Week 2- David Polanski

     Chapter 2 focuses on theories of development. Throughout this chapter we are introduced to several renown psychologist and their theories. One would probably spend the rest of their life analyzing each theory and then blogging about it. Each psychologist discussed offered a major contribution to modern psychology, but touching on everything just is not possible. I would like to discuss a few areas I found most interesting while reading the chapter.

"The Freudian theory is one of the most important foundation stones for an edifice to be built by future generations, the dwelling of a freer and wiser humanity." - Thomas "Da" Mann (1939), German Author and Critic

 Most people consider Freud as "the father of modern psychology", I like to think of him as 'the godfather of modern psychology".  The quote above speaks a lot about who Freud was along with his theory. The Freudian stages of development consist of the following five stages:

1. The Oral Stage (0-1.5 yrs old)
2. The Anal Stage (1.5-3 yrs old)
3. The Phallic Stage (3-5 yrs old)
4. The Latency Stage (5-12 yrs old)
5. The Genital Stage (12 years and older)

The premise of these stages is that each stage has a major function based on developmental needs/wants in that period of life, Freud refers to these as pleasure centers (pg.30). To be honest, I had to look further into these because at a first glance I did not know what I was looking at, kind of came off a little weird. I do feel the sexual undertone was a bit strong overall, but with an open mind I could see what Freud was implying for each stage.

The Phallic Stage is when the genitals are the pleasure center of this stage and in the two remaining stages. The major function of this stage is the healthy development of sexual interest, which sometimes involves unconscious sexual desire for the parent of the opposite sex, as a male this would be known as Oedipus complex.

I had a hard time understanding this stage because I honestly could not relate to it. My dad took off on my mom around a year after I was born and I never really knew the guy. Every memory I had as a kid probably had my mom in it. I was and still am close to my mom because at times in my life she was all I had. This stage talks about developing an unconscious sexual desire for the parent of the opposite sex. This has never happened to me. I cannot say it is wrong since I never experienced what living with two parents is like. I wanted to get other's opinions on this and to my surprise I found out one friend agreed with Freud and the other agreed with myself. The reason I am surprised is because the person who agreed with me was also raised by a single parent. I would like to know more if there are any links to these type of responses.

     Jean Piaget and his stages of cognitive development I felt needed some recognition in my blog. I always had an appreciation for Piaget, especially after reading The Moral Judgement of the Child. The insight Piaget offers into the child's mind is surreal. To better understand these stages let's take a look at them: (pg.35)

1. Sensorimotor: birth- 2 yrs old- Infants' sensory experiences with the environment form patterns that lead to cognitive structures; object permanence develops.
2. Preoperational: 2-7 yrs old- Use of symbols; rapid language growth.
3. Concrete operational: 7-11 yrs old- Can reason about physical objects.
4. Formal operational: 11+ years- Abstract thinking leads to reasoning with more complex symbols. 

I found the concrete and formal stages to be most intriguing when I related them to my life. When I was 6, my mom and I moved from a terrible neighborhood to one that was just bad (movin' on up!). I grew up around violence from gangs, drugs, shootings, and everything else we hear on the new at 9 in Chicago. I always remember thinking to myself that I never wanted to end up in that lifestyle. However, a few of my good childhood friends seemed to worship that lifestyle and unfortunately some of them went down that path. Reasoning about physical objects can possibly foretell the way you perceive life and how you will form your formal operational stage. When you begin to reason about certain things you form an opinion on them, some could be good, bad, or disposable, either way they help shape who you become. At the concrete operational stage a child can start to make sense of their surroundings and understand they can form reasoning to things that they come across. I do feel that the concrete operational stage can directly impact the formal operational stage. In 1997, just two years after I moved into our new neighborhood my cousin shot just two blocks from where we lived. I always knew gangs were bad but this situation made my mind start to reason exactly what was happening. After this had happened I just became aware where I was living and always second thought where I went and who I hung out with. I saw the hurt that this had brought my family and before this I never experienced a traumatic event. I saw that life can sometimes hurt but you have to reason with yourself about the choices and decisions you have to make in life, even if they aren't always the easiest.