Theories

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Theories

• How and why people become as they are
• 63-171

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Fundamental Concepts of Growth and Development

• Growth is the quantitative changes in physical
  size of the body and its parts.
• Development refers to behavioral changes in
  functional abilities and skills.
• Maturation is the process of becoming fully grown
  and developed. It involves both the physiological
  and behavioral aspects of an individual.

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Growth versus Development

• quantitative changes
• measured
• compared to norms
• ie. Height, weight

• progressive
• continuous
• process of change
• leads to new functional ability

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• Maturation depends on biological growth,
  functional changes, and learning (assimilation of
  information with a resultant change in behavior).
• The critical period is the time of the most rapid
  growth or development in a particular stage of
  the life cycle.

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Principles of Growth and Development

• Development occurs in a cephalocaudal direction
  (head to toe) and proximodistal manner (inner to
  outer).
• Functions closer to the midline develop before
  distal functions.
• Development occurs from simple to complex.

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• The pattern of growth and development is
  continuous, orderly, and predictable but does not
  proceed at a consistent rate.
• All individuals go through the same developmental
  processes.
• Every person proceeds through stages of growth
  and development at an individual rate.

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• Every stage of development has specific
  characteristics.
• Each stage of development has certain tasks to be
  achieved or acquired during that specific time.
• Some stages of growth and development are more
  critical than others.

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Factors Influencing Growth and Development

• Heredity
• Life experiences
• Health status
• Cultural expectations

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Theoretical Perspectives of Human Development

• Physiological dimension
• Physiological growth of an individual is
  influenced primarily by interaction of genetic
  predisposition, the central nervous system, the
  endocrine system, and maturation.

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Holistic Framework for Nursing

• Psychosocial dimension
• Consists of subjective feelings and interpersonal
  relationships
• Self-concept is a view of ones self, including
  body image, self-esteem, and ideal self
• Theorists
• Freud, Erikson, Havighurst

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Cognitive dimension

• Characterized by the intellectual process of
  knowing which includes perception, memory, and
  judgment
• Develops as an individual progresses through the
  life span
• Theorist Piaget

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Moral dimension

• Consists of a persons value system that helps in
  differentiating right and wrong
• Moral maturity is the ability to independently
  decide for ones self what is right
• Theorists Kohlberg, Gilligan

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Spiritual dimension

• Spirituality refers to relationships with ones
  self, with others and with a higher power or
  divine source
• Spirituality does not refer to a specific
  religious affiliation
• Theorist Fowler

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Holistic Framework for Nursing

• Nursings holistic perspective recognizes the
  progression of individual development across the
  lifespan.
• Nursing interventions must be appropriate to each
  clients developmental stage.
• Growth and development theories are useful to
  nurses as assessment parameters.

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Adaptation

• Result of adjustment to the environment
  (prenatal, postnatal, infancy, childhood,
  adulthood)
• Learning to get needs met

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Development Types

• Biophysical
• Psychosocial
• Cognitive
• Moral

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Developmental Periods
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Developmental Theorists

• Erikson
• Havinghurst
• Piaget

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ERIK ERIKSON
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Eriksons Developmental Theory

• Erikson believed development was based on
  sequencing biological, psychological and social
  events
• Erickson viewed IDENTITY as the central life task
  and self definition as a lifelong maturational
  process
• Development of identity of self through stages
  triggered by lifes forces. Life circumstances,
  culture affect the when, how, intensity of
  process

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Eriksons Developmental Theory

• Developmental tasks with opposing tendencies
• Influenced by internal and external forces
• Each stage build on successful resolution of the
  previous one
• A linear process, each stage more complex than
  the previous stage
• Ideal resolution is the balancing of the positive
  with the negative

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Eriksons Eight stages of life

• Infancy Trust vs. Mistrust
• Toddler Autonomy vs. Doubt
• Early Childhood Initiative vs. Guilt
• 6 to 12Competence vs. Inferiority
• 12 to 18 Identity vs. Role Confusion
• 19 to 40 Intimacy vs. Isolation
• 40 to 65 Generativity vs. Stagnation
• 65 to death Integrity vs. Despair

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Health Promotion Implications

• Self-assessment of own development
• Use Eriksons tasks in assessment of clients
• In teaching parents about child development
• Assist clients and health care providers to
  recognize change as a lifelong process
• Recognize influence of society on health and
  behaviour

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ROBERT HAVIGHURST

• Building on Erikson
• Tasks from internal external pressures
• Pressures physical maturity, cultural pressures,
  individual goals aspirations
• Success or failure in one task affect later tasks
• Havighurst believed that schools must help a
  child attain success, to foster success in adult
  tasks.

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Cognitive Development

• Piagets theory
• Progressive acquisition of increasing levels of
  thinking skills
• Establish harmony or equilibrium between self and
  environment
• Biological maturation affects cognitive
  development, but Piaget believed the rate of
  development depended on the intellectual
  stimulation and challenge in the childs
  environment.

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Piagets Theory

• Intellectual development takes place in stages/
  people seek equilibrium in their lives. Piaget
  emphasized the cognitive development in children.
  He concluded that intellectual development
  appeared to take place in stages and therefore no
  stage could be eliminated, since each was
  dependent on the preceding.

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Piagets Stages of Intellectual Development

• 1. Ages birth-2 yr. Sensorimotor Stage - object
  permanence
• Learning to deal with the environment.
• Moving from random acts to thoughtful choices

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Piagets Stages of Intellectual Development

• 2. Ages 2 -7yr. Preoperational Stage
• Learning to think with the use of symbols,
  language.
• Play is the initial use of symbols.
• Imitation make believe communicate feelings.
• Language mirrors the thinking process.
• Egocentric , only sees own perspective.
• Parallel play. Learns to handle the responses of
  others to their actions.
• Able to think systematically concretely (see,
  feel, taste).

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Piagets Stages of Intellectual Development

• 3. Ages 7-11 - Concrete Operational
• Learns to understand two concrete perspectives.
  Starts to cooperate share
• adding, subtracting, mental representation,
  conservatism
• 4. Ages 11 - Formal Stage
• Thinking moves to the abstract and theoretical
  subjects
• Increased ability to problem solve. Reason with
  respect to possibilities

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Health Promotion Implications

• Assess cognitive stage and development of client
  to plan health teaching sessions
• Use knowledge of cognitive development in play
  therapy
• Teach parents about the implications of cognitive
  development for education, choice of toys and
  interactions

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Moral Development

• Kohlbergs theory
• Development of ethical values
• Progression through stages
• Common changes in school age, adolescence and
  young adulthood
• Not everyone goes through all stages

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Health Promotion Implications

• Assess own level of moral development
• Assess clients level of moral development
• Contribute to a clients moral development
  through modeling, clarifying, and validating

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Toward..

• Healthy, happy, successful and safe Canadians

McCabe 2004