PSYCHOLOGY

• Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behavior, according

to the American Psychological Association. Psychology is a
multifaceted discipline and includes many sub-fields of study such
areas as human development, sports, health, clinical, social behavior
and cognitive processes.
Jean Piaget
• A Psychologist and a Swiss clinical psychologist known for his pioneering
work in child development. He pioneered the “theory of cognitive
development” a comprehensive theory about the development of
human intelligence. Piaget wanted to know how children learned
through their development in the study of knowledge. Piaget's theory is
based on the idea that the developing child builds cognitive structures.
• He believes that the child's cognitive structure increases with the
development.
• Piaget's Theory of infant development were based on his observations
of his own three children.
What is Cognitive Development?
• Cognitive Development is the emergence of the ability to think and
understand.
• The acquisition of the ability to think, reason and problem solve.
• It is the process by which people's thinking changes across the life
span.
• Piaget studied Cognitive Development by observing children in
particular, to examine how their thought processes changed with age.
• It is the growing apprehension and adaptation to the physical and
social environment
How Cognitive Development occurs?
• Cognitive Development is gradual and orderly changes by which
mental process becomes more complex and sophisticated.
• The essential development of cognition is the establishment of new
schemes.
• Assimilation and Accommodation are both the processes of the ways
of Cognitive Development.
• The equilibration is the symbol of a new stage of the Cognitive
Development.
Three basic components to Piaget’s
cognitive theory. These are:
• Schema: Schema is an internal representation of the world. It helps
an individual understand the world they inhabit. They are cognitive
structures that represent a certain aspect of the world, and can be
seen as categories which have certain pre-conceived ideas in them.
• Adaptation. It involves the child learning processes to meet
situational demands.
• Stages of Cognitive Development. They reflect the increasing
sophistication of the child’s thought processes.
Furthermore, he describes two processes used by the individual
in his/her attempt to adapt – assimilation and accommodation
• Assimilation: It is using an existing schema to deal with a new object
or situation. Here, the learner fits the new idea into what he already
knows. In Assimilation, the schema is not changed, it is only modified.
• Example, a 2 year old child sees a man who is bald on top of his head
and has long frizzy hair on the sides. To his father’s horror, the toddler
shouts “Clown, clown”
• Accommodation This happens when the existing schema (knowledge)
does not work and needs to be changed to deal with a new object or
situation. In Accommodation, the schema is altered; a new schema
may be developed.
• Example : In the “clown” incident, the boy’s father explained to his
son that the man was not a clown and that even though his hair was
like a clown’s, he wasn’t wearing a funny costume and wasn’t doing
silly things to make people laugh.
In the “Stages of Cognitive Development”, Piaget theorize that
children progress through 4stages and that they all do so in the
same order.
Harter’s Self Development Concept
• Psychologist, author, and professor, Dr. Susan Harter (1999) detailed
the emergence of selfconcept and asserted that the board
developmental changes observed across childhood, later childhood,
and adolescence could be interpreted within the Piagetian
framework. The development of the self-concept according to Harter
is as follows:
Real and Ideal Self-Concepts
• Carl Ransom Rogers’ Self Theory: Real and Ideal Self. Another aspect
of self-understanding that is important in adolescent years focuses on
self-concept – refers to the image of oneself. Carl Rogers was an
American Psychologist and among the founders of the humanistic
approach to psychology (Capuzzi, 2016).
• Humanistic psychology is a psychological perspective that rose t
prominence in the md-20th century. This approach highlighted the
individual’s innate drive toward self-actualization and the process of
realizing and expressing one’s own capabilities and creativity (Hansen,
2014).
• According to Rogers, human beings are always striving for self-actualization. When the needs of the
self are denied, severe anxiety may arise. Central to achieving to self-actualization is the
development of self-concept. In Roger’s view, the close (congruence) the ideal self to the real self,
the more fulfilled and happier the individual becomes. When the ideal self is far(incongruence) from
the Ideal self, the person becomes unhappy and dissatisfied (Rogers, C. 1950, 2000).
Rogers suggest two components of self-concept: the
real self and the ideal self. The ideal self could include:
• Notions influenced by your parents
• What you admire in others
• What the society sees as acceptable; and
• What you think is in your best interest

The real self is the person you actually are. It is how you behave right at
the moment of a situation. It is who you really in reality – how you
think, feel, or act at present (Rogers, C. 1959; Gale, C.l. 2015; Eyesenck,
M.V., 2014; Brower, I.B., 2014).
Multiple versus Unified Self
• The constructions of multiple selves vary across different interpersonal and
intrapersonal roles and relationships. “Properly speaking, a man has many
social selves as there are individuals who recognize him in their head” James
(1890).
• Winnicott has found that the self is composed of the true self and the false
self. Functions:false self – hide and protect the true self. Researchers have
found that adolescents’ perceptions of themselves can change depending on
the situation. For instance, adolescents are more likely to show their false
self during dating situations and are likely to show their true self when they
are with their family and close friends. In other words adolescents display a
falseself to impress others. Adolescents develop different selves in various
relational contexts.
Allport’s Personality Theory
• PsychologistGordon Allport (1961) proposed his “personality trait” theory
asserting that every person possesses “traits”. According to him, a “trait” is your
essential characteristic tat never, ever changes and sticks with you all your life.
These traits also shape who you are (the way you think, feel, or behave, etc.) in any
given time (Hall &Lindzey, 1957; Morris, et al., 2002).
• The ego states
Psychiatrist Eric Berne (1960), began to develop his transactional analysis
model as basis for understanding behavior. Transactional analysis is anchored on two
notions:
• Every person has three parts called “ego states” in his or her personality.
• People communicate with oone another assuming roles of any of these ego states:
1. Parent 2. Adult 3. Child
• Parent Ego – voice of authority and could be: comforting “nurturing”
parent or “controlling/critical parent” voice that tells what you should
or not do.
• Adult Ego – it is the rational person. It is the voice that speaks
reasonably and knows how to assert himself or herself.
• Child Ego has three states: 1. The curious child who loves to play but
is sensitive and vulnerable. 2. The little professor is the curious child
who wants to try everything, and 3. The adaptive child I the one who
reacts to the world (Berne, 2016).
Domains of the Self
Gregg henriques, a university professor and a author proposed tat the human
self has three related, but separratble, domains. These are:
1) Experiential self
• The theater of consciousness because it is the first to experience its
beingness (the state or fact of existing). It is also closely ties to memory. 2)
Private self
• The narrator or interpreter. It is the self that narrates the unfolding events at
the same time tries to make sense of the experience.
3) Public self/persona
• It is the image you project to the public. This is the image that interacts with
others and will influence how others see you.