Developmental Theory

GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF
GROWTH AND
DEVELOPMENT
Theories of Development
 Theory- is a systematic statement of principles that
provides a framework for explaining some phenomenon

 Developmental theories- provide road maps for

explaining human development
Areas of Developmental
Theory
1. Biophysical development
 Describe the way our physical bodies grow
and change

2. Psychoanalytic/psychosocial
development
 Describe the development of the human
personality, behavior and emotions
3. Cognitive development
 Focused on reasoning and thinking processes
including the changes in how people come to
perform intellectual operations

4. Moral development
 Focuses on the description of moral reasoning
PSYCHOANALYTIC
PSYCHOSOCIAL
DEVELOPMENT
Sigmund Freud’s Stages of
Psychosexual Development

Psychosexual Stages

 Define how human personality develops from

birth up to and including early adulthood.
Sigmund Freud’s Stages of
Psychosexual Development
Stage Psychosexual stage

Infancy (Birth-1 y/o) Oral Stage

Toddler(1-3y/o) Anal Stage
Preschooler(3-5y/o)  Phallic Stage
School-age (6-12y/o)s Latency Stage
Adolescent (12-20 y/o) Genital Stage
The Oral Stage (0 - 1 )
 Child explores the world by using
mouth

 Gains pleasure through sucking and

eating

 child develops a sense of comfort

through oral stimulation.
Nursing implications

 Provide oral stimulation by giving pacifiers

 Do not discourage thumb-sucking

 Breastfeeding may provide more stimulation

than formula feeding because it requires the
infant to expend more energy
The Anal Stage (1 - 3)
 Focus of pleasure is the anal zone
 Child learns to control Bladder(urination)
and Bowel movements(defecation)
 Source of enjoyment/gratification is the act
of real releasing contents of bowel and
bladder
 Nursing implications:

 Help children achieve bowel and bladder

control without undue emphasis on its
importance
The Phallic Stage (3-5)
 Child learns sexual identity through
awareness of genital area.

 Genital organs become the focus of

pleasure
OEDIPUS COMPLEX 

 Males are sexually intrigued by their

mothers

 Boys feelings of wanting to possess the

mother and the desire to replace the father.
 castration anxiety

 fear of injury or loss of the genital organs,

often as the reaction to a repressed feeling of
punishment for forbidden sexual desire
ELECTRA COMPLEX

 Young girls feelings of wanting to possess the

father

 Freud believed that girls experience penis

envy.
 Nursing implications:
 Accept child’s sexual interest such as
fonding his or her own genitals, as a
normal area of exploration.

 Help parents answer child’s questions

about birth or sexual differences.
The Latency Stage (6-12)
 Child’s personality development
appears to be nonactive or dormant

 Child put energy into acquiring

educational, cultural and social skills
 Nursing implications:

 Help the child have positive

experiences as his self-esteem
continues to grow and he prepares for
the conflicts of adolescence
The Genital Stage
(adolescent)

 develops sexual maturity

 learns to establish satisfactory

relationships with the opposite sex
 Nursing implications:

 Provide appropriate opportunities for

the child to relate with the opposite
sex

 allow child to verbalize feelings about

new relationships