Theories

Urie Bronfenbrenners Ecological Systems Theory

Erik Eriksons Psychosocial Stages
Lev Vygotskys Sociocultural Theory
Loris Malaguzzis Reggio Emilia Approach

Eriksons Psychosocial Stages

emphasized the role of culture and society and the conflicts that can take place
within the ego itself
the ego develops as it successfully resolves crises that are distinctly social in
nature
epigenic principle
personality develops in a predetermined order, and builds upon each
previous stage
considers the impact of external factors, parents and society on personality
development from childhood to adulthood
every person must pass through a series of eight interrelated stages over the
entire life cycle

Trust vs Mistrust (0 1 years old)

stage the infant is uncertain about the world in which they live
the infant looks towards their primary caregiver for stability and consistency of
care

 resolution: security and trust

if the care receive is consistent, predictable and reliable
virtue: HOPE
by developing a sense of trust, the infant can have hope that as new crises
arise, there is a real possibility that other people will be there are a source of
support
complication: FEAR
the infant will develop a sense of mistrust and will not have confidence in the
world around them or in their abilities to influence events
it may result in anxiety, heightened insecurities, and an over feeling of
mistrust in relationships and the world around them
Autonomy vs Shame and Doubt (1 - 3 years old)
children begin to assert their independence
child is discovering that he or she has many skills and abilities
it is critical that parents allow their children to explore the limits of their abilities
within an encouraging environment which is tolerant of failure
resolution: self-control without a loss of self-esteem (Gross, 1992)
a delicate balance is required from the parent
try not to do everything for the child
if the child fails at a particular task they must not criticize the child for
failures and accidents
Example: toilet training

virtue: WILL
children become more confident and secure in their own ability to survive in
the world
complication: SHAME & DOUBT

children begin to feel inadequate in their ability to survive, and may then
become overly dependent upon others

Initiative and Guilt (3 5 years old)

children assert themselves more frequently
particularly lively, rapid-developing years in a childs life
a time of vigor of action and of behaviors that the parents may see as aggressive
(Bee, 1992)
play provides children with the opportunity to explore their interpersonal skills
through initiating activities
children begin to plan activities, make up games, and initiate activities with others
resolution: initiative
children develop a sense of initiative, and feel secure in their ability to lead
others and make decisions
virtue: PURPOSE
complication: GUILT / LACK OF SELF-INITIATIVE
too much guilt can make the child slow to interact with others and may
inhibit their creativity
if the parents treat the childs questions as trivial, a nuisance or
embarrassing or other aspects of their behavior as threatening then the child
may have feelings of guilt for being a nuisance
children may feel like a nuisance to others and will therefore remain
followers
Industry vs Inferiority (5 12 years old)
children learns to read and write and do things on their own
the child feels the need for approval by demonstrating specific competencies that
are valued by society
begin to develop a sense of pride in their accomplishments
resolution: confident in achieving goals
if children are encouraged and reinforced for their initiative
a balance between competence and modesty is necessary
virtue: COMPETENCE
complication: INFERIORITY
if the child is restricted by parents or teacher, the child begin doubting his
own abilities and therefore may not reach his or her potential
If the child cannot develop the specific skill they feel society is demanding

Critical Evaluation

vague about the causes of development

does not have a universal mechanism for crisis resolution

critics of his theory provide evidence suggesting a lack of discrete stages of

personality development (McCrae & Costa, 1997)

Strengths

Erikson (1964) acknowledges his theory is more a descriptive overview of human

social and emotional development that does not adequately explain how or why
this development occurs

He stressed his work was a tool to think with rather than a factual analysis

Its purpose then is to provide a framework within which development can be

considered rather than testable theory.

ability to tie together important psychosocial development across the entire

lifespan

Vygotskys Sociocultural Theory

describes learning as a social process and the origination of human intelligence in
society or culture
asserts three major themes:
social interaction

 the more knowledgeable other

zone of proximal development
Social Interaction
social interaction plays a fundamental role in the development of cognition

