Discussion:
Stage Theories of Development
As we have learned about throughout the course, there are many theorists who feel that if individuals do not progress through a series of changes, in a certain order, than their development will be affected.
Take Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development for example. There are 4 stages of cognitive growth - sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational and then formal operational thinking. If certain concepts are not mastered (i.e. egocentrism and conservation in the preoperational stage) then advancement to the next stage will be compromised.
The same can be said for socioemotional development. Erikson's theory asserts that individuals are experiencing sets of crisesthroughout their development and successful resolutions of these crises will affect movement through his remaining stages. For example, the central crisis is early adulthood is intimacy vs. isolation. In order to successfully navigate this stage, a young adult must find a partner to share intimacy with or be faced with being isolated from society. Successful resolution of this stage is based on resolution of the identity vs. role confusion crises that was confronted in adolescence. Individuals who have not established an identity in adolescence would be unable to establish intimacy in young adulthood.
These are just two examples but can you think of other theories and examples mentioned in the readings that support this "stage" idea? And do you agree or disagree with the concept of stages?