Erikson's psychosocial theory

A social and emotional theory of development, Erikson's psychosocial theory discusses social

and emotional development. Erickson believes that personality develops in stages. Adolescence,

young adulthood, middle adulthood, and old age are the five stages of a person's development

(65 years to death). Given that the child in the study is in fifth grade, the School Age stage is the

focus of this case study analysis.

According to Erickson, a child's school-age stage is characterized by the conflict of Industry vs.

Inferiority. At this age, children go to school and must deal with changing social and academic

aspects (Erickson, 1968). Children of this age develop feelings of superiority for their successes

or inferiority for their failures as they interact socially with their peers. Children begin to

undertake more complex activities and acquire new skills. At this point, parents and teachers

should congratulate their children on their accomplishments to boost their children's confidence.

When a new friend arrives at school, he acquires new skills and gains confidence in his academic

work.

Attachment theory

The attachment theory is concerned with the long-term relationships that humans can form. A

child must have a close relationship with at least one caregiver to develop normally as he or she

grows from infancy to early childhood and middle childhood. Attachment during middle

childhood and adolescence, according to attachment theory, becomes more complex as the

child's development is advanced by age, social aspect, and intellectual growth.

Between the ages of seven and eleven, a child progresses from the proximity and accessibility of

the carer to a stage of coregulation in which the child and the carer maintain secure-base contact,

according to Mercer (2006). The child gains independence while bargaining some way of

communicating and oversight (Grossmann and Waters, 2005). If their primary caregivers are

unavailable, children will direct attachment behaviors toward their peers. As the child enters the

formal school system, his or her attachment to parental figures diminishes.

James, ten, is transitioning from proximity to freedom, allowing him to skip school while

maintaining some communication with his mother through negotiation. This indicates that James

is progressing from being dependent on her primary caregiver, her parent, to being independent.

As he begins school, James' attachment to his caring parent (her mother) weakens. That is why

he does not tell her about his school bullies. When Daniel arrives and becomes his new friend, he

talks about schoolwork with him which boosts his confidence.

Piaget Theory

Jean Piaget's cognitive development theory is among the famous concepts concerning the

development of a child. Both children and adults, according to the theory, create a mental model

of their surroundings. Children use this model to make plans based on information from their

previous experiences. The case of James exemplifies Piaget's cognitive theory of development,

which states that between the ages of seven and eleven, children develop cognitively, and they

understand the mental operations going on around them. This is evident in James's academic

performance while undergoing social changes. According to the theory, children at this

operational stage comprehend their mental operations.

Evaluation
In analyzing the James case, psychosocial development theories are just as important as

cognitive development theories. Erickson's psychosocial theory aids case readers in

understanding the conflict that exists among school-age children. The attachment theory, which

is an emotional and social development theory, shows how James is emotionally and socially

developing, whilst Piaget's cognitive development theory applies to the case since it shows how

James utilizes his perceptual capacity to comprehend the mental activities taking place around

him.
 References

Erikson, E.H. (1968). Identity, Youth and Crisis. New York: Norton

Grossmann, K.E., and Waters, E. (2005). Attachment from infancy to adulthood: The major

longitudinal studies.  New York: Guilford

Mercer, J (2006). Understanding Attachment: Parenting, child care, and emotional development.

Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers