Development is seen in every creature residing on earth. There are a lot of mental and physical factors that lead to this development in many stages of a living being. Development can be referred to as systematic changes that take place in an individual as growth occurs and these developments take place both mentally and physically. Having worked in these fields before we will further see what the developmental stages are and how humans have evolved within these. The following paper on Psychology for Health and Social Care thoroughly makes a comparison of many different theories of life span development along with shedding light on the relation of various psychological theories that are involved in specific stages of human development. Comparison of many theories is also done to get a better understanding of the development within humans. A health conference was been held wherein I had taken part in a panel meeting to discuss social and biological determinants of human behavior. As said by my manager a report is also been produced from the panel discussion that will be held in the next meeting. Once the conference is done I have been invited by the local authority to produce the art of how these theories are applied to social and health care units. The guidance provided by the local authority has been included in the report.

LO1 Understanding theories of lifespan development

Psychological theories of life span development

Life has been categorized into many stages of development according to the group it belongs to in nature. Humans have developed throughout their life starting from the prenatal period until death. Having experience in this field before we will discuss the stages of development and discuss the theories of various psychologists and prepare a report on it.

Human development starts right from the time when the zygote is formed within the womb which is termed the prenatal period. Then is the infancy stage which is about 2 years from birth during which a lot of development is seen both mentally and physically. Then comes the preschool period followed by middle childhood then adolescence and finally adulthood. Within all these stages evolution of both body and brain is seen. Many theories have developed to understand the developmental stages better. The following theories will explain the stages that exist in health and social care units.

The continuity and discontinuity theory explain the changes that people undergo over their life span. The theorists of continuity theory believed that all the changes that occur in humans occur gradually and not suddenly. Whereas, the discontinuity theory believes that changes occur in a series of stages which helps the elevation of the functioning of an individual. For example, when a boy reaches a 6-inch height and his voice becomes hoarser and he develops a beard so these changes are discontinuous.

According to Freud’s theory, every person from birth has motives and emotional conflicts that they are driven by which they are not even aware of. The main concept of this theory focuses on the basic biological urge a child witnesses from the time they are born. These urges need to be satisfied depending on the age. These urges are the ones that serve as biological instincts which are a source of their psychic energy that helps in regulating human behavior and this adds to the process of development in humans. Please see Appendix 2

Fig: Freud’s developmental stages theory (Cherry, 2019)

Another psychological theory is the Piaget cognitive developmental theory which states that there are four major stages of cognitive development in humans. The stages from birth to the age of two is termed the sensorimotor stage, the age between two to seven is termed the preoperational stage, the age seven to eleven is termed the concrete operations stage, and ages eleven to twelve or older than that is termed as the formal operations stage.

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Fig: Stages of Piaget’s cognitive developmental theory (Anam et al.)

According to Erikson, every person witnesses eight psychological stages in their lifetime which adds to their developmental stages. He gave more importance to social influences that shape development in humans. He emphasized on social relationships which are very important at each stage of development that also add to our personality development in humans. The eight stages of Erikson’s theory represent a developmental task and their completion after every stage. Please see appendix 1.

Fig: Erikson’s developmental stages theory (Cherry, 2019)

1.2 Psychological theories related to specific life stages

By getting a better understanding of these life stages we will be able to generate a precise report. To understand the developmental stages better we will compare Freud’s and Erikson’s theories of psycho-sexual development. Both Freud’s and Erikson’s theories focus on significance of early experiences after birth. Freud greatly focused on the significance of feeding whereas Erikson focused on how responsive and alert the caretakers are of fulfilling a child’s need. (Baltes et al. 1998) Freud called this the oral stage whereas Erikson called this as the trust vs. mistrust age. The following table will show the comparison of theories of Freud and Erikson, and the concepts that explain the specific life stages from birth to adulthood.

Freud theory

One to three years of development is the anal stage.
Children get good control over the bladder and bowel movements.
Children at this age develop a sense of capability and become productive.
Next stage is between 3-6 years of age which is the preschool age which is referred to as the phallic age.
The children tend to identify the parent of the same sex.
The boys witness the Oedipus complex whereas girls experience Electra complex.
In the age of 7-11 years, the period is termed a latent period.
Children in this stage are more focused on school, friends, and hobbies.
Adolescence stage is termed as the genital stage where they begin to explore intimate relationships.
Finally, is the adulthood stage where in the genital stage lasts throughout adulthood and also focusses in bringing about balance in all areas of life.

