Essay Example on Developmental Psychology: Social Norms and the Human Life Course

Introduction

The key theories and issues on the human behaviour, society and culture can be defined through social norms upon the person such as language, family, the media and peer groups (Handel, 2017, p.176). Like other animals species, humans also have a life course that has consistent phases of growth characterized by a set of psychological, behavioural and physical features. Such aspects include prenatal life, childhood, infancy, adulthood and adolescence (Handel, 2017, p.178). The developmental psychology or human development in any field of study usually explains and describes the changes in human emotions, behavioural, and cognitive functioning and capabilities in their life from fetus to the old.

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The Theories of Development on Society and Human Behavior

The basic philosophical variances of children’s fundamental nature growth have differences. In the 20th century, for instance, the most controversial discussion was about the importance of the environment and the genetic endowment to determine the developing stages of a human being during infancy and childhood (Overton & Ennis, 2006, p.145). Many scholars realized that it is through the interaction of the intrinsic’ biological factors that external; factors determine the exclusive predominance or action of human development.

The advance emotion, behaviour and cognition occur when an individual needs both maturation in events, experiences and the nervous system in the social and physical environment (Overton & Ennis, 2006, p.152). Generally, socialization cannot cause a psychological function to emerge. Rather it allows such features to appear to set limits of the time of appearance.

The influential theory is one example devised by Freud to elaborate more on the personality structure (Earlie, 2013, p.128). Based on this study, the wholly unconscious mental structure known as the id has the individuals inherited, inborn instinctual forces and drives to identify psychological theory energy (Earlie, 2013, p.134). During childhood and infancy, the ego (personality’s oriented portion) forms to develop and complement and balance the id.

The ego then utilizes a variety of unconscious and conscious mental procedures to satisfy the instincts of the id by maintaining the person’s comfort in regards to the environment. Even though the impulse of the id are directed towards gaining immediate gratification such as the instinctual drive (self-preservation, aggression, affection and sex) the ego sets the limits to the procedures (Zakharenko, 2010 p.98). According to Freud, as the child develops, the reality starts controlling the pleasure principle to assist the child in understanding more on the environment but through socialization (p. 138).

Child development is usually concerned with functions of the ego whose role is to channel the first discharge to control and drive the perceptual and intellectual features in the negotiation process (Winnicott, 2016 p.391). Even though the theory focused more on the psychological theory, the concepts of unconscious motivations and urges cannot be verified through empirical observation and scientific experiments.

Sociological Approaches to Culture

Most human behaviours like shopping, marriage and the feeling expression learned. Based on the learned customs, the behaviour of an individual is not bad if they are aware of the unwritten rules which assist people to feel confident and secure that they will not be disrupted or challenged (Taylor & Ibañez, 2015 p.1007). However, during simple actions like ordering food from a hotel, walking to work and greeting someone randomly, the cultural compatibility develops.

The nonmaterial and material cultural aspects develop from one area to another, depending on the environment (Muffels, 2014 p.387). For instance, when people travel from one region to another certain nonmaterial and material cultural aspects will look unfamiliar to them. People interact then the cultural behaviours exchange. Even though many think that they are invisible to other cultures, the commonalities and differences create the difference between their culture and others exchange.

When culture is defined in the sense of refinement or civilization, they are describing the ‘high culture’ which is a different concept from the sociological theory. This is because high refers to elite activities and goods like high fashion, haute cuisine, classical music, museum-and calibre art (Muffels, 2014 p.392). Any place that is common people says that it is cultured because they are part of the activities that take place in such areas.

Cultural Relativism and Ethnocentrism

In contrast to cultural relativism, ethnocentrism is a word coined by William Graham Sumner to elaborate more on the perspective of ethnic culture, the belief and the right ways seen by the world (Capucao, 2010 P.195). The problem is that ethnocentrism contains incorrect assumptions concerning people behaviours based on their beliefs, values and norms. A suitable example is an aversion or reluctance when one tries the cuisine from another culture.

Social scientists have always tried to treat the cultural difference as neither superior nor inferior. When they do this, they can understand the cultural context, while analysis the assumptions and biases. Using such an approach is known as cultural relativism (Fernando, 2013, p.147). It is through this method that has principles that require people to understand the activities and beliefs of someone based on their culture. The cultural relativism consists of concepts that no one has discovered its neutral position. This is brought by how people deal with the assumption by pretending they do not exist instead of acknowledging them.

Conclusion

It is clear that the key issues on society, human behaviour and society can be described in many ways but under the characteristics of human’s beings. The key theories and topics on human behaviour, society and culture can be defined through social norms upon the person such as language, family, the media and peer groups. The only way as seen is by identifying the character traits of a person from childhood to adulthood.

References

Capucao, D. (2010). Chapter eight. Religion and ethnocentrism. Denomination and Ethnocentrism, 179-228. https://doi.org/10.1163/ej.9789004184701.i-320.37

Earlie, P. (2013). Figuring influence: Some powerful metaphors in Derrida, Valery and Freud. Questions of Influence in Modern French Literature, 126-139. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137309143_10

Fernando, M. (2013). Cultural relativism. Oxford Bibliographies Online Datasets, 144-165. https://doi.org/10.1093/obo/9780199766567-0003Handel, G. (2017). Peer groups as socialization agents. Childhood Socialization, 175-178. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315081427-15

Muffels, R. (2014). Material and Nonmaterial (Family, social, leisure) values. Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research, 386-404. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0753-5_1741

Overton, W. F., & Ennis, M. D. (2006). Cognitive-developmental and behaviour-analytic theories: Evolving into complementarity. Human Development, 49(3), 143-172. https://doi.org/10.1159/000091893

Taylor, J. D., & Ibañez, L. M. (2015). Sociological approaches to self-injury. Sociology Compass, 9(12), 1005-1014. https://doi.org/10.1111/soc4.12327

Winnicott, D. W. (2016). Ego integration in child development. The Collected Works of D. W. Winnicott, 389-396. https://doi.org/10.1093/med:psych/9780190271381.003.0065

Zakharenko, R. (2010). Children versus ideas: An ‘Influential’ theory of demographic transition. SSRN Electronic Journal, 95-108. HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1391753" \t "_blank" https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1391753