Everything in this world will change and it also happens to humans. Psychologists with their knowledge try to understand and explain about the change undergone by humans as they develop from children, teenagers to adults. Even though this development is normal, but there are a number of challenges so that people may need help for being able to overcome it.
Developmental psychology has a principle to help professionals to determine potential issues and try to find the ways to solve the issues for better results. In other words, it is done to overcome problems and support growth.
However, what is developmental psychology? You are able to read the definition and also then other things related to developmental psychology below according to the Kampus Psikologi site.
What Is Developmental Psychology?
Developmental psychology is a branch of psychology which focuses on the way humans develop and change during their life. Psychologists who specialize in this field are not only concerned about physiological change, but they also concern about the change in emotional development, social skill, and cognitive which changes.
So, here are several issues that are overcame by developmental psychologists:
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- Cognitive development during childhood and throughout life
- Challenges in development and learning disabilities
- Emotional development
- Personality development
- Language acquisition
- Moral reasoning
- Motor skill development
- Self-concept and self-awareness
- Socio-cultural influence on the development of child
Theory of Child, Adolescent, and Family Developmental Psychology
Various theories are often used by developmental psychologists to think about different aspects of human development. For example, a psychologist gives an assessment to the intellectual development of a child and the psychologist will consider perspectives in psychology according to Piaget’s theory of cognitive development where it underlines the important stages of children when they are learning.
The psychologist will also consider the relationship between the child with the caregiver where it is done to know how it affects their behavior. If it is the thing that they want to research, they will use Bowlby’s “Theory of Attachment”.
It is also often to cite the theory of Erik Erikson about psychosocial development and the theory of Vygotsky about socio-cultural development, especially when social relationships and their influence on the development of children and adults are discussed.
Each approach tends to emphasize the differences from different aspects of development, such as social, mental, and parental influences on development and the way children develop.
When Is The Right Time to See a Developmental Psychologist?
Development tends to follow predictable patterns. However, there will be a moment when several things cannot be expected to happen. Parents tend to focus on “developmental milestones”, which represents the ability that most children show at a certain time when they develop.
This “milestone” usually focuses on four aspects namely physical, cognitive, social/ emotional, and communication.
One of the physical milestones achieved by children of 9 to 15 months is walking. If children are 16 to 18 months old and they are still not able to walk, parents need to consider visiting psychologists to consult about their development.
The important thing that should be noted is that everyone develops at a different pace. However, if there is a child who is failed in achieving his or her milestone in his or her age, it can be a concern.
If parents know the milestone that their child needs to achieve, they are able to know when they need to find help. And here, the task of health professionals is to offer intervention to be able to help the children to overcome delays in their development.
7 Stages of Psychological Development
Developmental psychologists divide development according to the phases in life and each of the developmental periods represents the time when the milestone is generally achieved.
There may be challenges at some points and the existence of psychological development is to help you to overcome developmental issues.
- Prenatal
Among developmental psychologists, the prenatal period is a hot topic, especially among those who want to know how early influences on development can affect later development in childhood.
Psychologists are interested to see the primary reflexes that appear before birth, the way the fetus responds to stimuli in the fetus, and the sensations and perceptions that the fetus can feel before birth.
Possible problems like down syndrome, drug use during pregnancy, or congenital diseases that can affect a child’s development are also seen by them.
- Early Childhood
Period from infancy to childhood is a time for humans to grow and change. The physical, cognitive, and emotional growth that happens are observed by the growth observers.
In this period, psychologists provide interventions to potential developmental barriers and also focus to help children to reach their full potential.
Parents and health experts are always on hand to ensure that children develop well, get sufficient nutrition, and reach cognitive achievement according to their age.
- Middle Childhood
In this period, the mark is that there is physical maturity and level of social influence as children pass through elementary school increases.
In this period, children also start to mark their presence in the world through friendship, continuously build a sense of self, and increase competence through schoolwork. Parents can ask help from developmental psychologists to help their children to deal with potential barriers.
Social, emotional, and mental health issues are barriers that appear in this period.
- Adolescence
Sometimes, adolescence becomes an interesting topic. The reason is because children go through various upheavals and transitions that often appear in this developmental period. Psychologists like Erik Erikson are interested in knowing how this period leads to identity formation.
At this age, children have a tendency to test their limits and explore new identities when they look for answers from the question “who am I, and what do I want to be?”. The teenagers can be helped by psychologists to overcome challenging issues to every adolescent period.
- Early Adulthood
You may often see or hear that children want to be teenagers. And then, teenagers want to be adults. However, when they see that the reality is not as sweet as they thought, there are a lot of them who want to run away from their childhood.
In this period, humans are filled with making and maintaining relationships. These milestones are critical because these are about creating relationships, intimacy, close friendships, and starting a family.
People who can build and maintain relationships usually tend to feel “connected” and get social support, but people who cannot do it often feel isolated and lonely.
If there are people who face such problems, they may need help from developmental psychologists to be able to build better relationships, and overcome emotional disputes.
- Middle Adulthood
In this stage, the focus is in developing a sense of purpose and contribution to the environment. This phase was described by Erikson as generativity and stagnation.
People who are in this stage want to be involved in the world, contribute to things that will last after they die, and leave a mark for the next generation. The things that can contribute to this feeling are activities like family, career, group membership, and group involvement.
You are able to see these stages in the actions that are done by activists who risk their lives for a more beautiful and brighter future for the next generation.
- Older Adults
It is often seen that old age is the peak of deteriorating health. However, we also cannot deny that there are a lot of seniors who are still active and busy even though they are 80 to 90 years old. This period is marked by increasing concern for health, and some people experience a decline in mental abilities where it is known as dementia.
People at this age who can see events that happened during their life without feeling regret, usually they will feel wiser and better equipped to face the end of their journey. However, if they regret because they cannot do certain things during their life, they will feel hopeless and disappointed.
The old people can be helped by developmental psychologists to overcome their issues related to the aging process.
Developmental Psychology Diagnosis
A psychologist or expert in the field can conduct a developmental screening or evaluation to determine if a developmental problem is present.
For children, the evaluation may require interviewing their parents and caregivers to study the child’s behavior, their medical record, and standardized tests to test communication functionality, emotional/ social abilities, physical/ motor development, and cognitive abilities.
If it is found that there is a problem, the patients are able to contact the therapist concerned.
A bookworm and researcher especially related to law and citizenship education. I spend time every day in front of the internet and the campus library.