Erikson’s theory

One to three years of age is the autonomy vs. doubt stage.
They develop self-sufficiency through activities like eating, talking, toilet training etc.
They develop a sense of independence.
According to Erikson, this age is referred to as the initiative versus guilt stage.
Here, children tend to gain better knowledge and sense their surrounding environment.
At this stage, the children develop a sense of purpose towards life.
Erikson terms this as the industry versus inferiority stage.
Children develop a sense of competence and develop social skills.
Here, it is identified vs. role confusion stage where they develop personal identity and confidence.
The adulthood stage here is divided into three more stages i.e. intimacy vs. isolation stage, generativity vs. stagnation stage, and integrity vs. despair stage.

Fig: Comparing Freud’s and Erikson’s theories (Cherry, 2019)

So these charts clearly explain the comparison between the psychological theories of Erikson and Freud comparing the different stages of life and concepts that are applied to these stages of development.

LO2 Understand social and biological determinants of human behavior displayed in health and social care context

2.1 Social and biological factors that influence human behavior

All children are born with a different genetic makeup and neurological composition. Many researchers and scientists have made significant advances in neurological and biological factors that have a big hand in determining the antisocial and violent behavior of an individual. Neurobiological development is brought about by psychological and the physical environment they stay in. It is being increasingly appealing to the researchers that lack of physical contact, verbal stimulation, and responsive behavior from parents or caregivers can at a very greater level alter the rate of intellectual, emotional, and social development in children. For example, mothers who smoke during pregnancy which is an environmental influence bring about biological and neurological changes in the development of infants, it might also hamper the development of the infant to a larger extent.

Scientists who study the stages of development have continually witnessed and documented a strong connection between a child’s temperament and the development of antisocial behavior. According to the research literature, temperament is assumed to have a biological base or a constitutional base that seems to exist from birth throughout the lifespan of an individual. This is also influenced by psychological environment.

After taking part in a conference and taking part in a panel discussion the social and biological determinants are discussed. According to a research study over past three decades, over 100 twin babies and adoption studies have examined the relationship between genes and their aggression and violence they bring about which is related to a particular individual. Most of the scientists agree that both environmental and genetic factors are responsible for the bringing about the development of antisocial behavior in an individual. But in contrast to this some the scholars also agree that the environmental factors play a major role in the development of antisocial behavior than the genes. The chemistry of brain also adds to the biological factors that do their part in the biological functioning of an individual. The scientific community of science assumes that low concentrations of dopamine in the frontal cortex of the skull may be linked to poor self-regulation and faulty executive functions. A neurotransmitter called serotonin also is responsible for poor impulse control and violent behavior. So according to this information, people having aggressive and violent behavior have decreased levels of serotonin. Low levels of serotonin are also linked to suicide and depression. Other neurotransmitters that are associated with violent behavior are norepinephrine and GABA. For further information please see appendix 4.

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Fig: Biological factors affecting human behavior (Cardoso, 2016)

Social factors

. A health conference was been held wherein I had taken part in a panel meeting to discuss the social and biological determinants of human behavior. As said by my manager a report is also been produced from the panel discussion that will be held in the next meeting.

Social factors that influence human behavior are cigarette smoking, consumption of alcohol, any other kind of substance abuse, unhealthy eating habits, and sedentary lifestyles of people living in cities and towns. There is also no adherence to effective medication rules which are meant to be health-compromising behaviors of people that is been identified as social factors that greatly influence human behavior. A report from 1982 states that access to health care by an individual and regard for its advice both of these are both influenced by behavior of an individual. Most of the disabilities, diseases, and health issues arise due to the social factors, physiological factors, and the behavior of an individual influenced by these factors.

Relative deprivation, poverty, and social prohibition from the society can have a major say on the health of an individual. Premature death of children or any person can bring about a greater behavioral change in an individual. While some develop such violent or depressing behavior against life due to the conditions they live in like poverty, people who have no access to even necessities of life, malnutrition, etc., This is one of the reasons which is quite valid but there are also other people even after having access to necessities of life are still aggressive or depressed due to lack of employment, family issues, ethnic minority groups, guest workers, disabled people, refugees, and homeless people are at risk. All of these have different behavioral mindsets due to the conditions they are in which affect their mental stability to a greater extent. For further information please see appendix 3.

