There are many theories on how human development through different stages of life affects an individual’s life and mental health. From the moment the first human development theory occurred, society took multiple attempts to define the exact stages of progression in human development, enhancing the previous ideas. This essay will define the current trends in the progression of human development theories and explore the role of education in human development theories.
The early human development theories were similar in the sense that they all were developed around the same time period and in the way they sequenced life events. Some of the human development theories even used previous theories as a guide. For example, Erikson initially took Freud’s theory of development and modified it into his psychosocial theory. Moreover, even though all theories focused on different areas of human development, they all differentiated a number of stages connected to an individual’s age.
The progression of human development theories implies theory-predicated methodological innovations in areas of research and application. According to Lerner et al. (2019), developmental science is placed at the frontier of refining concepts of human development theories into a dynamic and relational metatheory of the developmental system. In other words, in the current stage, the trends in the progression of human development theories are directed towards matching the theory, methodology, and application processes. The advancement of developmental theories established developmental science that now could be used for promoting life spans of thriving and social contribution.
The educational field transforms with more research and theories established in the field of human development. Both education and human development are closely connected to each other, and improvements in one field lead to improvements in the other area. According to Lerner et al. (2019), the educational practice and teacher training in human development areas now emphasize ways to maximize each person’s opportunities. The quality of education plays a significant role in opportunities for an individual’s development
In conclusion, it is important for educators to become familiar with the relationship between human development theories and the field of education because maximized opportunities give individuals more chances to succeed in school. Moreover, human development theories imply that earlier periods and events in life could alter the individual’s adult life. Thus, it is necessary to make the education process friendly and comfortable for the students to ensure their happiness and stable mental health in further life.
References
Lerner, R. M., Geldhof, G. J., & Bowers, E. P. (2019). The science of learning and development: Entering a new frontier of human development theory, research, and application. Applied Developmental Science, 23(4), 305-306. doi:10.1080/10888691.2019.1630995