Psychosocial Development: Children's Psychological Growth Essay

This essay provides a comprehensive overview of psychosocial development, focusing on the stages outlined by Erik Erikson, from infancy through early childhood. It explores the interplay of psychological, social, cognitive, and moral factors in shaping a child's personality and behavior. The essay...Read More

Running Head: PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Introduction
Psychosocial development focuses on the emotional, social and intellectual
capabilities of the individuals that increase from the infancy to the old age of an individual
(Mullins et al., 2015). The development of an individual starts from the infant and continues
until the old age of a particular individual. During early childhood tremendous changes occur
in the life of an individual and affect the overall development of an individual (Greene,
2017). Psychosocial development refers to the development of the personality of an
individual that also includes the acquisition of the social attitudes and the skills beginning
from the infancy through the maturity level. The essay tends to support the eight stages of
Erickson’s psychological theory that includes trust, autonomy, initiative, industry, identity,
intimacy, generativity and integrity (Kintsch, & Vipond, 2014). As the case study focuses on
a child Andrew thus, the essay will discuss the overall psychological development of children
who belong to the age group of 2-5 years. This essay tends to argue about the various social
skills among the infants and the young children that affect the overall development of the
individuals. The essay also describes the various stages of Erickson theory that emphasizes
on the factors that affect the development at the time of infancy and early childhood (Ruiz &
Perete, 2015).
Discussion
According to Erickson the overall personality of an individual is determined through
eight phases of psychosocial development from the infancy to the adulthood (Svetina, 2014).
At each stage the individual experiences a psychosocial crisis that can have either a positive
or a negative impact on the overall development of the person’s development. According to
the theory, successful completion of each stage results in a healthy personality of along with

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the acquisition of the most basic virtues. The basic virtues refer to the characteristic strengths
of an individual (Liddle & Carter, 2015).
Psychological Components
From the given case study it is very clear that psychological components are an
important part of an individual’s overall development (Nordén, Hult & Engström, 2014).
These factors form an impact on the individual and thus, it is very important to emphasize
more on these factors. For example, Maria and Tom are trying to give their child Andrew
equal amount of time and attention so that it creates a positive impact on the child (Liddle &
Carter, 2015). According to Erickson’s theory of development this is very important at the
early childhood so that they develop a sense of autonomy and can learn about certain things
that are necessary to build the self-esteem among the children, develop positive behavior in
them and also to encourage communication among the children and the parents (Ruiz &
Perete, 2015).
Social Components
Psychosocial factors are the third stage of Erickson that refers to the phase when the
children begin to control certain things by asserting their power. In the given case study, it is
clear that Andrew is having a clear psychosocial development as he is active in the day care
and likes to sing songs along with his father (Svetina, 2014). The social component is thus
very necessary elements in the life of an individual that should be enhanced with proper
psychological model.
Cognitive Components
In the case study it is clear and can be explained by the use of an example that
Andrew had a perfect cognitive development as he liked to play, dance and sing in the play
school as well as in the house. However he was not toilet trained and was lacking in that

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aspect in compared to his other friends (Ruiz & Perete, 2015). This was a concern that was
raised by his mother, however the nurse assured her that Andrew is completely normal and
very soon he will be toilet trained just like the other children. Thus, cognitive development is
a very important aspect for the overall development of the children. Cognitive functions
emphasizes on the conceptual skills, perceptual skills, learning of languages and other aspects
of a developed adult (Nordén, Hult & Engström, 2014).
Moral Components
Moral development refers to the process in which the children get to know and learn
about the correct behavior towards other people in the community and the society (Mullins et
al., 2015). Moral development is very much necessary for the correct development of an
individual as it teaches the children to distinguish between right and wrong. In the early
childhood time the children learn about the moral components from the environment at home
and even at school. At the age of 2-5 years many children try to show behavior hat is morally
correct and this also influences their beliefs (Liddle & Carter, 2015).
Influence on Development
The overall development is influenced by the normative as well as the non-normative
events or circumstances. The normative development is a technique of using the various
developmental stages according to the specific age group in which the child belongs (Lane &
Mason, 2014). There are a number of normative factors that can affect the normal
development of a child that includes poverty, pollution or overcrowding in the house. The
non-normative factors that will have an impact on the overall development of the children are
the unexpected changes that can occur at any time during the lifetime of an individual. This
includes the loss of any family member, war or natural disaster (Kintsch, & Vipond, 2014).
The non-normative events can have both negative and positive impact on the children. Thus,
both the normative and non-normative functions can have a deep impact on the psychological

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development of children. For example, poverty can have a profound effect on the overall
development of a child (Greene, 2017).
Nursing and Psychological Development
Psychology is a very important factor in nursing as it is relatable to the assessment of
pain and the change in the attitude of the patient. The understanding of patient psychology
helps to improve the patient outcome. The psychological theory can be applied by the nurses
in the intensive care unit (Cummings & Miller, 2015). Research has shown that the children
in the intensive care need much more care in comparison to the other children. Thus, an
understanding of the developmental psychology is very helpful for the assessment of the
various stages that has been reached by a child so that the correct amount o stimulation can
be planned by the nurses and that can have a positive impact on the treatment process (Costa
et al., 2016; Nordén, Hult & Engström, 2014).
Conclusion
Thus, it can be concluded that psychological development is an important part for the
overall development of a child. The essay highlights the various components like the social
factors, cognitive factors, moral factors and the psychological factors that are required for the
proper psychological development of an adult from the infant stage to the early childhood till
adulthood. The essay also reveals the details about the normative and non-normative factors
that affect the normal psychological development of an individual. The normative factors are
the usual deviations that affect the development of a child while on the other hand, non-
normative factors are those that are unexpected and arise spontaneously. At last, the essay
provides with the details that show the link between nursing and psychological development.

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References
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