Major Issues in DevelopmentMajor Issues in Development
- 1. 1.5.Major issues in development Good morning
- 2. 1.5 Major Issues in Development ï The process of development and the role of different factors and their relative importance is always a matter of debate among psychologists. ï It has developed many issues regarding these matters. ï Some of the main debated issues related to the development of human beings are presented below: 1. Nature vs. nurture 2. Stability vs. change 3. Continuity vs. discontinuity
- 3. 1. Nature vs. nurture ï It is the perennial (continuing for a very long time) debate among the psychologists about the factors affecting the development of a child. ï It is the matter of dispute that whether human development gets more influenced from nature or nurture. ï Nature refers to the biological inheritance of an individual and nurture refers to the environmental experiences of an individual. ï Nature is related with heredity and nurture is related with environment. ï In fact, psychologists differ whether innate traits that a child gets from his/her forefathers by birth are determining factors for personality development or the way he/she is nurtured through environment.
- 4. ContdâŠ. ï According to the followers of the perspective of nature, it is the hereditary endowment, which decides the developmental pattern of a child. ï Human beings grow in a predetermined pattern according to their heredity endowment . Environment only brings the innate potentialities of an individual an out. ï Greek philosophers like Socrates, Plato and Aristotle believe that a person is with a soul, which has an inborn capability of differentiating true and untrue. ï Jean Jacques Rousseau believes on natural tendency of a child and the goal of development is to achieve oneâs inborn potentialities. ï G. Stanley Hall states that the development of a child is directed by an inborn developmental plan and the child develops according to this milestone. ï Mendel presented the role of heredity on development of a child and strengthened the vision of hereditarianism.
- 5. ï In contrast to the followers of the role of nature in human development, the followers of nurture perspective emphasize on the role of environment in human development. ï The evolutionary theory presented by Charles Darwin states that the characteristics and even physical features of an individual are highly affected by environment. ï The individual changes its habits and physical features according to the environment for the purpose of adjustment with it . ï The individualsâ biological environment such as nutrition, health, care and social environment such as family, peer, schooling and culture have a great influence on their development. ï The behaviourism theory of learning advocates the role of environment on the development of a child.
- 6. Contd.. ïAccording to John Locke, the mind of a child is tabula rasa ( a blank sheet of paper) . It is his or her experiences, which write the alphabets of knowledge on it. ïThe father of behaviourism, J. B Watson claims, â Give me a dozen healthy infant, I will make them a doctor, a lawyer, a merchant or a thief regardless of their heredity.â ïThis statement stressed on the greater influence of environment on the development of a child than heredity.
- 7. ContdâŠ. ï In fact both nature and nurture influence human development in one way or the other. Undoubtedly, heredity (nature) may be dominating in one aspect of human development and so is the case with environment (nurture). ï For example, the physique of a person may be influenced by the heredity but his/her intellect by the environment. ï So, both heredity and environment or nature or nurture are contributory factors for shaping the skills, abilities and personality characteristics of an individual. ï Nature and nurture both contribute for human development. ï In fact, an individual is an outcome of nature and nurture.
- 8. 2. Continuity vs. Discontinuity ï This issue regarding continuity versus discontinuity in the development process is the issue related to whether development involves gradual change (continuity) or it takes place according to distinct stages (discontinuity). ï We can compare the examples of growth of a butterfly from egg to adult and the growth of a tree to clarify this issue. ï In the first example, a butterfly develops in distinct stages of egg, larvae, pupa and adult. In the developmental process of a butterfly, every stage is quite different from another. It is the example of discontinuity in which the characteristics of butterfly differ in each stage.
- 9. Contd⊠ï In contrary, the development of a tree from a seed follows continuous pattern. In this development process, the characteristic of tree is continuous in the process of development in which a smaller tree grows in a larger tree with the continuity of its characteristics. ï Developmental psychologists differ in the pattern of human development whether it is continuous or discontinuous. ï Many scholars believe that the development follows a definite and predictable pattern. ï Stanley Hall presented the milestone of development. ï Similarly, Gesell presented the cephalo-caudal law (development proceeds from head to foot) and proximo-distal law (development proceeds from centre to extremities) ï Some other psychologists who believe in discontinuity theory are Sigmund Freud, Erik Erikson, Jean Piaget.
- 10. Contd.. ï The believers of continuity admit that a child brings all capabilities for development with birth. Development only unfolds these characteristics in a regular pattern. ï In this way, human development is a continuous process in which the inborn characteristics are unfolded in only a quantitative manner.
- 11. 3. Stability vs Change ï Stability means a universal pattern of development of a child and change means change in the future of a child according to change environment. ï According to the believers of stability, human development follows a predictable pattern, according to which every characteristics of an individual occur in a certain age. ï These characteristics follow a universal pattern with some sort of individual differences and differences related to different races and cultures. ï Although, environment plays an active role in the development of a human being, the characteristics are so universal that it can be easily predicted. ï The psychologists who believe in milestones of development such as Stanley Hall, Gesell, Erikson, piaget, etc. support this view.
- 12. ï In contrast to the view of stability in the developmental pattern of a child, the followers of change believe that developmental pattern is not universal. ï It is changed according to time, environment and culture. ï For example, the theory of evolution proposed by Charles Darwin suggests that organism change their behaviour and bodily features to adjust themselves to the changing environment. ï Since the environment changes regularly, the characteristics of individual also change. ï Similarly, the cultural theory of development by Vygotsky also states that the development of a child differs according to culture. ï Since, the culture is not in static element, the changes within the child largely differ according to the culture.