- Published: September 28, 2022
- Updated: September 28, 2022
- University / College: University of Birmingham
- Level: Doctor of Philosophy
- Language: English
- Downloads: 27
Theories of human development Describe some of the theories that relate to psychology and human development. What are the implications of these for health care practice?
The levels of reasoning of a child, an adolescent and a mature person are all different. Study also shows that people in the three stages will have different emotional reactions towards different situations (Barkway, 2009. All this can be attributed to the changes undergone during human development. Different theorists have come up with different ideas to explain how the changes take place during development including; determinism, causal and contextual, and reductionism.
Determinism
Determinism is a theory which states that the behaviour of an individual is shaped by his or her past history. What a person has gone through or has experienced in the past may shape his or her behaviour in the current periods. Taking for example parenting; what our parent teach us while we grow up will significantly affect our reactions towards different situations in the future (Barkway, 2009, P. 16).
Causal and contextual theories
Causal and contextual theories are development theories which explain behavior in terms of understanding the exact causes (causal) of the situation and understanding the context of the situation (contextual). According to these theories, to explain the changes demonstrated during human development, the causes and contexts of their behaviours are studied.
Reductionism
Reductionism theory states that changes in human development are experienced due to the tendency of individuals to simplify complex things. Adolescents especially, will often reduce complex ideas into basic and simplified elements (Barkway, 2009).
These theories have had a lot of impact in the healthcare practice since they have helped doctors and psychologists understand different behaviors demonstrated by different patients that they treat. Different medical treatments and medicines have also been invented on the basis of these theories.
References
Barkway, P. (2009). Psychology for Health Professionals. Australia: Elsevier Australia.
