Human Growth & Development
"Change your thoughts and you change your world"
-E. F. Guaron (1984)
What is Human Growth and Development?
Human development and learning refers to the systematic psychological changes that occur in human beings over the course of their life span. This branch of psychology examines change across a broad range of topics, including motor skills, cognitive development involving areas such as problem solving, moral understanding, conceptual understanding, language acquisition, social, personality, and emotional development; and identity formation.
As a psychologist, it will be imperative for me to understand the complexity of human development and learning processes as these concepts will surely influence how I go about my work with clients. Because I plan to work with individuals who are at differing stages of development throughout my career, this makes it even more important for me to understand and conceptualize human development in a coherent manner. Developing my own understanding of how individuals’ progress through life and the factors that play a role in this process will enable me to build a foundation for my work with a variety of clients. On this page I will elaborate on the theoretical perspectives that make the most sense to me in regards to human development and explain how I will make use of these within my daily practice.
Human development and learning refers to the systematic psychological changes that occur in human beings over the course of their life span. This branch of psychology examines change across a broad range of topics, including motor skills, cognitive development involving areas such as problem solving, moral understanding, conceptual understanding, language acquisition, social, personality, and emotional development; and identity formation.
As a psychologist, it will be imperative for me to understand the complexity of human development and learning processes as these concepts will surely influence how I go about my work with clients. Because I plan to work with individuals who are at differing stages of development throughout my career, this makes it even more important for me to understand and conceptualize human development in a coherent manner. Developing my own understanding of how individuals’ progress through life and the factors that play a role in this process will enable me to build a foundation for my work with a variety of clients. On this page I will elaborate on the theoretical perspectives that make the most sense to me in regards to human development and explain how I will make use of these within my daily practice.
Building Competency in Human Development
Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages of Development
I believe that humans are constantly evolving as they move through life. One theory that makes a lot of sense to me in this area is that of psychosocial developmental stages. These differing developmental stages have several key characteristics that serve as checkpoints as people move through each stage. Erik Erikson’s work on stages of development is a large influence on my personal ideas surrounding the development of human beings. To highlight these different stages I have attached the following video:
I believe that humans are constantly evolving as they move through life. One theory that makes a lot of sense to me in this area is that of psychosocial developmental stages. These differing developmental stages have several key characteristics that serve as checkpoints as people move through each stage. Erik Erikson’s work on stages of development is a large influence on my personal ideas surrounding the development of human beings. To highlight these different stages I have attached the following video:
Transtheoretical Model of Change
Another tool that has influenced my personal philosophy regarding human development and learning is the transtheoretical model of change (Prochaska, 2008). I like this model because it promotes the idea that change occurs in stages rather than all at once. Since individuals are often at different stages when they enter counselling change will occur at different rates for different people (Campbell, n.d.) The six stages of this model offer a conceptualization to practitioners and clients that include both a start point to the counselling and an end point at which the counselling will no longer be necessary. This allows clients to begin with an idea of what will take place during the counselling process and when the finish line will become apparent.
Another tool that has influenced my personal philosophy regarding human development and learning is the transtheoretical model of change (Prochaska, 2008). I like this model because it promotes the idea that change occurs in stages rather than all at once. Since individuals are often at different stages when they enter counselling change will occur at different rates for different people (Campbell, n.d.) The six stages of this model offer a conceptualization to practitioners and clients that include both a start point to the counselling and an end point at which the counselling will no longer be necessary. This allows clients to begin with an idea of what will take place during the counselling process and when the finish line will become apparent.
In general, people need to make the following changes in order to progress from one stage to the next:
1. Consciousness-Raising - increasing awareness through information, psycho-education, and personal feedback about the healthy behaviours.
2. Dramatic Relief - feeling fear, anxiety, or worry because of the unhealthy behaviour; or, feeling inspiration and hope when they hear about how people are able to change to healthy behaviours
3. Self Re-evaluation - Thinking about the kind of person that one wants to be and experiencing emotions that go along with that image
4. Environmental Re-evaluation—realizing how unhealthy behaviour affects others and how one can exert a more positive influence on others by changing these behaviours
5. Social Liberation - realizing that society is more supportive of the healthy behaviour
6. Self-Liberation - recognizing one’s ability to change and making commitments to act on that belief
7. Helping Relationships – Seeking and using social support to make and sustain changes.
8. Counter-Conditioning-substituting healthy ways of acting and thinking for unhealthy ways
9. Reinforcement Management - increasing the rewards that come from positive behaviour and decreasing those that come from negative behaviour
10. Stimulus Control - using reminders and cues that encourage healthy behaviour as substitutes for those that encourage the unhealthy behaviour.