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Fig: Social factors affecting Human behavior (Artiga and Hinton)

2.2 Importance of social roles in context of social and health care settings

The importance of social health in social and healthcare settings is listed below:

Psychological health: A person’s psychological environment and mental stability should be taken into consideration. If a child is suffering from delayed speech the child is likely to suffer from mental illness shortly. Hence, the surrounding environment of the child must be considered and happiness and peace should be provided to the child by keeping the environment happy.
Other diseases: If there is any speech delay there might be other problems the child is suffering from like loss of sound or deafness. The child must also be suffering from craniofacial malfunctions.
Caretakers’ attitude: The attitude of the caregiver towards the child also should be taken into consideration. The child should not undergo any kind of harassment or torture by the caregiver.
Environment at school also should be considered. The child should have a proper and happy environment in the school which will in bringing about proper development within the child.
Premature conditions should be considered, if a child is born premature then there might be loss of hearing or formation of deformed organs.
The child must be tested for all the infections or possible diseases in the body which might affect or increase the problems that will lead to loss of hearing.

LO3 Understanding how psychological theories are applied to health and social care practice

3.1 Application of psychological theories to individuals experiencing elevated levels of stress

Once the conference is done I have been invited by the local authority to produce the report on how these theories are applied to social and healthcare units. The guidance provided by the local authority has been included in the report.

Stress is a condition where a person or a certain type of environment makes an individual believes there is an inconsistency in his or her life or their near and dear ones which develop stress in them. The amount of stress every person witness depends on the success or failure an individual has witnessed within a period Many psychological theories have tried to learn about the human behavior when an individual experiences stress.

The behavioral theory states that all the behavior an individual acquires is through conditioning. Hence, people who experience stress can condition themselves and acquire new behaviors through it.

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Fig: Behavioral theory (Artiga and Hinton)

The cognitive theory deals with solving queries, providing motivation, and influencing people to make decisions on their own. This largely helps in decreasing the amount of stress a person is experiencing. The developmental theory of humans is associated with growth and development along with learning in humans which is the main focus of this theory. This theory works by manipulating the thought process of a person which will help to reduce stress. Social psychology theories mainly focus on the psychological behavior of an individual, prosocial behavior; it also concentrates its importance on specific social phenomena, behavior of an individual within groups, social influence, and love.

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Fig: Social behavioral theory (DiPersio, 2015)

3.2 Psychological theories related to behavior disturbance

According to the guidelines presented by the local authorities, a detailed report has been prepared on the on how psychological theories are applied to social and healthcare units. Every person’s behavior is affected by many reasons and different types of environments a child is brought up in. An individual’s behavior largely depicts his or her personality and the nature based on which he or she will be involved within the societal groups. If the person has no good behavior with people in the society he or she will not be allowed to take part in social groups and their activities.

Behavioral disturbances occur due to subjective distress and also when there is any kind of functional disability within a person or the surrounding environment. Behavioral disturbances cause inducement in environment and also bring about changes in intrinsic neurobiological aspects within the body. Psychologists use behavioral learning processes to understand the disturbances in humans. Depression is one of the major aspects in which a person may suffer from many psychological changes in an individual’s behavior and the disturbances that are associated with the environment. According to psychologists, a person suffers stress only when there is emotional or physical instability brought about by the surrounding environment a person resides. For example, John is a young boy who has undergone emotional disturbances in his life due to his parent’s conflicts. This has largely affected his behavior and thought process which has led him to depression. At this age, there are all chances of recovering from the depression he is falling into because of his parents. This can be achieved through extreme care, love, and support from all the people that are closely associated with him.

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Fig: Behavioral theory disturbances (DiPersio, 2015)

3.3 Psychological theory informs understanding of mental health disorders

Psychologists have analyzed data and many theories and understood the working of human brain and the prime causes of mental disorders. Below mentioned are some specific theories that will help to give a better understanding of mental health disorders.

