University Nursing Essay: Cognitive and Social Development in Children

This essay examines cognitive and social development in children aged 2-5, focusing on the theories of Jean Piaget and Erik Erikson and their relevance to nursing practice. The essay analyzes a case study of a three-year-old child, Jack, to illustrate the application of these theories. It highlights the importance of understanding cognitive and social milestones, such as language development and toileting skills, and how a nurse can address challenges that arise during these developmental stages. The essay emphasizes the impact of parental support and environmental factors on a child's development, and how nurses can utilize this knowledge to provide holistic and individualized care. The conclusion underscores the crucial role of nurses in supporting children's overall well-being by addressing cognitive, sociocultural, and physical needs, guided by theories of human development.

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

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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.

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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

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mother Vanessa is concerned about his toileting habit since he has not made much
development in this area, unlike other children who have mastered the skill at the same age. It
is to be brought in the limelight in this regard that Jack has not been able to showcase social
development pertaining to toileting skills due to the absence of assertion of his will from his
mother. Since Jack’s mother is less available for him, the strong base of support is missing in
this case that can encourage his toileting skills. In addition, the caregiver might not have been
successful in encouraging self-sufficient behaviour that would have helped Jack to progress
with his toileting skills. A delicate balance is needed from the side of the parent as tey must
not try to deter from encouraging the child to enhance his autonomy. Since Jack receives less
support from his mother, he is not able to become more confident and encouraged to show
skills of independent toileting. In addition, if the child is being mistreated at the care unit, s
sense of threat might have been instilled within him, restricting him to develop his toileting
skills (Newman & Newman, 2017). Since the first person to teach about trust is the parent, it
is expected that Vanessa takes good care of Jack and makes him feel secured.
Sigelman and Rider (2014) bring into focus the relationships in human development
as applied to cognitive, physical and socio-emotional development. As per the authors,
cognitive development has been found to vastly impact socio-emotional development since
the ability of a child to think rationally influences his ability to understand emotions. It also
impacts the ability of the person to understand himself. The development of the brain, which
is physical development, plays a primitive role in the changes in mental abilities, that is
cognitive or intellectual development such as language skills and memory. These allow a
child to showcase better social adjustment, which is social development. In the present case,
Jack has been found to demonstrate poor cognitive skills, making a negative impact on the
social skills of toileting, that is the inability to achieve self-toileting skills.

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Understanding of the life stage of a child between 2-5 years is crucial for a nurse to
deliver optima quality care. Since nurses are directly accountable for assuring the proper
development of child being cared for, an adequate understanding of the life stage is
imperative. With sufficient knowledge of the applicability of theories of child development, a
nurse can plan a holistic care plan for each child on an individualistic basis. Activities
considered by the nurse to promote care of the child would be helpful in attaining the
milestones if the nurse abides by the principles of the life stages (Black, 2016).
From the above essay, it can be concluded that nurses play a crucial role in addressing
the challenges coming up while caring for a child at different life transitional points. These
issues might be cognitive, sociocultural or physical. Different theories of human development
exist that guide the course of action of a nurse. Understanding the relationship between these
concepts is beneficial in outlining a successful care plan for the child.

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References
Barrouillet, P. (2015). Theories of cognitive development: From Piaget to today.
Bjorklund, D. F., & Causey, K. B. (2017). Children's thinking: Cognitive development and
individual differences. SAGE Publications.
Black, B. (2016). Professional Nursing-E-Book: Concepts & Challenges. Elsevier Health
Sciences.
Bremner, J. G. (2017). An introduction to developmental psychology. John Wiley & Sons.
Feldman, R. S. (2016). Development across the life span. Pearson.
Mischel, T. (Ed.). (2013). Cognitive development and epistemology. Academic Press.
Newman, B. M., & Newman, P. R. (2017). Development through life: A psychosocial
approach. Cengage Learning.
Sigelman, C. K., & Rider, E. A. (2014). Life-span human development. Cengage Learning.