Every function in the childs cultural development appears twice: first, on

the social level, and later, on the individual level; first, between people
(interpsychological) and then inside the child (intrapsychological). This
applies equally to voluntary attention, to logical memory, and to the
formation of concepts. All the higher functions originate as actual
relationships between individuals. (Vygotsky, 1978, p.57)
More Knowledgeable Other (MKO)
refers to someone who has a better understanding or a higher ability level
than the learner , with respect to a particular task, process, or concept

social
interaction

discussion

instruction

demonstrati
on

could be a teacher, parents, an older adult or even peers with more

knowledge or experience
children only learnt through themselves and needed the adult and other
children to further develop their skills and acquire their knowledge
cooperative or collaborative dialogue

Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)

relates to the difference between what a child can achieve independently
and what a child can achieve with guidance and encouragement from a
skilled
partner

What I can't do
What
I can
do with
What
help
I can
do

Malaguzzis Reggio Emilia Approach

children learn through our interactions with things in our environment with things,
but primarily with others that is characterized as social constructivist
promotes an image of the rich child and recognizes them as curious and powerful
learners from birth
children as active protagonists with unlimited potential who are eager to interact
with and contribute to the world

 key concepts:
collaboration and relationships
environment as third teacher

Collaboration and Relationships

focus on each child in relation to the family, other children, the environment, the
school, the community and the wider society
learning is done with the participation of the child, parents and teacher
collaborating together
all these relationships are interconnected, reciprocal and supported
Environment as third teacher
collaborative participation is vital in creating an environment where the space is
designed to encourage and foster choices, autonomy, curiosity, problem solving
and exploration in the process of learning
presence of piazza
fosters participation, involvement and communication between all learners
children can move freely through the space and interact with others
(insert picture of piazza)
*maganda po ung sa wikipedia

References:
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Erickson, E. (1958).Young man Luther: A study in psychoanalysis and history. New
York: Norton.
Erikson, E. H. (1950).Childhood and society. New York: Norton.
Erikson, E. H. (1964).Insight and responsibility. New York: Norton.
Erikson, E. H. (1968).Identity: Youth and crisis. New York: Norton.
Erikson, E. H. (Ed.). (1963). Youth: Change and challenge. Basic books.
Erikson, E. H., Paul, I. H., Heider, F., & Gardner, R. W. (1959).Psychological issues (Vol.
1). International Universities Press.
Freud, S. (1923). The ego and the id. SE, 19: 1-66.

Freund, L. S. (1990). Maternal regulation of children's problem-solving behavior and its

impact on children's performance. Child Development, 61, 113-126.
Gross, R. D., & Humphreys, P. (1992).Psychology: The science of mind and behaviour.
London: Hodder & Stoughton.
Malaguzzi, Loris (1993). Your image of the child: where the teaching begins. Retrieved
November 2009
from:emh.kaiapit.net/ShiningStars/.../YourImageChildTeachingBegins.pdf
Malaguzzi, Loris (1994) The Bill of Three Rights Innovations in Early Education: The
International Reggio Exchange, volume 2, number 1
McAdams, D. P. (2001). The psychology of life stories. Review of General Psychology,
5(2), 100.
McCrae, R. R., & Costa Jr, P. T. (1997).Personality trait structure as a human
universal. American Psychologist, 52(5), 509.
Rogoff, B. (1990).Apprenticeships in thinking. New York: Oxford University Press.
Schaffer, R. (1996). Social development.Oxford: Blackwell.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1962).Thought and language. Cambridge MA: MIT Press.
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processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1987). Thinking and speech. In R.W. Rieber & A.S. Carton (Eds.), The
collected works of L.S. Vygotsky, Volume 1: Problems of general psychology (pp. 39
285). New York: Plenum Press. (Original work published 1934.)