Week 2 Post 1

After reading Chapter 2 and learning about human development, I found the three Grand Theories to be really interesting.  One of the three Grand Theories of human development is the Psychoanalytic Theory.  This theory states that both human thoughts and actions originate from unconscious impulses as well as childhood conflicts.  I believe this to be true because humans are prone to acting on impulse.  In many cases, humans don’t think, they just do whatever comes naturally to them.  That being said past actions can play a huge role in how someone continues to develop.  Another Grand Theory is Behaviorism.  I find this theory to be the best when talking about human development.  Behaviorism (also known as the Learning Theory) studies observable and measurable behavior.  As young children grow, they learn by watching and observing what others do around them.  It may not seem like much because no one is actually sitting down and teaching them, but that is how they learn.  Another way to best explain this theory is by using the phrase “monkey see, monkey do”.  I believe this theory is true for any developmental stage of life.  We can all learn by watching.  The last theory of the three Grand Theories is the Cognitive Theory.  This theory states that thoughts and beliefs powerfully affect people’s attitudes, actions, and perceptions on things.  I also believe this theory to be very accurate when trying to understand human development.  I think that this theory is true with every stage of someone’s life.  If someone has bad thoughts, more than likely their actions will be bad as well.  If someone has negative beliefs, they most likely will have a negative attitude and perception in life.  However, if someone has good thoughts as well as positive beliefs it is a completely different story for them.  Our minds have great power and therefore we should learn how to control it for the better.