Developmental psychology

Developmental psychology is the branch of psychology that studies development and change aspects of the human psyche since birth until death. Applied developmental psychology of science used in various fields such as education and parenting, optimizing quality of life of older adults, handling teenagers.

1. Area Studies
Based on ageAge Periodbirth-3 yearstoddler 4-6 yearschildren 7-12 yearsteenagers 13-18 yearsearly adult 19-39 yearsmiddle adult 40-60 yearsfinal adult (elderly) 61 years-dead
By topic

    * Cognition
    * Moral
    * Language
    * Movement of motor
    * Identity
    * Social

 2. History of Developmental Psychology

In studying the psychological development can be seen from the 3 periods, namely:
1.1. Interest in studying early child development
Before studying psychology developments, attention begins on a deep understanding in children. The rationale refers to that research and books on little children, understanding the ins and outs of a child's life depends on confidence and trandisional sourced on speculation by philosophers and theologians about the child and the background of its development, as well as the influence of environment on psychiatric keterunan and children. Therefore one of the philosopher Plato said that individual differences have a genetic basis. Potential idividu dikatakanya been determined by heredity. This means that from birth children already have the talents or the seeds of capabilities that can be developed through nurture and education.
Although the plateau can not provide direct evidence to support his speculation, but it seems clear that the decline in children are miniature adults. This assumption seems that all the skills, abilities, and knowledge that appear in the future as an adult is an inborn (innate ideas), education is nothing but an attempt to draw out potential, but does not add anything new. The development is considered as a mere growth. So children are miniature adults means that children differ quantitatively rather than qualitatively adults.
In medieval times, people do not give any status to children, even the ancient paintings proporti children's bodies are often depicted together with the proportion of the adult body. The children were given clothing model adult clothes in small sizes. Immediately after the child can walk and talk, they joined the adult members of society, play games and do the same tasks as adults.
The notion of children as miniature people desawa was important implications in education. The processes that underlie the thinking and doing children treated the same as adults. If the child thinks and acts that deviate from standard adult, children are considered dumb or stupid and if the children violate social norms and morals, is considered evil and must diberkan punishment like an adult.
In the 17th century, the English philosopher John Locke (1632-1704) stated that the experience and education are the most decisive factor in child development, she does not acknowledge the existence of innate abilities (innate knowledge) According to Locke, the content of psychiatric child when born is like a piece of paper empty, where style and form of the paper is largely determined how the paper was written, Locke gives the term Tabula Rasa (Blank Slate), reveals the importance of experiences and environmental influences on child development. Jaccques Jean Rousseau (1712-1778) French philosopher of the 18th century view that children are qualitatively different from adults. Rousseau rejects the notion that babies are passive creatures whose development is determined by experience, and reject the notion that children are adults who do not complete and gain knowledge through thinking adults. Instead Rousseau assumes that from birth children are active creatures and skua explore. Therefore, children should be allowed to acquire knowledge in his own way through its interaction with the environment.
Rousseau in his Emile ou l'education (1762), rejected the view that children have a poor innate (innate bad), he asserted that "All are good as thinhs They come out of the hand of Their creator, but everything degenates in. the hand of man "artinga everything is good as out of the hands of the creator, everything deteriorate in the human hand. This view is known as the Noble Savage, this phrase means that the child when born was membahwa moral aspects (things good and bad, right and wrong that can evolve naturally with both), if then there is distortion and ugliness, p. That's because the influence of environment and education.
1.2. Basics Developmental Psychology in the Scientific Establishment
View of Plato, Locke, Rousseau dn essentially speculative, although in the 18th century there has been research studies on child-like Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi (1946-1827) education expert from Switzerland, Dietrich Tiedemen (1787) Doctor of Germany, but research earnestly towards the development of new children starting in the 19th century pioneered by Charles Wilhelm Wundt Darwub dab
a. The influence of Charles Darwin (1809-1882)
Scientists from the UK which is famous for his theory of evolution, published by Origin of the Species (1859) and Descent of Man (1871), his work is stimulating to observe the child's development. Darwin states that children are a rich source of information about the nature and characteristics of humans, by studying the behavior and development Anka, we can find out the origins of man. This is related to his theory of evolution of animal and human developments.
Darwin's biological views assume pekermbangan as opening the capabilities and characteristics that have been genetically programmed. This view then becomes the basis for such development psychologist Stanley Hall with "the development of an end to evolution", Sigmun Freud with "Phase-stage development of sexuality", Arnold Gesselold with "fixed schedule of growth", John Bowlby Chomsky with the "ability to speak inborn" and research "the development of neural biology" which continues the tradition of Darwin.
b. Effect of Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920)
Important events of the 19th century became the basis of the growth of psychology as a discipline that stands alone, marked by the establishment of the first psychological laboratory by Wilhelm Wundt (1879) in Leipzzing. Wundt thought that the experiment has significance for psychology, he provides a basis on Esperimental Psychology. According to Wundt experiment to prove the observation of response.
Wundt's view and the Darwinian effect on the G Stanley Hall (1846-1924) disciple of Wundt in Leipzzing, Stanley took from Darwin aalah "about the recapitulation of human development" according to him, individual development perefleksikan the development of species which means that there is repetition (recapitulation) of the development of species which includes several levels of evolution. Wundt extending the concept of recapitulation which includes the development of cultural, biological manuisia. Therefore Stanleyterkenal with "Recapitulations Theory" which berangapan that "Phasing dala process through which growth and development of the child toward maturity is a repetition of the phylogenetic history of human development."
