Essay - Theories of Personality Development Most Personality Theories Discuss Development in...

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Theories of Personality Development

Most personality theories discuss development in terms of specific, progressive stages. Piaget and Erikson's theories of ***** development follow a simil*****r structure. However, the fundamental difference between the two *****ories lies ***** the fact that while ***** explained ***** from a motor and cognitive perspective, Erikson approached the subject from ***** view point ***** social development (AllPsych, 2004).

Piaget's "Theory of Cognitive Development" describes the specific stages that children go through, as their cognitive ability to understand relationships develops. Thus, Piaget's theory explains how personality develops as: infants learn to manipulate objects ***** are within their current sensory perception and then go on ***** understand the concept of object permanency (sensori***** stage); children begin to interact with *****ir environment through the use ***** words and images though they ***** able to focus only one aspect of a stimulus (preoperational stage); older children begin to develop their ***** ability and learn the concept ***** grouping of concrete objects (concrete operations stage); teenagers develop a more abstract ***** of the world, using *****s such as conservation, reversibility and ***** idea of ca***** and effect (formal operations stage). In *****, Piaget explained the processes through which personality is formed. *****'s work is valuable as it enables parents and teachers ***** facilitate and monitor a child's cognitive *****, *****reby laying the foundation for a healthy adult personality.

***** contrast, ***** "Theory of Psychosocial Development" concerns itself with ***** ***** socialize and how this affects their sense of self. According to Erikson, a child's person*****lity ***** through eight distinct stages, each of which involves a different psychosoci*****l crisis and has two possible outcomes. The successful completion of ***** stage results in a healthy personality whereas failure ***** ne*****tiate any ***** particular ***** leads to a reduced ability to complete other stages and, therefore, a less ***** personality and ***** ***** *****. The eight psychosocial crises or ***** that Erikson defined are: trust versus mistrust; autonomy versus shame and doubt; initiative versus guilt; industry versus inferiority; identity versus role confusion; intimacy ***** isolation; generativity versus stagnation; and ego integrity versus despair. Like Piaget, ********** theory also explains the *****ors that influence personality *****ment albeit ***** a framework of psychosocial factors. Thus, this theory too is immensely valuable as it enables ***** and teachers to help a child *****ly n*****tiate each psychosocial crisis and thereby develop a healthy sense ***** self.

Piaget and Erikson's work is valuable but is limited since the focus is on explaining the process through ***** ***** develops. Thus, both theories stop short of explaining final pers*****ality ***** and their functioning. For this re*****on, I agree with Carl Jung's personality theory ***** than any other ***** it offers an expl*****ation of ***** the individual psyche works, by *****self, and in terms of its relation to ***** universe. *****n fact, I find that ***** personality typology explains my own personality accurately as a "ESFJ" or "Extroverted Feeling with Sensing" type. With a score of extroverted 56%, Sensing 22%, Feeling 56%,



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