Moral and psychological development in children is the continued growth process in which children increase appropriate ideas of behavior toward themselves, others, and society as a whole. Moral and psychological development is usually based on familial and social norms. Psychological developmental changes usually occur around the same time that physiological changes start to happen--usually around the time an adolescent reaches puberty.
History
Moral and psychological development was not studied scientifically until the 1950s. In 1956, psychologist Erik Erikson developed the Eight Stages of Development. This is a socialization process consisting of eight phases. These phases were primarily a studied discussion of the stages of basic human moral and psychological growth. According to Erikson, this developmental process consisted of a variety of stages and each one relates to how a child learns to develop morals, ethics and rationale.
Considerations
There has been wide debate since the 1980s that the urbanization of America has hindered American youth from properly developing psychologically. When children interact with nature they develop more of a resilience to illnesses and become more imaginative thinkers. Genealogically speaking discussions and debates indicate that nature is a lot more influential than nurture. This is pretty evidential when looking at the evolution of the species, primarily humankind.
Significance
From an evolutionary standpoint, theorists have written many conclusions as to why nature is more prevalent when compared to nurture. In recent years there have been many organizations and people that would like to change school yards to appear more natural in their environment. The reason for this is evidence that when children interact in a natural environment where there is grass and vegetation there seems to be a higher rate of success when students take tests, interact with peers, and use their creativity to excel in academia.
Stages of growth
According to Erikson, there are eight stages of development that each individual must go through before reaching adulthood. Each is a critical phase in human development. The stages begin in infancy and are barely becoming aware of the world around you. They continue until the individual has reached the final phase where the mature adult will either have developed a positive or negative view of himself. If he was loved and nurtured growing up, then this phase of his life should give him a feeling of happiness and a sense of pride. If the child was not nurtured and loved, than this is the phase of her life where she has developed a sense of negativity toward herself, her peers and the world around her.
Thinking Back
The development of a human being is an intricate operation. Parents often have to watch what they say and/or do around young, impressionable children. This is the reason why there is so much debate and discussion pertaining to nature versus nurtures role in regards to the absolute influence of the moral and psychological development of children. Erikson's eight stages of growth could be placed alongside either nature versus nurture in order to implement a positively influential development program for young children to grow into happy adults.
References
- Child Development Institute: Stages of Social-Emotional Development In Children and Teenagers
- White Hutchinson Leisure & Learning Group: Interaction with Nature During the Middle Years: Its Importance to Children's Development & Nature's Future
- Access Excellence: What Is The Relationship Between "Nature" And "Nurture" In The Acquisition Of Knowledge?
