Child Development Chap 2 Five Perspectives

The psychodynamic perspective of child development is based on the psychoanalytic theory of Sigmund Freud and is centered in the subconscious and stages of development and the psychosocial theory of Erik Erikson, which identified eight stages of development. The behavioral perspective is based on John B. Watson and others theory that development can be understood through observation of behavior and environmental elements. The cognitive perspective, credited to Jean Piaget, argues that development is based upon mental capabilities of the individual and how well they understand the world around them. The contextual perspective, from Uric Bronfenbrenner, states that behavior is determined by relationships between people in all phases of their shared environment. Evolutionary perspective places the emphasis on genetic inheritance and our instincts to perpetuate the species. I believe it takes all five perspectives to understand how child development occurs, and these perspectives reinforce the argument that development is a life-long process.