Furthermore, Clark Hall and his student, trying to determine the structure of children's minds by doing research on kids games and content of the child's mind at the University of Massachusetts. They collect data about the development of children, adolescents, parents, and teachers with a fairly large sample. This research is considered the beginning of the systematic and methodological studies of children in America.
1.3. Emergence of Modern Developmental Psychology Studies
In the 20th century systematic studies of child development is growing significantly. Research conducted descriptive that more emphasis on the distinctive features in general, age group, and certain future developments. Predisposition to describe in detail the symptoms of human development is important in the development of disciplines. Therefore, for the development of understanding of child development, is required as a basic theoretical principle that observation does not only describe sekerdar. In the mid-20th century, J.B. Watson (behaviorism theory), introduces the principles of "classical conditioning" to explain the development of behavior, according to the principles of learning and conditioning principles can diterpakan on all developments.
The work of Watson bring developments in the theory of developmental psychology, although the cause conflicts like Sigmun Freud with psychoanalysis theory, and this is what causes the decreased interest in developmental psychology, namon at least there are 3 factors that encourage the reactivation of developmental psychology into a new period in the field of development studies, namely:
1.Terjadinya orientation changes in developmental psychology research to be experimental with the measurement and control of experiments that proved to be very successfully used in the process of public experiments.
2.Ditemukan Return J. works Piaget (Switzerland) on cognitive theory that assumes that the development is determined by environmental influences and individual development occurs as a result of constant interaction between individuals with environmental demands.
3.Adanya new interest on the origins of behavior (Origin of Behavior), characterized by increased research on infants. The increase was driven by the existence of modern tools and techniques of recording (recording) that the better.
The object is a developmental psychology of human development as a person. Pre psychologists are also interested in the problem of how far human development was influenced by developments in society (Van den Berg, 1986; Muchow, 1962). Regarding this last point will often encountered again in this paper, but the main concern of developmental psychology that focused on human development as a person. Society is home to a person earlier.
But what actually is meant by personal development? What does it mean to say that this development is in progress? This second question will receive further review later.
Understanding the development of a process towards the more perfect and not simply to be repeated again. Developments point to changes which are fixed and can not be played back (Werner, 1969). In the "growth" is temporary psychologists who are not contrasted the development and growth; even more priority to growth. It is possible to show that people who had increased their ability to grow in many ways more experienced differentiation and at a higher level, more experienced integration. In this paper, the term corporate growth and a purely physical function. According to many psychologists and experts psikoloi own, hence the term further development to reflect the unique nature of the psychological symptoms that appear.
Physical growth does influence psychological development, such as increased brain function allows the child to laugh, walk, talk, and so forth. Able to function in a nivo higher because of the influence of growth called cooking. For example, prior to hygiene education can begin, mak aurat meat disposal must finish its growth, must have masaklebih first. Although it can be said about learning to walk, but there must be cooking some of the functions first, before learning had to be instituted.
1.2 kepribadia and developmental psychology Psychology
In a previous article has been frequently demonstrated a link between the development of the personal or personality. Personal or personality here viewed as a unity that marked the unique properties of that particular individual. Use of the term personality raises new problems, namely because the theory of personality is diverse as well. Hermann (1969) argues that the definition of personality is a very vague theoretical constructs defnisinya. Therefore, according to Hermann better definition is given after further research than is given now.
Although there are many differences of opinion between the theorists of personality, but according thomae (1968) there is a common opinion, namely that every individual has the cirri-typical characteristics. No one is sure who has the cirri one hundred percent the same as other people: every person is a special person. Besides, there is stability in the personality of a person until it can be said there is a personal identity. Although there are changes experienced by a person, basically people were still realizing his own personal.
Ψ development theories
Since some aspects in it is given particular prominence, there arose various views (theories) about developmental psychology. A theory will acquire an important meaning when he has more to describe, explain, and predict symptoms. Marx (1963) distinguish the three kinds of theories. This is the third theory relates to empirical data. Therefore, it can distinguish between:
a.Teori is deductive: provide information that starts from an estimate or a certain speculative thought in the direction of data to be explained.
b.Teori the inductive: how to explain the data in the direction of theory. In extreme form the positivistic point of view is found in the behaviorist.
c.Teori functional: disisni seem an interaction effect between data and theoretical estimates, the data affect the formation of theory and re-formation theory affect the data.
Based on this division can be concluded that the theory can be viewed as follows:
1.Teori refers to a group of laws that are logically arranged. These laws usually have the nature of the deductive relationship. A law shows a relationship between the empirical variables that are steady and can be predicted in advance.
2.Suatu theory can also be a written summary of a group of law derived from the data obtained and it came at a theoretical concept.
3.suatu theory can also point to a way of explaining that to generalize. Here there is usually a functional relationship between data and theoretical opinions.
Based on the data mentioned above are very general, it can be concluded that a theory is a common konsepsualisasi. Konsepsualisasi or understanding the system is obtained through a systematic way. A theory must be testable truth, otherwise he is not a theory.
Such theory has an empirical basis. A theory can be looked at symptoms that are faced from a different angle, for example, can be explained, but can also to analyze and interpret critical secra (Habermas, 1968). For example, depicts a conflict between generations is carried out by experts who hold emancipatory theory will vary with how to describe an expert opinion is another theory that is not emancipatory. The fact remains the same, but how to explain and describe to others.