Empirical support for human growth and spiritual development theories

Empirically-Based Theories Question/Prompt: Discuss 2 human growth development theories supported

One human growth and development theory that has been supported by research is Erikson's eight stages of life development (Slater, 2003, p. 53). One of the central notions of this theory is that the development of an individual continues for as long as he or she is alive. This idea is known as lifespan theory. Despite the fact that people are always developing, there are various stages that Erikson has identified that are common to the development of most people. The first five of these theories apply to teenagers and children; the final three are applicable to adults. For instance, stage five is the stage in which one has fully formed one's own identity and is now considered an adult. This stage is known as identity vs. role confusion, and is one that most teenagers have to face and surpass before they are adults. There is a fair amount of confidence that plays an integral role in this stage, as confidence is a principle distinguishing factor between adults and children/teenagers. Other stages in this particular theory of Erikson include the initial stage, which the psychologist termed trust vs. mistrust. During this stage, one develops trust or mistrust for most of the things one encounters on a regular basis such as people or places. As noted before, there are eight stages in all.

Another theory is Piaget's childhood cognitive development theory. One of the aspects of this theory that is the most noteworthy is that this psychologist was fairly adamant about the fact that ultimately, children are able to learn through discovery. Piaget did not conceive of childhood cognition as a scholarly pursuit in which children are inactive learners, merely absorbing knowledge. Rather, he advanced the notion that they learn by integrating knowledge with their surroundings and with themselves, which in turn helps to facilitate a greater degree of understanding. It is also noteworthy that Piaget also had several different stages that he attributed to children's cognitive development.

One theory that continues to be examined yet which is not supported by empirical evidence is Elisabeth Kubler-Ross's five stages of grieving, or five stages of death. The book of Ruth implies that grieving is ultimately "an event which defines natural expectations of life" (Dresner, 2007, p. 132), which is aligned with Kubler-Ross's stages. Kubler Ross claimed that most times when someone experiences the death of a someone close to them, their grief takes the form of denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. She acknowledges the fact that although these stages generally occur in order, people can go from say, the third stage back to the second stage, or spend time in one stage more than in the others.