Psychological Development of a 4-Year-Old: Theory and Assessment

Introduction

This paper describes the psychological development of a young girl who is 3 years and 11 months old. She is vibrant, talkative, curious, engaging, and enthusiastic. She has boundless energy and is part of a Jamaican family. She also has an older brother who is 7 years old and has been diagnosed with autism. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate her development in five key areas as assessed by the Denver Developmental Screening Test (DDST). The paper also applies the theories of Freud and Piaget to better understand her behavior, provides an analysis of her genogram, and concludes with a cultural assessment.

Theorist Application: Freud and Piaget

Freud's psychosexual stages of development propose that children pass through a series of stages related to sexuality and psychological growth. According to Freud's theory, the child described in this paper is in the phallic stage, which occurs between the ages of 3 and 6 years. Freud argued that in the phallic stage, the main focus for children is on discovering the differences between males and females (Jennings, 2022). In this stage, children can form a deep affection for the parent of the opposite sex — an observation that led Freud to develop what he termed the Oedipus complex for boys and the Electra complex for girls. However, this theory has been widely criticized, particularly by Jung (a former student of Freud), and is not widely accepted today (Niaz et al., 2019).

The phallic stage is applicable here in the sense of the child's exploration of her own body and as a stage where children assert their independence, often by following the example of adult behaviors and roles. The child showed a desire for control and autonomy that was evident in her interactions. For example, she took pride in identifying colors and characters on her nightgown, indicating her growing cognitive abilities and her desire to demonstrate her knowledge. This is a common characteristic of the phallic stage, where children begin to assert their understanding of the world around them (Jennings, 2022).

Additionally, her ability to clean up after herself, wash dishes, and mop the floor demonstrated a desire to mimic adult behaviors — particularly those of her mother. This is a key aspect of the phallic stage: children imitate the behaviors of their same-sex parent. Her imitation of adult speech and her desire to clean like her mother can therefore be seen as identification with the mother figure, which is a significant aspect of this developmental stage (Niaz et al., 2019).

Freud believed that successful completion of this stage leads to the development of a healthy personality (Jennings, 2022). The child would develop a strong sense of initiative and the ability to balance ambition and responsibility. If the stage is not successfully navigated, however, the child might become either overly assertive or overly passive.

Jean Piaget's cognitive development theory is a stage theory that describes how people's ways of thinking develop as they interact with the world around them. Piaget identified four stages of cognitive development: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational (Pakpahan & Saragih, 2022). The child in this paper falls into the preoperational stage, which typically spans from ages 2 to 7. In the preoperational stage, children engage in symbolic play, which very much characterized her behavior. One important characteristic to keep in mind, however, is that children at this stage still view the world primarily from their own perspective and do not yet fully recognize that others have viewpoints of their own.

One hallmark of the preoperational stage is the development of language. The child was able to name colors and engage in conversation, demonstrating clear command of language. She could identify different colors and express her feelings in a way that could be understood by an adult — a meaningful milestone in the preoperational stage.

The preoperational stage is also characterized by the emergence of pretend play. The child's imaginative play was evident when she pretended to clean, wash dishes, and mop the floor, demonstrating her use of imagination and symbolic thinking. Children engage in this type of play as a way of practicing cognitive skills by placing themselves in different roles — such as "mother" or "teacher" — which allows them to mimic what they observe (Pakpahan & Saragih, 2022).

At this stage, children also begin to understand that one thing can represent or stand for another. The child connected the color of her nightgown to her slippers, which were the same color, demonstrating an emerging sense of symbolic relationships and an understanding that the concept of "blue" can be associated with multiple different objects.

At the same time, children at this stage remain largely egocentric — they view the world from their own perspective. The child's consistent need for approval and reassurance from adults reflects this quality. She sought that support to confirm she was performing tasks correctly.

Denver Developmental Screening Test

The Denver Developmental Screening Test (DDST) is a tool designed to identify children who may not be developing as expected. The test measures a child's development in four areas: personal-social, fine motor-adaptive, language, and gross motor skills (Vagha et al., 2023). It is used for children from birth through age 6.

The DDST can help identify strengths and areas where a child might need additional support. For instance, if a child excels in language skills but shows a delay in fine motor skills, targeted interventions can be applied. The test can also be used to monitor development over time; regular evaluations can detect delays or regressions, and early detection enables earlier intervention (Vagha et al., 2023).

The results of the DDST can also guide the focus of any interventions. If a child were found to be struggling with color naming, for example, activities involving color recognition could be incorporated to support that skill. Furthermore, the DDST provides parents with useful information about their child's development, helping them make informed decisions about care and educational needs and identifying areas where additional support at home may be beneficial (Vagha et al., 2023).

The personal-social domain evaluates the child's ability to interact with others and perform basic self-care tasks such as smiling, feeding, dressing, and playing. A child of approximately 3 years old should be able to undress, wash hands, and participate in games with simple rules. The child described here could do all of these things, indicating development consistent with normal expectations for her age.

The fine motor-adaptive domain assesses hand-eye coordination and related skills such as holding objects, drawing, stacking blocks, and using small utensils (Vagha et al., 2023). The child demonstrated that she could brush her teeth and prepare a bowl of cereal independently, showing no concerns in this domain.

The language domain assesses the child's ability to use language accurately and in context. Depending on age, this may range from cooing and babbling to understanding simple instructions, naming objects, and speaking in sentences (Vagha et al., 2023). The child's ability to name four colors and hold a conversation with an adult indicated strong age-appropriate language development.

The gross motor domain measures overall physical coordination through skills such as rolling over, sitting up, crawling, walking, running, and hopping. The child demonstrated she could hop on one foot, passing this portion of the assessment as well.

It is important to note that the DDST is a screening tool, not a diagnostic instrument. It can signal whether a child may warrant further evaluation, but it cannot by itself establish that a child has a disorder. Its primary strength lies in confirming that a child is meeting age-appropriate milestones. When consistent delays appear across multiple domains, further investigation may be warranted (Vagha et al., 2023). In the case described here, the child is clearly meeting developmental milestones and does not require additional interventions at this time. Her motor, social, language, and cognitive skills are all progressing as expected. Given that she has an older brother with autism, the DDST is a particularly relevant tool, as it can help identify signs of autism spectrum disorder at an early age. Her strong scores across all domains suggest she is not on the autism spectrum.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the child described in this paper is a thriving young girl who is meeting all her developmental milestones according to the Denver scale. Her behaviors illustrate how child development theories can be applied in a real-world context. The genogram analysis identifies the familial and environmental factors that contribute to her development, including a notable family history of various health conditions. The cultural assessment highlights the influence of her Jamaican and Christian heritage on her upbringing. The strong emphasis on family ties, respect for elders, and the value placed on education in her culture have likely helped shape her interactions, guide her behaviors, and form her attitudes. Understanding this cultural context is essential for providing care that is respectful of and responsive to the needs of the child and her family.

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