I nKenyian Goodacre

Professor Leslie

Psy 301

April 5, 2015

Observational Development

In order to understand the development psychology of the child, I choose to observe a child who knows things around him and can express himself easily. This led me, to choosing my neighbor’s child, a five-year old boy named Jacob. He is from the neighborhood and well known to me, he seems like a normal boy although he does not have any permanent friends that he plays with everyday, he seems to hop from friend to friend. At the young age of five years he is in the preschool stage of development. This is the self-awareness and imagination stage in which a child starts understanding the things around him. at this point the child begins to know what their real identity is. It is also at this phase that they get to understand that their behaviors have consequences and those consequences at the time they will not be positive if their behavior was not positive.

A child at this age stands out from other kids, therefore I began observing his character and or how he interacts with other children. For instance, the physical characteristic of this child is that he has a great appetite and eats more frequently. The energy in his body is usually burnt rapidly making it necessary for the child to eat a lot. Due to the many activities during the day, the child can also be said to be exhausted and tends to retire early in the evening. They have to rest early for their bodies to regain the lost energy. At this age, the child is also responsible for toileting. At some points, however, it may happen accidentally, especially if the child was busy doing something else and simply forgets to go to the bathroom. The child might also need some assistance in issues such as dressing and putting on shoes. Though he has an idea of how it is done, he might not be able to do it perfectly. Lastly the child is observed playing in one position or with one activity for a good amount of time but keeps changing various positions and activities frequently. He cannot sit for a long time in one place therefore, he is always constantly moving.

The other characters that would make this child stand out from others are the emotional characteristics he poses. For example he always tends to blame others for his own mistakes. He is not quick to accept that the mistake was his and always lays the blame on others. It was also observed that the child was afraid of the dark. This point shows that the child has become aware of the dangers posed by others especially those that are not friendly. In some situations, the child can also be said to be verbally aggressive. If he has not accorded enough attention, the child may at times try to get his way by being verbally aggressive. At this age, the child will always want the approval and support of others, whether it is adults or his peers.

At the time of observation, the child was out playing outside with other kids his own age. Jacob seems to enjoy playing with other children and want to participate in all activities. At one point, he is seen busy trying to mold something with the soil. He then rushes to show it to his friends, saying it is his dad’s car. Somewhere before he gets to his friends he drops it and then aggressively blames its destruction on one of his peers. After sometimes, he moves on as if nothing had happened, not showing any anger even for that child he accused of destroying his dirt creation.

These behaviors can be said to relate well with the characteristics of a child at his aged discussed above. For instance, the child can be said to be friendly and corporative by the way he enjoys playing with other kids. He is also seen trying to mold a car from the soil, showing he is attempting to understand the nature and things around him. He then forgets the issues and moves on showing that he is resilient, forgiving, and forgetful in a childlike sense.

Work cited

Lemma, Alessandra. “Psychodynamic Therapy: The Freudian Approach”. In W. Dryden.

Handbook of individual therapy. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage. 2002