What is Human Development ?
- Change is the law of nature, consequently all living and non-living things change as the time passes. In the case of organisms, special point is that along with the environment they themselves contributes something to the process of change. It is not only the physical environment, that is the mean of change langing. The important fact about the changes occurring in human beings in that they progressively develop themselves and this state of the organisms makes them more capable than what they are in the previous state. The life of human beings becomes capable m contributing to the development of individuals by proceeding from depending on others to achieving independence. This chain of change in human beings is called human development. The aim of development changes is to enable the human beings to adopt and adjust with the environment in which they live. To achieve this aim it is necessary that the individual to recognise and know themselves.
Definitions of Human Development
- Gessel : “Development is more than a concept. It can be observed, appraised and to some extent even measured in three major manifestations anomic psychological, behavioural. Behaviour signs, however, constitute a most comprehensive index of development status and developmental potential”.
- E.B. Hurlock: “Development is not limited to growing larger. Instead it consists of a progressive series of changes towards the goal of maturity. Development results in new characteristic and new abilities on the part of the individual”.
- H. Sorenson :”Devlopment is mean by the process of maturity and functional improvement which is caused by the qualitative and quantitative changes in structure and form. Development is the special indication of qualitative change in comparision to growth.
- Era Gorden: “Individual development as the process by which a person from the moment of birth on, progresses towards self-actualization, fulfillment, completeness of maximum organization and integration”.
Meaning of Development:
- Development means, “proceeding towards more progress, more unfoldment and more maturity”. This indicates those changes which are now only quantitatively measured but express themselves as definite patterns of behaviour; as they can not measured in centimeters, inches or pounds, but on the contrary are they can be seen in the term of one’s reactions towards others.
- Generally psychologists use both growth and development as synonyms because both the terms are interrelated and interdependent. It is very difficult to differentiate the contribution of these two processes to the development of personality of an individual. Some psychologists regards growth as an increase in physical aspects of an individual as height and weight. So they define growth as a change or increase in body and parts of body. According to them growth is quantitative change. American child psychologist Amald Gessel writes that growth is the activity of environment itself. For the development environment creates atmosphere, but this unfoldment of development is primarily organised by intrinsic physiology of an individual. Development can be defined as an unfoldment of capabilities of an individuals and also as expansion of the capabilities which enable the individual to perform more activities. For example bringing efficiency in games by uncertain activities causes development in motor ability. Generally growth is physical development as increasing parts of body and weight which can be measured and observed. Some psychologists differentiate growth and development in the following manner.
- Growth is a change or increase in a particular aspect or physical aspect of an individual where as development is change in whole organisational aspects. Hence development is more comprehensive than growth.
- Growth continues only upto a particular period of the life span of an organisms, but development is a life-long process and is a progressive chain. Development of an individual continues throughout life span.
- Development is possible in the absence of significant growth.
- Growth is structural change where as development is functional change. Without function structure is meaningless.
In brief development can be called qualitative change which strengthens and expands various aspects of the personality of an individual. In the words of Hurlock, “Development is not limited to growing larger. Instead, it consists of a progressive series of changes towards the goal of maturity. Development results in new characteristics and new abilities on the part of individuals”.
Latest Post of Psychology :– Click Here
Important Points of Human Development :-
- Development means proceeding towards more maturity which is not quantitatively measurable but in qualitative change.
- Development in continuous, systematic and sequential.
- In each cell of parents there are 23 chromosoms and these constitute 23 pairs.
- Each choromosom has many genes and each gene determines one or the other trait or characteristic.
- Heredity provides potentialities to develop. These potentialities develop in environment.
- Sigmund Freud propounded psychoanalytic theory and Erikson propounded Psycho social theory which describe the stages of development from birth to adulthood.
Human Development Questions And Answers
1. What is the meaning of heredity?
(A) Sperm and ovam
(B) Chromosomes and genes
(C) Mitosis and Meiosis
(D) DNA and RNA
Click to show/hide
Answer :- ( B )
2. Which of the following theory has been propounded by Freud?
(A) Cognitive theory
(B) Psycho-social theory
(C) Stimulus-response theory
(D) Psycho analytic theory
Click to show/hide
Answer :- ( D )
3. Who out of the following has propounded psycho-social theory?
(A) Sigmund freud
(B) Erik Erikson
(C) E.B. Hurlock
(D) Not any of these
Click to show/hide
Answer :- ( B )