Explain why social experience is vital to human development. Discuss the socialization theories of Freud, Piaget, Kohlberg, Gilligan, Mead, and Erikson. Which theory is most valuable in explaining juvenile delinquency? Explain why you think so. After

Social Experience

March 14 , 2007

Social experience is important to an individual 's development throughout life . An absence of social experience can cause a person to be void of emotion , actions with meaning , and /or meaningful thought Through socialization , individuals learn their culture , and develop personality . Socialization is accomplished throughout an individual 's entire lifetime , from birth to old age

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939 ) theorized that the biology of an individual was a major contributing factor to human development . His theory specified two basic drives : the need for bonding , called `life

br instinct , and an aggressive drive , called the `death instinct . Based on Freud 's theory , these conflicting drives operate at an individual 's subconscious level (p .66

Using these basic drives , Freud developed a three-part personality model , which includes the id , the superego , and the ego . The id controls the individual 's unconscious drives . The id is present from birth

The ego is a person 's conscious efforts to balance innate pleasure-seeking drives with the demands of society (p .66 . The ego develops as individuals become aware of their existence . During this time , it is learned that we cannot have everything we want

The superego controls the conscious . It forms as a child becomes aware of familial demands . The superego matures as the developing child learns that behavior should be largely influenced by cultural norms

To a child who is id-centered , the sensations discovered in the world produce pleasure or pain . The developing child learns the moral values of what is right and what is wrong as the superego develops . The id and the superego remain in constant conflict , managed by the ego , if the individual is well-adjusted . Sublimation , caused by the competing demands of an individual 's self and society , can change one 's selfish drives into what is socially acceptable behavior

Jean Piaget (1896-1980 ) developed four stages of cognitive development while studying human cognition in his own children . He wanted to know what they knew and how they made sense of the world and their environment

The sensorimotor stage , the first stage , is the level of human development at which individuals experience the world only through their senses (p .67 . During this stage , the developing child knows the world by relying on touch , taste , smell , and sight

The preoperational stage , the second stage , is the level of human development at which individuals first use language and other symbols (p .67 . In this stage , children can only attach meanings to specific objects and experiences . For example , a child can tell you a specific book that they like , but they cannot tell you what kinds of books they like . Also , a child cannot judge size , volume , or weight . A child lacks abstract concepts at this stage

The concrete operational stage , the third stage , is the level of human development at which individuals first see casual connections in their surroundings (p .67 . In this stage , children can focus on how and why things happen . They can now attach multiple symbols to an...