Introduction
The paper defines and summarizes two developmental theories: Bronfenbrenner’s and competence-environmental press theories. They are involved with the ecological and systemic perspectives on human development behavior. Piaget’s theory is explored in comparison to highlight the inadequacies of this cognitive-developmental approach. The ecological and systems approach is superior to the cognitive-developmental method.
Main body
The two developmental theories I believe would be helpful to explain and understand human development and behavior are from the ecological and systems perspective: Bronfenbrenner’s theory and competence-environmental press theory. Kail and Cavanaugh (2018) acknowledge that most developmentalists agree that the environment has a significant role in many aspects of development. Nonetheless, only ecological theories have concentrated on the intricacies of environments and their connections to development. The ecology theories suggest that all dimensions of development are interrelated, so no aspect of development can be understood independently of others.
Bronfenbrenner’s theory is the one with which I agree because I have two children, one toddler, and a teenager. Human development is inextricably linked to the environmental settings in which a person grows. Urie Bronfenbrenner, the most well-known proponent of the ecological approach, suggested that the developing person is immersed in a succession of complex systems (Kail & Cavanaugh, 2018). Guy-Evans (2020) states that Bronfenbrenner classified a person’s surroundings into five different systems: the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem. The ecological systems theory’s most influential level is the microsystem because it includes the developing child’s most essential environmental surroundings, such as family and school (Guy-Evans, 2020). A toddler, for example, may have the microsystems of the family and the daycare setting (Kail & Cavanaugh, 2018). Because what occurs in one microsystem has the potential to impact others, the mesosystem connects all. The term ‘exosystem’ refers to social contexts in which a person may not have firsthand experience but impact development, such as educational and governmental policies (Kail & Cavanaugh, 2018). Consequently, the macrosystem includes the cultures and subcultures in which the microsystem, mesosystem, and exosystem are immersed.
My career, my children, and their daycare and school, for instance, are all part of a broader cultural context that affects my children’s development. The second appealing theory to me is the competence-evidence press theory. People adapt most efficiently when their competence or capacities correspond to the environmental force or the demands imposed by their surroundings (Kail & Cavanaugh, 2018). As with Bronfenbrenner’s theory, competence-environmental press theory describes the need to understand the systems in which individuals live to understand their development.
The developmental theory that is confusing and unappealing to me is Piaget’s theory. Piaget hypothesized that at a few critical points in development, children began to generate knowledge in new ways. When this occurs, they drastically modify their ideas (Kail & Cavanaugh, 2018). From my perspective, Piaget’s theory incorporates some flaws, including overestimating adolescent aptitude and underestimating infant potential. Cherry (2019) argues that much of Piaget’s work is questioned because of his research techniques. The theory was primarily inspired by the psychologist’s observations of his three children (Cherry, 2019). Furthermore, the other children in Piaget’s small research sample came from well-educated professionals with a high socioeconomic level. Because of this unrepresentative sample, generalizing his conclusions to a broader population is problematic. Hence, Piaget overlooked the importance of cultural and social involvement in developing children’s cognitive abilities.
Conclusion
To conclude, the ecological and systems theories outperform the cognitive-developmental approach. Human development is intrinsically tied to the environments in which individuals grow. Furthermore, children’s cognitive abilities develop most efficiently when their competence corresponds to the demands imposed by their surroundings. Piaget’s theory is presented as confusing and unappealing to me because the psychologist neglected the relevance of cultural and social involvement in the development of children’s cognitive abilities.
References
Cherry, K. (2019). Support and criticism of Piaget’s stage theory. VeryWellMind. Web.
Guy-Evans, O. (2020). Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory. Simply Psychology. Web.
Kail, R. V., & Cavanaugh, J. C. (2018). Human development: A life span (8th ed.). Cengage.