, language usage, and physical growth. Interest in the field of child development began early in the 20th-century and tended to focus on abnormal behavior.
The following are just a few of the many child development theories that have been proposed by theorists and researchers. More recent theories outline the developmental stages of children and identify the typical ages at which these growth milestones occur.
Psychoanalytic Child Development Theories
Sigmund Freud
The theories proposed by Sigmund Freud stressed the importance of childhood events and experiences, but almost exclusively focus on mental disorders rather that normal functioning.
According to Freud, child development is described as a series of 'psychosexual stages.' In "Three Essays on Sexuality" (1915), Freud outlined these stages as oral, anal, phallic, latency period, and genital. Each stage involves the satisfaction of a libidinal desire and can later play a role in adult personality. Learn more in this article on Freud’s stages of psychosexual development.
Erik Erikson
Theorist Erik Erikson also proposed a stage theory of development, but his theory encompassed development throughout the human lifespan. Erikson believed that each stage of development is focused on overcoming a conflict. Success or failure in dealing with conflicts can impact overall functioning. Learn more about this theory in this article on Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development.
Cognitive Child Development Theories
Theorist Jean Piaget suggested that children think differently than adults and proposed a stage theory of cognitive development. He was the first to note that children play an active role in gaining knowledge of the world. Learn more in this article on Piaget’s stages of cognitive development.
Behavioral Child Development Theories
Behavioral theories of child development focus on how environmental interaction influences behavior and are based upon the theories of theorists such as Watson, Pavlov, and Skinner. These theories deal only with observable behaviors. Development is considered a reaction to rewards, punishments, stimuli, and reinforcement. Learn more about these behavioral theories in these articles on classical conditioning and operant conditioning.
Social Child Development Theories
There is a great deal of research on the social development of children. John Bowbly proposed one of the earliest theories of social development. Bowlby believed that early relationships with caregivers play a major role in child development and continue to influence social relationships throughout life. Learn more in this overview of attachment theory.
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