Theories of human development

 

 Introduction

The major theory that accurately accounts for human development is the behavioral development theory. It is based on the premise that human behavior and development is greatly influenced by the impact that interaction with the environment and the people in it. The reason for choosing this theory is because it does not take away from the impact that a person’s experience has on their development (Lerner, 2013). On a personal level, my life has been greatly influenced by the environment I grew up in. my taste in music for instance is greatly influenced by the friends I keep and while I have my favorite songs, others are as a result of the music my friends listen to.

            Human development can also be explained through the four forces described in the bio psychosocial framework. The first one is the biological force and it explains the physiological developments that occur in an individual’s life leading to maturity. They mostly focus on the body and the various changes that occur through the development stages (Babalola et al., 2017). As a child, I was short and skinny. However, my body changed and I became taller and more buff as I progressed through the various stages of development. The weight gain was mostly caused by the change in diet as I grew up, I shifted from eating healthy foods to fast foods available due to my busy schedule at school.

            Psychological forces on the other hand refer to the thoughts and emotions that develop as people grow up and influence behavior. As people mature, the experiences they have through interaction with their environment help them understand the complex nature of the environment they live in. Personalities form as a result and people start making more rational decisions (Cavanaugh & Kail, 2013). At a young age, I would always cry whenever I wanted something but could not have it. My understanding was basic and I did not understand why my parent refused to buy me things I wanted. As I matured however, I learnt how to deny myself some of the things I wanted and prioritized on things that were necessary.

There are also sociocultural factors that consist of the values, beliefs and ideologies that influence an individual’s life through the development stages.  In order to understand how people function and why individuals do the things they do, one must first understand how the beliefs and ideologies affect an individual’s decisions (Calkins, 2012). Knowing how interaction with the environment influences one’s decision making process makes it easier to understand why people do the things they do. I have always been fond of soft music and my playlist comprises of songs that have a deep meaning in their lyrics (Shaffer, 2014). However, as a result of the growing popularity for hip hop music in my community my interests have shifted drastically towards hip hop. Although I still listen to soft music, my interest in music has advanced to include hard hip hop.

The three forces are combined with the life cycle forces to explain how people are affected differently by the same event. The life cycle forces focuses on development as a large system of events that are often influenced by an individual’s interaction with the environment they exist in (Orth et al, 2012). The life cycle forces help to understand the entire process of human development while still focusing on unique aspects of development. A good example is the case where I am patient and always seek peaceful conflict resolution methods. My brother on the other hand tends to result to violence as this is his idea of conflict resolution. Despite being raised by the same parents; brought up in the same house; going to the same school and sharing friends, our personalities tend to be different and this can be best understood when viewed under the life cycle forces.

The force in the bio psychosocial framework that fits best with the behavioral development theory is the social cultural forces. The two argue that human behavior, growth and development is greatly influenced by the experiences that one has through interaction with other people and the environment they live in. While biology and genes do play a significant role in determining human development, they fail to acknowledge the impact that the environment has on an individual (Hunt, 2014). The sociocultural forces focus on the importance of understanding human behavior as a way of understanding one’s personal traits and also how one interacts with others in the community. Similarly, the behavioral development theory focuses on how interaction with the environment affects the various stages of human development. An example of this is the case where an individual is born without any medical complications and leads a healthy life (Lerner, 2013). After interaction with the environment however, there is the likelihood that one can develop serious medical conditions such as diabetes. This is caused by factors such as lack of exercise and overconsumption of fast foods. Despite being born healthy, the development stage is influenced by a person’s lifestyle and this is a great indication of how is development is affected by the factors explained through the sociocultural factors and the behavioral development theory.

Conclusion

The behavioral development theory is the major theory that accurately accounts for human development. Human behavior is greatly influenced by interactions with the environment and the people in it.  Human development can also be explained by the psychological forces that include emotions and thoughts. As people mature the interactions, they have with the environment they live influences their behaviors. Social cultural factors that consist of the values, beliefs and ideologies that influence the life of an individual throughout the development stage also play a large part in influencing human development. Human behavior is greatly influenced by the experiences that one has with the environment and people.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Babalola E, Noel P, White R. (2017). The bio psychosocial approach and global mental health:    Synergies and opportunities. Indian J Soc Psychiatry    http://www.indjsp.org/text.asp?2017/33/4/291/218597

Calkins S. D. (2011). Biopsychosocial Models and the Study of Family Processes and Child             Adjustment. Journal of marriage and the family, 73(4), 817–821. doi:10.1111/j.1741-            3737.2011.00847.x

Hunt A, (2014) “Expanding the bio psychosocial model: The active reinforcement model”            Graduate Student Journal of Psychology

Kail, R. V., Cavanaugh, J. C. (2013). Essentials of Human Development: A Life-Span      View. United States: Cengage Learning.

Kail, R. V., Cavanaugh, J. C. (2019). Human Development: A Life-Span   View. Singapore: Cengage Learning.

Kipp, K., Shaffer, D. R. (2014). Developmental Psychology: Childhood and          Adolescence. United States: Cengage Learning.

Lerner, R. M. (2013). Concepts and Theories of Human Development. United Kingdom: Taylor & Francis.

Orth, U., Robins, R. W., & Widaman, K. F. (2012). Life-span development of self-esteem and its             effects on important life outcomes. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,102(6),

            1271-1288. doi:10.1037/a0025558