Development Theories: A Comparison of Piaget, Erikson, and Bandura

Running head: DEVELOPMENT THEORIES 1
Child and Adolescent Development
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DEVELOPMENT THEORIES 2
Introduction
The child development process involves their stability and change from the time of
conception through the adolescent age. There is a great significance in prioritizing the
understanding of the history of child development. At past children were viewed as miniature
adults or as a burden and thus researchers did no concentrate much on child’s developmental
advances in physical growth, language use and cognitive abilities. Towards the end of the 19th
century, several advances have been, made in the scientific study of children and adolescent
development. Different theorists have distinguished perspectives towards child development, and
at last, they all come up to a similar thing that influences child development. This essay
compares and contrasts the findings of Piaget’s theory to explain demonstrate why the know-
how of the normal child and adolescent development is essential in helping children attain their
full maturity.
Literature Review
All the theories suggest that children develop in the same manner, but each theorist
stresses different parts of development are of more importance. In the cognitive stage of Piaget
theory, it provides a great deal of explanation for more research on child and adolescent
development (Siegler, 2016). Through his four stages of development Piaget has contributed a
lot to the idea of culture and schooling has played a significant role in the child’s full cognitive
development. Piaget, after dedicating and spreading most of his time within children while
studying their cognitive development, believed that all children’s thought progressed as per his
stages and without omitting any of the stages (McLean, Syed, Yoder & Greenhoot, 2016). Erik
Erikson, a German psychoanalyst, also believed like Jean Piaget in a stage-dependent approach,
but he had eight psychosocial stages of development in his theory (Bjorklund, 2018). According

DEVELOPMENT THEORIES 3
to his theory, Erick Erikson believed that the personality of an individual if subjective to the
society he/she lives and an individual develops psychologically through a series of crisis
(Youniss, 2017). Out of Erik Erikson’s eight psychosocial stages, four of them relate to the child
and adolescent development. Unlike the psychosocial theory by Erik Erikson and the cognitive-
stage in Piaget theory, the social learning theory which was developed by the Albert Bandura,
was an American psychologist, it does not involve any timelines or any stages during the
development of an adolescent or a child. The theory demonstrates that the behaviors learned
through observation and imitation of models within the society (De La Sienra Servin, Smith, &
Mitchell, 2017).
Albert believed that a child’s development could only be successful when they are
provided with a safe and well-protected environment so that that they are able to explore both
their actions and their feelings. Albert Bandura also mentioned that learning would be extremely
laborious if people had to only rely on their actions and feelings to direct them on what to do
(Bandura, (Ed.), 2017).
Analysis and Discussion
Jean Piaget, a philosopher, and biologist suggest that a child’s cognitive development
take place in a series four stages which involves distinctive qualitative types of mental functions.
In his study, Piaget involved talking with and observing his children. Later he came up with the
four stages of the Piaget’s theory which includes; preoperational, sensorimotor, concrete and the
operation stage (Barrouillet, 2015).
Between birth and the age of two years, the child is in the sensorimotor cognitive stage.
During this stage, the child understands him/herself and also gets to know how things happen