Chapter 03
Theories of Child
Development
Dr. Kishor Roy
Associate Professor
Department of Psychology
Jagannath University
1
• What is a theory?
– Orderly set of ideas which describe, explain, and
predict behavior.
• Why are theories important?
– To give meaning to what we observe.
– As a basis for action -- finding ways to improve the
lives and education of children.
2
Theories of Child Development
1. Psychoanalytical
2. Erikson’s personality development
3. Piaget’s cognitive development
3
Freud’s Psychoanalytic
Theory
The central idea of Freud’s
psychoanalytic theory of personality
was that personality characteristics,
including the symptoms of
psychological disorders, grow out of
unconscious conflicts about sexual and
aggressive drive.
4
Parts of personality / Regions of the mind /
Components of personality
1. Unconscious
2. Preconscious
3. Conscious
Structure of personality
1. Id These three
2. Ego components are
separate but interacting
3. Superego
5
Rational, Information
planful, in our
mediating Conscious immediate
dimension Ego awareness
of personality
Superego Preconscious
Information
which can
easily be
Moralistic, made
judgmental, Unconscious conscious
perfectionist
dimension of
personality Id
Thoughts,
feelings,
urges, and other
information
Irrational, that is difficult
illogical, to bring to
impulsive conscious
dimension of
personality awareness
6
Unconscious
Content of unconscious
Deeper in the unconscious are instinctual drives, the wishes,
desires, demands, and needs.
Why unconscious contents are hidden?
Unconscious contents are hidden from conscious awareness
and the meanings of the materials are disguised because of
the conflicts and pain they would cause if they were part of
our everyday lives. Therefore, the content of the unconscious
cannot be observed directly.
7
Studying Unconscious
It is necessary to interpret clues to the unconscious – slips
of the tongue, fantasies, and dreams – to understand the
unconscious processes that direct behavior.
Conscious
Everything you are aware of at a given moment including
thoughts, perceptions, feelings, and memories
Preconscious
Material that can easily be brought into awareness
8
Id
Function
From the time of birth, the id attempts to reduce tension
created by primitive drives related to hunger, sex, aggression,
and irrational impulses.
Source of energy
“psychic energy” – limitless energy source constantly
putting pressure on the various parts of the personality.
Operating principle
Pleasure principle, in which the goal is immediate
reduction of tension and the maximization of satisfaction.
9
Ego
Function
The ego strives to balance the desire of the id and the
realities of the objective, outside world. It is the “executive”
of personality: it makes decision, controls actions, and allows
thinking and problem solving of a higher order than the id’s
capabilities permit.
Operating principle
Reality principle – which restrain instinctual energy to
maintain safety of the individual and help integrate the
person into society.
10
11
Super ego
Super ego is the final personality structure to develop.
How develops?
The contents of superego – rights and
wrongs of society – are taught and
modeled by a person’s parents,
teachers, and significant individuals.
Components:
1. Conscience
2. Ego-ideal
12
The conscience prevents us from behaving in a morally
improper way by making us feel guilty if we do wrong.
Ego-ideal motivates us to do what is morally right.
The superego helps us to
control impulses coming
from the id, making our
behavior less selfish and
more virtuous.
13
Both id and superego are unrealistic in that they do not
consider practical realities imposed by society.
If superego left to operate without restraint, it would create
perfectionists unable to make compromises that life requires.
Unrestrained id would create primitive, pleasure-seeking,
thoughtless individual seeking to fulfill every desire without delay.
14
Personality is result of the battle for control between id, ego
& superego.
15
16
Development of Personality
Personality develops through five stages
1. Oral
2. Anal
Each stage focus on major
3. Phallic
biological function
4. Latency
5. Genital
17
Oral Stage (Birth to
about 2 years of age)
The baby’s mouth is the focal
point of pleasure. The
gratification comes from
sucking, eating, mouthing, and
biting. 18
If infants are either overly indulged (perhaps by being fed
every time they cry) or frustrated in their search for oral
gratification, they may become fixated at this stage.
Fixation refers to conflicts of concerns that persist beyond
the developmental period in which they first occur.
An adult with fixation at the oral stage might show~
19
eating
talking
smoking
unusually interested in oral activities
Chewing
Thumb sucking
20
symbolic sorts of oral interests
bitingly sarcastic very gullible
21
Anal Stage (2 to 4
years of age)
In this stage the child’s pleasure is
centered on the anus, and the children
obtain considerable pleasurable from
both retention and expulsion of feces.
22
Fixation occurs if toilet training is particularly demanding.
Adults may show ~
23
rigidity
miserly
orderliness
24
disorderliness punctuality
sloppiness 25
Phallic Stage (4 to 5 – 6 years)
In this stage the child’s pleasure focuses on the genitals and
the pleasure derived from folding them.
This is one of the most important points of personality
development when Oedipal (experienced by boys)
or Electra (experienced by girls) complex occurs.
A child’s sexual interest in his or her
opposite -sex parent, typically resolved
through identification with the same-
sex parent. 26
Identification
The process of wanting to be like
another person as much as possible,
imitating that person’s behavior and
adopting similar beliefs and values.
27
Male child suffer from
castration anxiety
Female child develops penis
envy.
28
The Oedipus Complex (Boys)
Boy wants Mom
29
The Oedipus Complex (Boys)
Castration
Anxiety!!
Remove sexuality from Mom
30
The Oedipus Complex (Boys)
Some with Mom
31
The Electra Complex (Girls)
Identifies with Mom
Some with Dad
32
Latency Period (6 years to adolescents)
During this phase children’s sexual concerns are
temporarily put aside
Genital stage (Adolescence to adulthood)
This stage is marked by adult sexual behavior.
33
Defense Mechanism
Unconscious strategies that people use to reduce anxiety by
concealing the source of the anxiety from themselves and
others.
Repression
Unacceptable or unpleasant impulses are push back into the
unconscious.
Regression
People behave as if they were at an earlier stage of
development.
34
Displacement
The expression of unwanted feeling or thought is
redirected from a more threatening, powerful person
to weaker one.
Denial
People refuse to accept or acknowledge an anxiety
producing piece of information
35
Rationalization
People provide self-justifying explanations in place of the
actual, threatening reason for their behavior.
Mom needs my constant Mom
attention . It’s only what
any good son would do.
“I love Mom”
36
Projection
People attribute unwanted impulses and feelings to
someone else.
“Dad hates me”
“I hate Dad”
37
Sublimation
People divert unwarned impulses into socially
approved thoughts, feeling, or behaviors.
“I hate my
opponents”
“I hate Dad”
38
Reaction formation
Unconscious impulses are expressed as their opposite in
consciousness.
“I love Dad”
“I hate Dad”
Original id impulse Reaction to id impulse
39
40
