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Universally, the traditional relationship has been the dominance of the mother-toddler relationship. The role of the father in toddlerhood, however, is increasingly important. According to Fogarty and Evans, fathers need to have direct involvement to meet the needs of the child, and fathers need to have indirect involvement so the child learns important social skills (2009). This is a peculiar statement to make. It is a peculiar statement because it either fails to be culturally sensitive, and it solely adheres to father involvement as it pertains to the United States. An interesting dynamic would be an assessment of a possible correlation between the rise in the feminist movement with the rise in the responsibility of the father in child rearing. While the role of the father during toddlerhood is in a state of flux and evolution in the United States, in other parts of the world the role of fatherhood is the same as it has always been.
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In Kuwait, the role of the father is more of a hands-off. This is especially apparent through the observations conducted while at a public mall in Kuwait. The Fathers were not always present, and when they were present, they were hands-off as if disinterested in their young children. In that sense, cultural theory is important in understanding the specific intricacies of toddlerhood. This would bridge the gap where psychosocial theory falls short. Therefore, in understanding human development in Kuwait, it can be argued that where psychosocial theory is the general doctor, cultural theory is the specialist. Early Adolescence is a most fascinating time in human development. Stereotypical images portray the boys on one side of the dance floor and the girls on the other side during a high school dance. Each side wants to engage the other, but at the same time they are both too nervous. The ever important peer groups form and males and females at this stage of development are labeled with one word descriptors such as “popular”, “nerd”, “jock”, or “skater”. There is pressure to think about life after high school to include pursuing college, military, or just finding a job. Furthermore, the pressures and urges for sexual activity are strong in this stage. The psychosocial approach to early adolescence offers valuable insight into the development of teenagers during this stage. Take, for instance, the physical sexual development of the individual. Newman and Newman write that the onset of this development varies widely from person to person (2012, p. 344). With the onset of physical sexo-corporal development comes the psychological development of feelings related towards love, sex and attraction (Newman & Newman, 2012, p. 345). Finally, the third dynamic of the psychosocial approach, the social dynamic, adds another layer to the sexual development of teenagers in that social controls provide a context in which sexual development, to include sexual intercourse, is either socially accepted, prohibited or pressured (Newman & Newman, 2012, p. 347). The psychosocial approach does a rather excellent job of explaining sexual development during early adolescence. Sexual development, however, is not the only development occurring in individuals of this age group. The brain is developing in a profound manner during early adolescence, and the concept of increasing complexity of thought and higher levels of intelligence are at the forefront of this cerebral growth. A development approach to understand the brain and the consequent mental activity that develops concurrently may be best understood by placing more attention on the biological aspects of development with a focus on the cognitive development theory. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry notes that the behavior of youth in this developmental stage must be understood as a biological function of the brain that yields various behaviors, including both behaviors that are desired and undesired (2011). Simply put, a developing adolescent brain is biologically different that a fully developed adult brain. With the development of the brain come different abilities of cognitive thought. Taking the cognitive development theory into consideration, the cognitive abilities of an individual are fully developed when the individual is capable of formal operational thought (Newman & Newman, 2012, p. 354). Since it is understood that development in the early adolescence stage occurs at different rates and onsets from person to person, formal
In Kuwait, the role of the father is more of a hands-off. This is especially apparent through the observations conducted while at a public mall in Kuwait. The Fathers were not always present, and when they were present, they were hands-off as if disinterested in their young children. In that sense, cultural theory is important in understanding the specific intricacies of toddlerhood. This would bridge the gap where psychosocial theory falls short. Therefore, in understanding human development in Kuwait, it can be argued that where psychosocial theory is the general doctor, cultural theory is the specialist. Early Adolescence is a most fascinating time in human development. Stereotypical images portray the boys on one side of the dance floor and the girls on the other side during a high school dance. Each side wants to engage the other, but at the same time they are both too nervous. The ever important peer groups form and males and females at this stage of development are labeled with one word descriptors such as “popular”, “nerd”, “jock”, or “skater”. There is pressure to think about life after high school to include pursuing college, military, or just finding a job. Furthermore, the pressures and urges for sexual activity are strong in this stage. The psychosocial approach to early adolescence offers valuable insight into the development of teenagers during this stage. Take, for instance, the physical sexual development of the individual. Newman and Newman write that the onset of this development varies widely from person to person (2012, p. 344). With the onset of physical sexo-corporal development comes the psychological development of feelings related towards love, sex and attraction (Newman & Newman, 2012, p. 345). Finally, the third dynamic of the psychosocial approach, the social dynamic, adds another layer to the sexual development of teenagers in that social controls provide a context in which sexual development, to include sexual intercourse, is either socially accepted, prohibited or pressured (Newman & Newman, 2012, p. 347). The psychosocial approach does a rather excellent job of explaining sexual development during early adolescence. Sexual development, however, is not the only development occurring in individuals of this age group. The brain is developing in a profound manner during early adolescence, and the concept of increasing complexity of thought and higher levels of intelligence are at the forefront of this cerebral growth. A development approach to understand the brain and the consequent mental activity that develops concurrently may be best understood by placing more attention on the biological aspects of development with a focus on the cognitive development theory. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry notes that the behavior of youth in this developmental stage must be understood as a biological function of the brain that yields various behaviors, including both behaviors that are desired and undesired (2011). Simply put, a developing adolescent brain is biologically different that a fully developed adult brain. With the development of the brain come different abilities of cognitive thought. Taking the cognitive development theory into consideration, the cognitive abilities of an individual are fully developed when the individual is capable of formal operational thought (Newman & Newman, 2012, p. 354). Since it is understood that development in the early adolescence stage occurs at different rates and onsets from person to person, formal