Psychodynamic theories, this was originated from Freud. Humans are remaining conscious about others’ behavior towards them. This might lead to inner conflicts against other human beings and may turn to be a primitive reason for mental illness. The mental growth of an individual is hindered and sometimes may also lead to depression. To get a clear picture of the mental disorder please see appendix 5

Mental or personality disorders can also arise due to physical or sexual abuse witnessed by a child at in early ages. It can also be caused due to war situations, natural disasters, and rape victims which can bring about extreme trauma and depression. Excessive trauma can also lead to psychiatric disorders that may lead to memory loss. Social and cultural factors may also lead to mental disorders. Anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and body dysmorphic disorder are summed under social and cultural factors that bring about mental illness. It occurs in individuals who do not take care of their bodies and do not follow the biological clock of the body. Lack of sleep, excessive workload, lack of food intake, or fewer intakes of food are all these factors that may result in mental illness.

Fig: Mental illness (December 2008)

3.4 Application of psychological principles to affecting behavior change in health and social care settings

The psychological principles are impacted by many factors that affect the behavioral change in individuals in both social and healthcare settings.

The main purpose of educating an individual is to make him knowledgeable and ensure he can be fit and stand in the society among people. Hence, people will have more education and have lesser crime rate because they can easily differentiate what is right and what is wrong. Association is considered as a recollection of memories in the psychological principles that are related to everything taking place in the mental life of an individual. If a person is capable of recollecting memories and analyzing them even after years, that person is termed to be mentally fit, and if not then he is suffering from some kind of mental illness.

Habits are also considered as applications in psychology. The habits that every person has conserved a large amount of high mental pressure for repeating the tasks like eating, talking, etc. Good habits influence life positively. Same way self-control of brain is also very important for an individual. One needs to have strong will power to focus on his goals in life and stay away from all the bad deeds and bad energy on their way.

3.5 Psychological theories can enhance understanding of relationships in health and social care

Psychology is the study of brain and behavior a person has due to many social and biological factors in his or her life. It is a mental process in which people working in the social and health care sectors can fulfill the requirements of patients by getting treated for mental disorders they are suffering from. (Spacapan and Oskamp, 1988) The theories can provide a greater understanding of mental illness clearly for which the patient can be diagnosed for a particular mental disorder and accordingly be treated for it. The doctors providing treatment for these mental disorders first diagnose the biological, psychodynamic, humanistic, cognitive, and behavioral symptoms. By studying these they can interpret the problem of the patient and treat them accordingly. Psychological theories are clearly explained in the diagram of appendix 6. Find the diagram below.

Fig: Human behavioral chart(Hixson)

Conclusion

This entire study explains about the different stages of life in humans and how they develop behavior and development through age. A lot of biological and social factors add to the behavior and personality of a person and make us who we are today. Every person’s behavior is affected by many reasons and many different types of environments every child is been brought up into. An individual’s behavior largely depicts his or her personality and the nature based on which he or she will be involved within the societal groups.

References

Baltes, P.B., Lindenberger, U. and Staudinger, U.M., 1998. Life-span theory in developmental psychology In Handbook of child psychology (pp. 1029-1143) Wiley

Cherry, K (2019) Erik Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development.https://www.verywellmind.com/erik-eriksons-stages-of-psychosocial-development-2795740

DiPersio, J (2015) it takes a Village: Inciting Call to Action with Disease Prevention Outreach Programs through Theoretical Foundation http://www.dtcperspectives.com/it-takes-a-village-inciting-call-to-action-with-disease-prevention-outreach-programs-through-theoretical-foundation/

Dweck, C.S., 2013. Self-theories: Their role in motivation, personality, and development. Psychology press

D’Onofrio, B.M., Eaves, L.J., Murrelle, L., Maes, H.H. and Spilka, B., 1999. Understanding biological and social influences on religious affiliation, attitudes, and behaviors: A behavior genetic perspective. Journal of personality, 67(6), pp.953-984

Fredrickson, B.L., 2001. The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American psychologist, 56(3), p.218

Habib, A, Changes in Child Psychology http://childpsych.umwblogs.org/developmental-theories/jean-piaget/stages-of-cognitive-development/

Spacapan, S. and Oskamp, S., 1988 the social psychology of health Newbury Park, California: Sage.

Thomas, R.M. and Gullickson, T., 1996 Comparing theories of child development Psyccritiques, 41(5), p.516

The Relationship between Mental Health, Mental Illness and Chronic Physical Conditions

The Relationship between Mental Health, Mental Illness and Chronic Physical Conditions

Artiga, S and Hinton,E. Beyond Health Care: The Role of Social Determinants in Promoting Health and Health Equity https://www.kff.org/disparities-policy/issue-brief/beyond-health-care-the-role-of-social-determinants-in-promoting-health-and-health-equity/