Each child and each adolescent develops according to the context in which they develop during their daily lives. Arnold Gesell’s theory of maturation states that, although it is true that variables may arise that affect this development, such as the social context or unforeseen events that occur in the world, each human being usually follows a line of maturation and development that is carried out from defined stages.
If you have someone who is in contact with children and/or adolescents, this information may be useful to them, as it will allow them to know them in greater depth. In turn, understanding these stages can strengthen the bond between children, adolescents and adults. Do you want to know more about this? In this Psychology-Online article, we bring you information about Arnold Gesell’s maturation theory.
What is Arnold Gesell’s maturation theory?
Arnold Gesell’s theory of maturation refers to the process of learning and development of the human being during childhood and adolescence. Said more specifically, it is the study of behaviors, both of children and adolescents, through observation.
In order to determine maturation, Arnold Gesell took into account two relevant variables in the study of children and adolescents:
- Environment: includes everything that happens in the environment of the person in the process of maturation.
- Genes: the influence of genetic inheritance that gives rise to people’s behaviors.
What are the stages of development according to Arnold Gesell?
In order to make a more focused distinction in the maturation of children, Gesell proposed a division of developmental stages. We see them below:
- First trimester (0 to 3 months): Among the achievements of this period, the acquisition of eye movement, motor control of the hands, observation of faces with the gaze and small guttural sounds stand out.
- Second trimester (3 to 6 months): they learn to control the muscles that allow them to hold their head, laughter, murmuring, playing with their hands and visual recognition of the bottle occur.
- Third trimester (6 to 9 months): they acquire control of the trunk, manipulate objects with both hands, learn to vocalize and master footwork.
- Fourth trimester (9 to 12 months): they have a greater acquisition of . The child can sit still, crawl, imitate lines with pencils, recognize his own name, eat alone and can control his sphincters.
- Second year (12 to 24 months): the child here can now run and articulate phrases and words. In addition, he can control the bladder and rectum, imitate circular lines with pencils, understand brief commands and play with dolls.
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Methodology of Arnold Gesell’s maturation theory
Unlike other researchers who studied human behavior over time, Arnold Gesell used the observation of the behavior of minors in order to carry out the theory of maturation.
Furthermore, this implies having a passive attitude towards the actions of human beings, but also intervening on those behaviors that are not in accordance with the development of each stage in order to avoid greater complications in the future.
Criticisms of Arnold Gesell’s theory
Despite these considerations, the truth is that Arnold Gesell’s theory of maturation has received some criticism. In this section, we will present the most relevant criticisms:
- Importance of physiological maturation: The theory places special emphasis on the physiological issues that children go through to achieve higher levels of development. However, the point here lies in the fact that the influence of childhood experiences coming from the environment is relegated.
- Reduced selection of children examined: Gesell focused on addressing children from middle-class families in the United States. In this sense, it could be said that it remains to be seen whether the stages of maturation could be carried out in other social sectors.
- Overgeneralization: In relation to the previous points, the author proposes that all children go through the stages of development described above. However, this leads to the problem of not knowing the particularities of each case according to the characteristics of each person.
- Make singularity invisible: If the maturation that each person goes through is adopted as a general pattern, the possible inconveniences that may occur in each individual according to the experiences they have had are left aside.
If you want to know more about other theories of behavior, don’t miss these articles on the and the .
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
Bibliography
- Briolotti, A. (2014). The place of the environment in Arnold Gesell’s theory of psychological development. VI International Congress of Research and Professional Practice in Psychology. XXI Research Conferences Tenth Meeting of MERCOSUR Psychology Researchers. Faculty of Psychology – University of Buenos Aires.
- Briolotti, A. (2015). Psychological development, nature and culture in Arnold Gesell’s theory: an analysis of psychology as a discipline of knowledge-power. Memorandum Magazine, 28 (3), 55-70.