Module Directory

This module offers an introduction to perspectives in child development and includes an emphasis on therapeutic approaches.

The module proceeds historically, beginning with the advent of developmental conceptions of the mind in the nineteenth century and continuing into contributions of developmental psychology in the 20th and 21st centuries, including psychoanalytic and psychodynamic theories.

Beginning this module, you will consider the theoretical contributions made by some of the key developmental theorists, including Freud, Erickson, Skinner, Piaget, Bronfenbrenner, Vygotsky, Bowlby, and Klein. Following this, you will explore some concepts central to understanding child development, including birth, play, and sociality. The module will conclude with a consideration of the limitations of developmental psychology. To this end, we will read critiques of developmentalism made by scholars in feminist theory, critical race studies, cultural studies, dis/ability studies, and post-colonial studies. The final week of this module considers both developmental theories and critiques of them in terms of potential therapeutic interventions.

You will have the chance to consider, evaluate and debate this range of perspectives which will be fundamental to your learning in other modules in Childhood Studies.

The aims of the module are:

• To explore a variety of theoretical perspectives in child development, and to identify the distinctiveness of each theoretical perspective


• To gain knowledge of how psychoanalytic and psychodynamic theories are used to understand child development


• To recognise how areas of developmental psychological understanding have been extended to clinical and therapeutic applications


• To articulate the shortcomings of developmental perspectives as elaborated by critical perspectives like feminist and post-colonial theory

By the end of this module, student will be expected to be able to:

1. Gain an understanding of diverse perspectives in child development and be able to identify their foci and implications


2. Identify the contributions of psychoanalytic theories (e.g., Freud, Erickson, Bowlby, Klein) to understanding child development


3. Critically compare and assess a number of theories and perspectives


4. Asses both the contributions and the limitations of developmental perspectives

This module will be delivered via:

• 20 x 1 hour lecture
• 20 x 1 hour discussion seminar