Exploring Psychosocial Development: A Comparison of Key Theories

This essay provides an overview of psychosocial development across the lifespan, comparing Sigmund Freud's psychosexual theory and Lev Vygotsky's social development theory. It delves into Freud's focus on sexual drive (libido) and the dynamic systems of personality (id, ego, superego), highlighting the stages of psychosexual development and potential fixations. The essay then explores Vygotsky's emphasis on social interaction and the zone of proximal development, where children learn through guidance from more knowledgeable others. The analysis includes the strengths and weaknesses of both theories, noting Freud's pioneering work on parent-child relationships but also its overemphasis on sexuality, and Vygotsky's impact on modern cognitive development research but also the challenges in interpreting his incomplete explanations. The essay concludes that both theories offer valuable insights into human development and have inspired further research in various fields.

Running head: PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT 1
Psychosocial Development across the Lifespan
Name
Institution

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Psychosocial development across the lifespan
Introduction
Developmental psychology studies the physical, mental and social changes as one grows
up, from childhood to old age. Several theorists have come up with theories which explain
certain aspects of human development and how they influence our personalities as we grow
older. Some of the theories this essay is going to look at are: psychosexual theory of
development by Sigmund Freud; Vygotsky’s social development theory. Each theory has a
specific focus on human development and how the aspects influence our personalities.
Main focus of the theories
Freud’s main focus for his theory was how sexual drive influences us to develop sexual
identity. He believed this drive to be very powerful. Freud came to refer to it as the libido, the
individual’s life force. Freud’s focus was on how the child’s relationships with others changed
while being influenced by the libido.
Vygotsky’s theory focuses on the importance of social interaction in cognitive
development. He believed the environments where one grew directly influences the intellectual
adaptation of children. The adults pass knowledge to the children. He shows through his theory
how instruction promotes development within the” zone of proximal development” (Vygotsky,
1978)
Key Concepts
Sigmund Freud developed a psychoanalysis which explains three dynamic systems of
personality with are constantly in conflict such as the id, the ego and the superego. Thee id is the
source of basic needs and requires instant gratification. The ego is in touch with reality. The

PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT 3
superego which is usually in conflict with the id is developed through interactions of the parent
and the child. The superego is the conscious.
Sigmund Freud psychosexual theory emphasized how the interaction between parents and
children is vital for healthy personality development. The stages of the psychosexual theory
include: oral stage (0-2 years); anal stage (2-3years); phallic stage (3-6 years); latent stage (6-12
years) and the genital stage (12-adulthood). The stages of the psychosexual theory, Freud
emphasizes on the parent not allowing too much or inhibiting the child’s needs. They need to
find a balance to avoid the child becoming fixated at a stage. He called this fixation of the
libido. He believed this would have a negative effects and the person would be liked to
experience some problems later in life such as alcoholism, fetishism and a smoking habit.
Vygotsky theory stated that social development with members of the society who are
more knowledgeable that children can learn culture and other important values. Cognitive
development stems from social interaction of children and their partners as co-construct
knowledge as stated by Vygotsky (1978). Some of the main principles of Vygotsky theory
include: More Knowledgeable Other and the Zone of Proximal Development. Scholars argue the
zone of proximal development constitute of a specific type of inter-psychological relationship
between the child and the adult in which the child can do things he is incapable of doing outside
the relationship( Cole, 1985; wells, 1999; Wertsch, 1985). A child cognitive ability is limited
when young. Children develop it by striving to understand teaching from their parents or other
adults then they internalize the information. The parents and teachers teach the child at the same
level of the child cognitive ability. With time the child will need even little level of guidance as
they become more independent.

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Strengths and Weaknesses
The main strengths of Freud’s psychosexual theory are that it explained the process of
sexual development. It was the first to stress how the interrelation between parents and their
children’s shapes their personalities. However frauds theory faced a lot of critics. This is because
Freud's research was based on a time where display of sexuality was greatly discouraged. His
research was on sexually repressed adults, he did not study children directly. Freud’s theory
overemphasized the influence of sexual feelings on personalities. It fails to appreciate other
elements which also affect our personalities.
Vygotsky theory is a foundation for a lot of modern research of cognitive development.
Vygotsky theory has come to be accepted all over the world. Its major application is in the
education sphere. Despite its wide application, his theory faces major challenges. Vygotsky’s
scholars have failed to fully interpret Vygotsky’s explanation to his theory. Vygotsky’s
explanation is believed to be incomplete.
Conclusion
Both theories created an insight to understanding better human development. The two
theorists have inspired a lot of research on modern issues on various fields. The theories cannot
be utilized in a certain stage alone. Taking various aspects of the theories and combing them
together one is able to realize their full potential

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Newman, B. and Newman, P. (2017). Development through life: a psychosocial approach.
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