WEEK 1 Flashcards
Introduction to the Life Span Perspective (41 cards)
Psychoanalytic (Psychosexual) Theory
-Posited by Freud.
-Based off the belief that sexual desire is the driving force behind human development.
-Contains five stages of human development: Infancy, toddlerhood, early childhood, middle childhood, and adolescence
-Freud believed that the early stages were crucial and that most of later development was already determined by age 6
Id (Freud)
Id- driven by the pleasure principle, which strives for immediate gratification of all desires, wants, and needs. If these needs are not satisfied immediately, the result is a state of anxiety or tension. E.g. the need to eat when hungry.
Superego (Freud)
Superego- The basis of the conscience; sits primarily in the unconscious but extends through the preconscious and into the conscious. The superego holds the internalized moral standards and ideals that we acquire from our parents and society. E.g. A man realizes that the cashier at the store forgot to charge him for one of the items he had in his cart. He returns to the store to pay for the item because his internalized sense of right and wrong urges him to do so.
Ego (Freud)
Ego- the personality component responsible for dealing with reality; strives to satisfy the id’s desires in realistic and socially appropriate ways. The reality principle weighs the costs and benefits of an action before deciding to act upon or abandon impulses.
E.g. resisting the urge to get up and leave a boring work meeting in favour of going home- instead, imagining what you will do when the meeting is over
Oral Stage (Psychosexual Theory)
-Occurs during infancy.
-Sexual sensations centred on the mouth; pleasure derived from sucking, chewing, biting.
Anal Stage (Psychosexual Theory)
-Occurs during toddlerhood
-Sexual sensations centred on the anus; high interest in faeces; pleasure derived from elimination.
Phallic Stage (Psychosexual Theory)
-Occurs during early childhood
-Sexual sensations move to genitals, sexual desire for other-sex parent and fear of same-sex parent.
Latency Stage (Psychosexual Theory)
-Occurs during middle childhood
-Sexual desires repressed; focus on developing social and cognitive skills.
Genital Stage (Psychosexual Theory)
-Occurs during adolescence
-Re-emergence of sexual desire, now directed outside the family.
Psychosocial Theory
-Posited by Erickson
-Focuses primarily on social and cultural environment and its effects on development; continues throughout lifespan, not just childhood, as is the case with Freud’s theory.
- Eight stages of development
Trust vs Mistrust
-Occurs during infancy
-Its primary goal is to establish a bond with a trusted caregiver
-If the infant is loved and cared for, a sense of basic trust develops that the world is a good place and need not be feared.
-If not well-loved in infancy, the child learns to mistrust others and to doubt that life will be rewarding.
Autonomy vs Shame/Guilt
-Occurs during toddlerhood
-Main goal is to develop a healthy sense of self, distinct from others
-If the child is allowed some scope for making choices, a healthy sense of autonomy develops
-however, if there is excessive restraint or punishment, the child experiences shame and doubt.
Initiative vs Guilt
-Occurs during early childhood
-Main goal is to initiate activities in a purposeful way
-In this stage the child becomes capable of planning activities in a purposeful way. With encouragement of this new ability a sense of initiative develops.
-if the child is discouraged and treated harshly then guilt is experienced.
Industry vs Inferiority
-Occurs during middle childhood
-Main goal is to begin to learn knowledge and skills of one’s culture
-If a child is encouraged and taught well, a sense of industry develops that includes enthusiasm for learning and confidence in mastering the skills required.
-However, a child who is unsuccessful at learning what is demanded is likely to experience inferiority.
Identity vs Role Confusion
-Occurs during adolescence
-Main goal is to develop a secure and coherent identity
-Adolescents must develop an awareness of who they are, what their capacities are and what their place is within their culture.
-For those who are unable to achieve this, role confusion results.
Intimacy vs Isolation
-Occurs during early adulthood
-Main goal is to establish a committed, long-term love relationship
-The challenge for young adults is to risk their newly formed identity by entering a committed intimate relationship, usually marriage.
-Those who are unable or unwilling to make themselves vulnerable end up isolated, without an intimate relationship.
Generativity vs Stagnation
-Occurs during middle adulthood
-Main goal is to care for others and contribute to the wellbeing of the young
-The generative person in middle adulthood is focused on how to contribute to the wellbeing of the next generation, through providing for and caring for others.
-People who focus instead on their own needs at midlife end up in a state of stagnation.
Ego Integrity vs Despair
-Occurs during late adulthood
-Main goal is to evaluate one’s lifetime and accept it as it is
-The person who accepts what life has provided, good and bad parts alike, and concludes that it was a life well spent can be considered to have ego integrity.
-In contrast, the person who is filled with regrets and resentments at this stage of life experiences despair.
Ecological Theory (Bronfenbrenner)
Unlike Freud and Erickson’s theories, not a stage theory- instead focuses on multiple factors that shape human development in the social environment, in the form of systems. According to Bronfenbrenner, there are 5 key systems that contribute to human development:
Microsystem, Mesosytem, Exosystem, Macrosystem, and Chronosystem
Microsystem (Ecological Theory)
‘Immediate environment’- the settings where people experience their daily lives. Includes relationships and face-to-face interactions with family, peers, friends, teachers, and employers.
Mesosystem (Ecological Theory)
Network of interconnections between different microsystems: “How does my work life affect my home life?”
Exosystem (Ecological Theory)
The societal institutions that have indirect yet potentially important influence on development. For example, in many Asian countries, competition to get into university is intense and depends chiefly on adolescents’ performance on a national exam at the end of high school; consequently, the high school years are a period of extreme academic stress.
Macrosystem (Ecological Theory)
The broad system of cultural beliefs and values, and the economic and governmental systems which those beliefs are built on.
-For example, in countries such as Iran or Saudi Arabia, cultural beliefs and values are based on Islam, as well as their governmental and economic systems. In contrast, in most developed countries, beliefs in the value of individual freedom are reflected in a free-market economic system and in governmental systems of representative democracy.
Chronosystem (Ecological Theory)
changes that occur in developmental circumstances over time, both with respect to individual development and to historical changes. For example, with respect to individual development, losing your job is a much different experience at 15 than it would be at 45; with respect to historical changes, the occupational opportunities open to young women in many countries today are much broader than they were for young women half a century ago.
