Shanae Schouten
FHS 2600 11 A.M.
Theory Comparison
The first Theorist is Eric Erickson. He came up with an 8 stage theory of personal and
social development that occurs during each stage of life. The first is Trust vs. Mistrust (Birth- 18
months), which gives the baby a sense of security that will help later on in life. The second is
autonomy vs. guilt (18 months- 3 years), this gives the child an awareness of separation of
humans, and for example that the child will not always be with their mom and that it will be
okay. The next is initiative vs. guilt (3 years-6 years), which can give the child a sense of power
and being able to act on their own. Next is identity vs. inferiority (ages 6- 12), this is where a
child is satisfied with their school achievements and when they learn new skills. Next is identity
vs. role confusion (ages 12-18), this is a time when children are finding their sense of self and
starting to built relationships. Intimacy vs. isolation (young adult) is where these adults really
work of building close and personal relationships with those around them. Generativity vs. selfabsorption (middle adulthood) is when adults are getting satisfaction from their lives work and
nurturing their family. The last stage is integrity vs. despair (late adulthood) which is adults who
are reflecting on their life with contentment. I like the stages of this theorist because it makes
sense to me. He believed that if this crisis’s were not resolved in a positive way at certain points
in their life, problems would arise later on. One thing different from some of the theorists is
Erikson believed that development continues throughout the lifespan.
Abraham Maslow came up with the self-actualization theory which states that behavior
and learning are motivated by a hierarchy of needs. In his first category, it is basic needs. This
includes, psychological safety and security and then physical needs such as air, water, food, and
shelter. Maslow believed that these needs must be met before the other needs in the next level
can be achieved. The next category is growth needs. This includes a sense of belonging and love,
self-esteem and respect for others, and last is self actualization. In that order, Maslow believed
that each step must be taken before the next one. He also said that although most people strive
for the highest level, some people never reach it. I don’t agree with this theory as much as the
first because I feel that everyone reaches their self actualization in some way or another.
Jean Piaget focuses more on cognitive development while the two before focused more
on personal development. He firmly believed in constructivism, which is that children build their
knowledge from experimenting things firsthand. This theory makes a lot of sense to me because I
have seen it through my experiences with children and from my own childhood. He believed that
there were three kinds of knowledge: Social conventional, which is the culturally agreed on
names and symbols that need to be directly transmitted to a child. Logico Mathematical, which is
relationships that are constructed in our minds between objects or concepts. Last is physical,
which is getting an understanding of why objects move and function. Children learn in many
different ways, so I think this is important to understand that there is more than one way to teach
a child. He also talks about his stages of cognitive development: sensorimotor, preoperational,
concrete operational, and formal operational.
Lev Vygotsky, unlike other theorist, put a lot of emphasis on the belief that what children
learn is determined by the culture they grow up in. This is one of my favorites because I think the
environment around the child has everything to do with the way they learn. He believed in a zone
of proximal development, which is the distance between the actual development level a child has
achieved and the level of potential development they could achieve. He believed that children
could learn through just playing and role playing. This is something that the other theorists did
not go into much detail about. He felt that the teacher had a very important part, not as
controlling, but as a collaborator in constructing the children’s learning.
B. F. Skinner developed a theory of operant conditioning, which is something that is now
used all the time. One of the most important parts of this theory is having consequences for
actions. He believed in positive and negative reinforcement. But I like that he made it clear that
negative reinforcement is not the same as discipline. This is good, because I have learned that
discipline is not the answer. If children learn early that every choice has a consequence, it will be
easier for them in the long run. Behaviorism is a learning theory, so the principles apply no
matter the age of the learner. This theory I have a harder time understanding.
Lastly, the Reggio Emilia approach, which are principles of early childhood education
that are developed in schools in Italy. It is based on a set of core values and principles. One thing
that is really emphasized is that representation not only reflects what a child knows, but it
changes it as well. They also really try to document the children’s thinking. They focus on what
the children are able to do, which has let the world really see the amazing competence of a child.
But since the approach is deeply rooted in its religion, it cannot be successfully imitated in
different cultures. This is one approach that I don’t fully understand. I do really like that they
focus a lot on what the child can do, because I think a lot of the world underestimates children
and all that they can do.