Unconscious urges?

These are the psychoanalytic theories of Freud and Erikson; the behaviorism of Pavlov and Skinner and the social learning theory of Bandura; humanism and evolutionary
theory; Piaget’s cognitive theory; and Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory. Although each theory
is too restricted to account solely for the tremendous diversity in human development, each
has made an important contribution to developmental psychology.
To help clarify your understanding of the major developmental theories, this exercise asks
you to focus on the similar, contradictory, and complementary aspects of the five theories.
1. Which of the major developmental theories are stage theories? Which are not?
2. Which theories emphasize an individual’s conscious organization of experience?
Unconscious urges? Observable behavior? The interaction of nature and nurture?
3. Which theories emphasize the impact of early experience on development?
4. How does each theory view the child?
5. How do the theories view adult development?
6. Do the theories use the same methodology? How does each make use of the scientific
method?
7. Which theories have been criticized for being too subjective? Too mechanistic? Too
deterministic? For neglecting the role of biological maturation in guiding development.