Child Development

In psychology many theorist have views on child development. Below we site a few of the major theories that time has proven to have merit. But remember each child is unique and the age level each child is in may not reflect his or her emotional or motor skill age.

Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development

According to psychologist Erik Erikson, human beings go through eight developmental stages in life. At each stage, we are confronted with a psychosocial crisis, which we must resolve before we can move on to the next stage.

Freud's Five Stages of Psychosexual Development

According to Freud, personality development depends on the resolution of conflicts between childhood sexual urges and demands from the society. The five psychosexual stages are: Oral, Anal, Phallic, Latency and Genital.

Paiget's Stages Of Intellectual Development

Italian, early childhood educator, Jean Piaget conceives of child intellectual development as occurring in four distinct stages: sensorimotor stage, preoperational stage, concrete operational stage, and formal operational stage.

Margaret Mahler's Theory of Development

  • Normal Autistic Phase - Birth to 4 weeks
  • Normal Symbiotic Phase - 4 weeks to 5 months
  • The Subphases of Separation - Individuation Proper
  • First Subphase Differentiation - 5 to 10 months
  • Second Subphase Practicing -10 to 16 months
  • Third Subphase Rapprochement 16 to 24 months
  • Fourth Subphase Object Constancy 24 to 36 months
  • Margaret Mahler is also important to the development of Object Relations therapy; our preferred method for treating adults dealing with issues of childhood death of a parent, abuse by a family member or severe trauma.

To learn more about these theories please review more details on other related sites, visit your local library or talk with your child's teacher. If upon this brief overview you wish to connect with one of our counselors, please return to our counseling services page.

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