The Complex Nature of Human Relationships | Study

1Running head: NURSING
Nursing
Name of student:
Name of university:
Author note:

2NURSING
Nursing students need to be aware of the complex nature of human relationships and
the corresponding life transitins for applying the relevant concepts into the nursing practice.
This approach is beneficial for understanding human development and developing a sense of
self that infleucnes the healthcare delivery of the nurses (Black, 2016). The present essay
would be based on the provided case study to address the significant aspects of social and
cognitive development occurring in children between the ages of two and five years and the
factors influencing the development. The essay would refer to the work of the renowned
theorist Jean Piaget, the cognitive development theory, and the work of Erik Erikson, the
social development theory. The relevance of understanding this life stage to nurse and
midwifery practice would be after that discussed.
The theory of cognitive development outlined by the developmental psychologist
Piaget is the comprehensive theory explaining the developmental nature of human
intelligence. The theory aims to impart explanations on the nature of knowledge and how
humans come to acquire it and utilise it. It is primarily a development stage theory (Mischel,
2013). According to the cognitive development theory of Piaget, the Preoperational Stage is
the period between the age of 2 to seven years on a child when one learns to showcase the
skils of cognitive development in that they become more mature and identify things
symbolically. As per this theory, a child at this stage develops the memory as well as his
imagination that heps the child to identify and understand the distinct differences between
future and past. Engaging in make-belief action is a key feature of this stage. However, the
thinking in such case is not logical, and they are yet to understand complex concepts like
comparison and time (Barrouillet, 2015). Bjorklund and & Causey (2017) highlight that the
basis of language development might be laid at the previous stage but is important that the
emergence of language is a key hallmark at this stage. A child might become egocentric and
struggle to perceive the perspectives of others.

3NURSING
In the present case, it has bene found that Jack is able to speak only one-to-two word
sentences and have been babbling most of the time. It is evident hat the language
development is therefore not up-to-the mark. Jack has not been able to achieve the desirable
milestone marked by the capability of utilising images and ideas and language improvement.
The child might have become egocentric at this stage as he is found to focus on himself,
indicted by constant babbling. It is clear that Jack does not consider what the impacts of his
actions would be to others.
According to the social development theory of Erikson, the stage of development in
early childhood, age 2-4 years, is marked by virtue of will. The psychosocial crisis arising at
this stage is autonomy versus shame and doubt. As a child is able to gain control over the
motor abilities and eliminative functions, they tend to explore the surroundings. It is to be
noted that the parents are still in the position to provide a strong foundation of security that
enables the child to venture out for the assertion of his will (Feldman, 2016). The
encouragement and patience that the child gains from the parents are essential for the
fostering of the autonomy of the child. Children at this stage are willing to explore the world
as they tend to learn from them in a constant manner. It is imperative that caution is taking
while the child is exploring the environment as there are issues arising pertaining to safety
and health (Newman & Newman, 2017). Erikson outlined the psychological development
theory that identified eight distinct stages through which an individual pass throughout the
lifespan. At each stage, the individual is to confront and master new challenges. Every step
builds upon the completion of the earlier stage, and outcome of one particular stage might not
be permanent. It is to be mentioned that an individual at every stage has to face the crisis due
to two conflicting forces (Bremner, 2017).
In the present case, it has been found that Jack, a three-year-old child needs to attend
day care for two days for about five hours as his mother is away for work purpose. His