Analysis of a Child

 

Introduction

Piaget’s theory of cognitive development explains the nature and the development of human intelligence. This theory explains in detail how humans gradually acquire and use knowledge. In the beginning, Piaget was interested in how at a tender age child make a lot of mistakes while trying to solve problems (Hammond, 2014). He is a firm believer that children are not similar to adults, children have more advanced cognitive abilities compared to adults. This theory has four stages of development, these stages are grouped with age. The main goal of this theorist was to shed light on the mechanism and processes by which children develop into individuals who can reason and construct an idea. Erik Erikson was responsible for modifying Freud’s controversial theory of psychosexual development to a psychological theory (Sneed et al., 2006). According to this theorist, ego contributes to the development of a child by assisting the child to master attitudes, ideas, and skills at each stage of development, this mastery is responsible for making children responsible members of society (Sneed et al., 2006). According to this theory, there are eight stages of development.  The discussion below contains a biography of a child, successful parenting techniques and parenting techniques that can be recommended to this specific child.

Biography

Name: Abigail Crane

Gender: Female

Siblings: Jane & Hendrick

Parents: Dwayne Crane & Anna Crane

Date of Birth: 21st March 2012

Physical Concerns: diagnosed as short-sighted at the age of four, allergic to peanuts and is left-handed.

Eye Color: Brown pupil

Hair Color: Black

Parenting Techniques

• Boosting the child’s self-esteem by ensuring that the child is surrounded by positive members of society. Children begin developing their senses as babies and often see themselves through other people. According to Collins and the National Research Council. (1984) the words and actions of parents and those of the society surrounding the child affect the development of self-esteem more than anything else. At Abigail’s age, she is free from domination, she is at the age of the ego, where a child can turn away from the family to the outside world, in return, this will allow the child to become rapidly socialized which allows the development of self and social knowledge that is necessary for them to adjust in society. This is as per the Erikson theory.
• Set limits and be consistent with your discipline. Discipline is a necessity in every household, discipline helps children choose acceptable behaviors and learn self-control. Limits established by discipline allows children to grow into responsible adults. Throughout Piaget’s theory, he is interested in what children do regardless of whether children break the rules or not (McLeod, 2015). He showed a strong interest in the moral judgment of children, according to his theory, children’s understanding of rules, moral judgment and punishment tend to change as they get older.  There are two main moral thinking when it comes to children; Heteronomous Morality and autonomous morality. Heteronomous morality is morality imposed by outsiders, obeying these rules imposed by outsiders is not a choice but a must since they accept that the rules are made by an authoritative figure. Autonomous morality is based on the children’s rules, at this stage, children recognize that there is no absolute right or wrong, the morality of an action depends on the intentions and not the consequences.  At the age of 9 to 10 children’s understanding of moral issues undergo a reorganization.
• Try and catch the child doing good. As a parent, it is important to find something to praise every day about a child (KidsHealth Medical Experts, n.d). Praising a child encourages good behavior in the long run compared to repeated scolding.
• Be a good role model. In most scenarios’ children learn how to act from their parents. The parent needs to be aware that they are constantly being watched by their kids (KidsHealth Medical Experts, n.d). A parent should exhibit the behavior they hope to see in their kids.
• Make communication a priority. One should not expect kids to do everything simply because they are authoritative figures, they deserve an explanation as much as adults do. As a parent, it is important to make your expectations clear and if there is a problem it should be described (KidsHealth Medical Experts, n.d). Also, be open-minded and put suggestions brought forth by children under consideration.

 

 

 

References

Collins, W. A., & National Research Council. (1984). Self-understanding and self-regulation in   middle childhood. In Development During Middle Childhood: The Years from Six to       Twelve. National Academies Press (US).

Hammond, S. I. (2014). Children’s early helping in action: Piagetian developmental theory and   early prosocial behavior. Frontiers in psychology, 5, 759.

KidsHealth Medical Experts (n.d). Nine Steps to More Effective Parenting. Retrieved from;             https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/nine-steps.html

McLeod S. (2015). Piaget's Theory of Moral Development. Retrieved from;             https://www.simplypsychology.org/piaget-moral.html

Sneed, J. R., Whitbourne, S. K., & Culang, M. E. (2006). Trust, identity, and ego integrity:           Modeling Erikson’s core stages over 34 years. Journal of Adult Development, 13(3-4),          148-157.