Public Administration and Dev Theories

Does Psychological Theories of Development have a useful role in the field as
fragmented and applied to Public Administration?

Alexis C. Cruz
DPA
Every human being goes through the same aging process, from a newborn to an elderly
senior. The patterns that emerge from this and other ways of thinking about human
development are how developmental theory is defined.
The term "developmental theory" refers to a variety of theories about how people develop
from birth through late age, taking into account both psychological and physiological
factors. Developmental theorists study all aspects of human life, with a particular
emphasis on identifying patterns that contribute to mental or physical illness and devising
prevention measures.
The major players in developmental psychology history are most recognized for their own
ideas and models. Each of the models has aided in the comprehension of the human
development, growth process and focuses on a different element of development: social,
emotional, psychosexual, behavioral, attachment, social learning, and many others.
First is the Attachment theory, created by John Bowlby (1969, 1973, 1980). The most
well-known theory of social development.
Bowlby (1969) proposed that the desire to make bonds is natural, inherent in all people
for survival, and necessary for children's growth. This natural relationship contributes to
youngsters being cared for by their parent or caregiver (Bowlby, 1969, 1973, 1980).
However, Bowlby's approach ignores peer group impact and how it shapes children's
personalities and development (Harris, 1998).
Second, the four-stage paradigm of cognitive development proposed by Jean Piaget
(1951) sequences a child's intellectual growth. According to this hypothesis, all children
progress through these four developmental stages in the same sequence (Simatwa,
2010).
Piaget did not take into account other circumstances that may influence these phases or
a child's progression through them. The rate of cognitive development in children can be
determined by biological maturation and interaction with the environment (Papalia &
Feldman, 2011). Individual variations can also influence a child's development (Berger,
2014).
Third, was introduced by Sigmund Freud, an Austrian psychiatrist, devised one of the
most prominent developmental theories, which included psychosexual phases of
development (Fisher & Greenberg, 1996).
After watching his female patients enduring physical symptoms and discomfort for no
apparent reason, Freud reasoned that childhood memories and unconscious desires
impact behavior (Breuer & Freud, 1957).
Child development, according to Freud's psychosexual theory, happens in a sequence of
stages, each focusing on various pleasure centers of the body. Conflicts arise for the kid
at each stage, and they play an important part in development (Silverman, 2017).
Freud came to the conclusion that successfully completing each stage leads to healthy
adult development. He also proposed that failing to proceed through a stage leads to
fixation and developmental issues such as nail biting (oral fixation) or excessive tidiness
(anal fixation; Silverman, 2017).
Freud believed that personality is developed in childhood as a kid goes through various
phases. Among the criticisms leveled at Freud's theory of psychosexual development is
its failure to recognize that personality may alter and expand over the course of a lifetime.
Freud felt that early experiences had the greatest influence on development (Silverman,
2017).
Lastly, Albert Bandura, an American psychologist, proposed the social learning
hypothesis (Bandura, Ross, & Ross, 1961). Bandura did not feel that classical or operant
conditioning could adequately explain learnt behavior in children since certain behaviors
are never rewarded (Bandura, 1986). He thought that youngsters watch, mimic, and
model other people's behaviors and emotions (Bandura, 1977).
These Development Theories affects each living person in this world. Thus, it is primarily
concerned with how a kid learns to comprehend and deal with the increasing complexity
of life in the environment and coping with oneself. As a result, human development
theories adopt a variety of approaches to how one may go about doing so efficiently. The
basic goal of all of these ideas, however, is to better understand the regions where human
development disorders may originate so that they may be effectively treated or prevented.
From being a child to adult, they will be collected as public with different attitudes, race
and background that can affect their decision and way of living psychologically and
socially. This is where Public Administration comes in. It is a study and also a practice,
like any other branch of social sciences, is a response to changing social conditions. It
has borrowed essential concepts and theories prevalent at the time from other disciplines
of study since it is an eclectic subject of study. As a result, one may examine its evolution
by identifying major economic, social, and other principles that have contributed to how it
is now.
Herbert Simon and Dwight Waldo, for example, have emphasized the relevance of
psychology theories of development in the study of public administration on several
occasions (Simon 1947a, 1965, 1979; Waldo 1948, 1965). "[f]or the individual who
aspires to pursue the pure science of administration, it will require at least a good basis
in social psychology," Simon said (1947b, 202).
Some psychologists openly link their theories to the topic of public administration, for
example, in articles published in Public Administration Review (Tybur and Griskevicius
2013; Wright and Grant 2010). Bakker (2015), for example, used concepts from
organizational psychology to the subject of public service motivation by demonstrating
how it may be linked with the work demands–resources model.
Psychological insights are also used and benefited by practitioners in public management
(e.g., Thaler and Sunstein 2008). The Cabinet Office developed a Behavioral Insights
Team in the United Kingdom, while President Barack Obama formed a White House
Social and Behavioral Sciences Team in the United States. The concept is that
policymakers recognize people' constrained rationality and cognitive limitations and
employ psychological insights to encourage desirable behavior for public administration.
The connection of these psychological theories and psychology greatly affects
management of people or the public. If we will be able to study their thoughts, growth and
behaviors then we will be able to understand the people better and be an outstanding
public servant. Finally, the psychological theories of development as fragmented and
applied to public administration can be beneficial for practitioners, such as policy makers,
public managers, and public professionals.
References:
Baltes, P. B., Reese, H., & Lipsett, L. (1980) Lifespan developmental psychology, Annual
Review of Pyschology 31: 65 – 110
Tybur, Joshua M., and Vladas Griskevicius. 2013. Evolutionary Psychology: A Fresh
Perspective for Understanding and Changing Problematic Behaviors. Public
Administration Review 73(1): 12– 22
Mullainathan, Sendhil, and Richard H. Thaler. 2000. Behavioral Economics. Working
Paper no. 7948, National Bureau for Economic Research
Wright, Bradley E., and Adam M. Grant. 2010. Unanswered Questions about Public
Service Motivation: Designing Research to Address Key Issues of Emergence and
Effects. Public Administration Review 70(5): 691– 700
Mustafa, H. (1992), "The Contributions of Psychology to the Study of Administrative
Behaviour", International Journal of Public Sector Management, Vol. 5 No.
4. https://doi.org/10.1108/09513559210016364
Theories And Development of Public Administration. (2016, Aug 13). Retrieved
fromhttps://phdessay.com/theories-and-development-of-public-administration/
Whetsell, Travis and Patricia M. Shields (forthcoming) "The Dynamics of Positivism in

the Study of Public Administration: A Brief Intellectual History and
Reappraisal, Administration & Society. (Doi:10.1177/0095399713490157) Also see
Simon, Herbert. 1947 Administrative Behavior

Public Administration and Dev Theories

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Public Administration and Dev Theories

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Public Administration and Dev Theories

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Does Psychological Theories of Development have a useful role in the field as

fragmented and applied to Public Administration?

Whetsell, Travis and Patricia M. Shields (forthcoming) "The Dynamics of Positivism in

You might also like