- A growing awareness that the advantages of changing outweigh the disadvantages
- Confidence that they can make and maintain changes in situations that tempt them to return to their old, unhealthy behaviour
- Strategies that can help them make and maintain change. The following is a list of what those strategies may be:
1. Consciousness-Raising - increasing awareness through information, psycho-education, and personal feedback about the healthy behaviours.
2. Dramatic Relief - feeling fear, anxiety, or worry because of the unhealthy behaviour; or, feeling inspiration and hope when they hear about how people are able to change to healthy behaviours
3. Self Re-evaluation - Thinking about the kind of person that one wants to be and experiencing emotions that go along with that image
4. Environmental Re-evaluation—realizing how unhealthy behaviour affects others and how one can exert a more positive influence on others by changing these behaviours
5. Social Liberation - realizing that society is more supportive of the healthy behaviour
6. Self-Liberation - recognizing one’s ability to change and making commitments to act on that belief
7. Helping Relationships – Seeking and using social support to make and sustain changes.
8. Counter-Conditioning-substituting healthy ways of acting and thinking for unhealthy ways
9. Reinforcement Management - increasing the rewards that come from positive behaviour and decreasing those that come from negative behaviour
10. Stimulus Control - using reminders and cues that encourage healthy behaviour as substitutes for those that encourage the unhealthy behaviour.
Biopsychosocial Model of Health
As you have seen, human development refers to the patterns in which individuals move through life. Learning plays a huge factor in this as this is primarily what will allow individuals to progress in their development. Due to my personal beliefs regarding counselling, the biopsychosocial model of health is another theory that I use to conceptualize human development and learning. This is an important model to draw from in my work because individuals coming in for help will not always be healthy. As such, it will be important for me to recognize the impact of this on a person and conceptualize its effect.
References
Campbell, C. (n.d.). Health education behaviour models and theories. Retrieved January 21, 2010, Mississippi State University: http://msucares.com/health/health/appa1.htm
Prochaska, J. O. (2008). Decision Making in the transtheoretical model of behaviour change.
Medical Decision Making, 28(6), 845-849.
Hakim, C. (2001). I landed running. Retrieved January 13, 2010 from http://www.cwhn.ca/network-reseau/4-2/4-2pg2.html.
Health Canada. (2003). What determines health? Retrieved January 13, 2010 from http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hppb/phdd/determinants/determinants.
Prochaska, J. O., Redding, C. A., & Evers, K. E. (2008). The transtheoretical model and stages of change. In K. Glenz, B. K. Rimer, & K. Viswanath (Eds.), Health behaviour and health education: Theory, research, and practice (4th ed.; pp. 97-121). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Hakim, C. (2001). I landed running. Retrieved January 13, 2010 from http://www.cwhn.ca/network-reseau/4-2/4-2pg2.html.
Health Canada. (2003). What determines health? Retrieved January 13, 2010 from http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hppb/phdd/determinants/determinants.
Sarafino, E. (2008). Health psychology: Biopsychosocial interactions (6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
Campbell, C. (n.d.). Health education behaviour models and theories. Retrieved January 21, 2010, Mississippi State University: http://msucares.com/health/health/appa1.htm
Prochaska, J. O. (2008). Decision Making in the transtheoretical model of behaviour change.
Medical Decision Making, 28(6), 845-849.
Hakim, C. (2001). I landed running. Retrieved January 13, 2010 from http://www.cwhn.ca/network-reseau/4-2/4-2pg2.html.
Health Canada. (2003). What determines health? Retrieved January 13, 2010 from http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hppb/phdd/determinants/determinants.
Prochaska, J. O., Redding, C. A., & Evers, K. E. (2008). The transtheoretical model and stages of change. In K. Glenz, B. K. Rimer, & K. Viswanath (Eds.), Health behaviour and health education: Theory, research, and practice (4th ed.; pp. 97-121). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Hakim, C. (2001). I landed running. Retrieved January 13, 2010 from http://www.cwhn.ca/network-reseau/4-2/4-2pg2.html.
Health Canada. (2003). What determines health? Retrieved January 13, 2010 from http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hppb/phdd/determinants/determinants.
Sarafino, E. (2008). Health psychology: Biopsychosocial interactions (6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.