5 Dimensions of Individual Development B.Ed. Notes
Back to: Learning and Teaching – Unit 1
Introduction
Individual development refers to the process of growth, progress, and positive change. Development refers to the process of developing or evolution. For example, the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly.
5 Dimensions of Individual Development
The five dimensions of individual development are as follows:
1. Physical Development
Physical development refers to the growth and development of body parts to make the body have an ability to perform certain functions for certain skills. Physical development includes the large muscle movements as well as the small movements. It involves the changes in the body, brain, motor skills, senses, and the wellness of an individual. Childhood is the period when most of the physical development takes place. When a child goes through physical development, they gain self-confidence which boosts their emotional and social development.
2. Emotional Development
Emotional development refers to the development of expression, experience, understanding, and controlling of emotions. The first emotions developed during childhood are joy, fear, sadness, and anger. Children start developing more complex emotions such as shame, guilt, elation, pride, surprise, empathy, and shyness when they develop a sense of self. Emotional development allows individuals to develop self-awareness, relationship skills, decision making skills, and social skills.
3. Mental Development
Cognitive or mental development refers to the way individuals think, explore, and observe the things around them. It involves the development of knowledge, disposition, and problem solving skills which helps them to get a better understanding of the world around them. Cognitive development includes brain development. The two main theorists of cognitive development, Piaget and Vygotsky, agreed that the acquisition of speech is responsible for the active construction of knowledge in children. Jean Piaget is referred to as the father of cognitive development.
4. Social Development
Social development means the improvement of the well-being of an individual in the society in order to enable them to be aware of their potentials and enhance them. Investment in people can be termed as social development. Social development in child development includes their capability to organize their behavior and interact with others. It is the process through which a child acquires the culture and language of the community he or she is raised in. JE Anderson states, “Development is concerned with growth as well as those changes in behavior which results from environmental situations”.
5. Spiritual Development
Spiritual development refers to the improvement of an individual’s well-being from within. It refers to the process of awakening of the inner being. It refers to questioning the purpose and meaning of life and it does not concern a person’s religious beliefs. It deals with the concept of life, death, identity, suffering, and the like.
Concept, Dimensions and Factors of Growth and Development
1. Concepts related to Growth and Development
| Growth | Development |
| Growth refers to the biological changes that are observed as people grow from babies to adults. In other words, growth describes the process of young organisms growing larger in appearance. This includes observable changes, such as growing taller and gaining mass. However, it can also include unobservable patterns of growth, such as the growth of internal structures and organs, like the brain and lungs. These types of physical growth are generally thought of as a product of cellular production that are influenced by genetics. All in all, growth is a term used to describe the natural processes of biological. | Development refers to functional changes that are often observed in people’s behavior and actions. It is often used as an all-encompassing word that describes how people change over time (after all, courses on human development cover a wide range of biological, social, and mental changes). Development is a term typically used to describe the emergence of a skill or ability that has some sort of practical use, such as language or problem-solving. This type of change can be influenced by biological growth, such as developing eyesight as the human eye grows. Development can also be influenced by environmental factors, such as learning language by spending time with one’s parents. |
2. Dimensions of Growth and Development
Physical, cognitive, emotional, moral or psychosocial changes- all take place at the same time. Therefore, these aspects are actually the various dimensions of development. Therefore, these dimensions of development are those aspects of human life, which change throughout the life span. Growth is quantitative and development is both quantitative and qualitative. Growth depends on age and development occurs throughout the lifespan. Growth refers to structural changes and development refers to functional changes.
3. Factors of Growth and Development
- Heredity: Heredity is the biological process of transmission of physical characteristics from parents to children through genes. It strongly influences many aspects of the physical appearances of children such as their height, weight, body structure, and the color of the eye, the texture of the hair, and even the intelligence and aptitude skills. Many diseases like heart problems, diabetes, obesity, blood pressure can also transmit through genes, thereby affecting the growth pattern of children adversely.
- Environment : The environment is a major factor that plays a crucial role in the development of children and it represents the overall physical and psychological stimulation they receive. The physical surroundings and the geographical conditions of the place the child lives in, his social environment and relationships with family and peers come under the environmental factors that influence early childhood development in a major way. The safe and secure environment of the Montessori City of Industry, CA as well as the love and care of family contribute positively to children’s healthy development.
- Gender: The gender of the child is a very common but important factor affecting the physical growth and development of a child. The growth pattern of girls and boys is quite different like boys tend to be taller and physically stronger than girls on the other hand girls tend to mature faster during their adolescence than the boys.
- Hormones: You must be knowing that hormones belong to the endocrine system and influence the various functions of our bodies. Hormones secreted from different glands that are situated in specific parts of our body and control many of our body functions. The proper functioning of these hormones plays a major role in the normal physical growth and development of the children. If these hormone-secreting glands cannot function properly, children may suffer from growth defects, obesity, behavioral problems, and some other diseases.
- Exercise: In Montessori City of Industry, CA, children are encouraged to participate in different physical activities as this will help them to gain their muscular strength and put on bone mass. It has been observed that kids who engage in different physical activities, attain developmental milestones on time or sooner.
- Nutrition: Nutrition, maybe the most important of the lot, has the most profound impact on children’s healthy growth and development. A balanced diet, rich in vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, provides everything that a child’s body needs to grow properly. Malnutrition can cause deficiency diseases affecting their growth and development in a major way. On the other hand, overeating can also lead to obesity and many other health problems in the long run such as diabetes and heart-related problems.
Apart from the above-mentioned factors, family, geographical influence, socioeconomic status of the child and education play a major role in children’s growth and development.
Difference between Growth and development in child Education
| Sr.No. | Growth | Development |
| 1. | Growth is defined as the development of a person in weight, age, size, and habits. | On the other hand,individual development is defined as the process wherein a person’s growth is visible in relation to the physical, environmental, and social factors. |
| 2. | Growth is a process that focuses on quantitative improvement. For instance, a child visibly grows in weight and height. | Development focuses on both qualitative and quantitative refinement. For instance, a child’s IQ increases with the growing age. |
| 3. | Growth is limited to a certain level, i.e., a person’s height grows till a certain age. | On the other hand, a person is developing every single day in terms of his/ her habits, maturity level, IQ, etc. |
| 4. | Growth depends upon the cellular changes, i.e., a child grows into an adult. The child undergoes many changes throughout his/ her childhood to adulthood. | Individual development is basically dependent upon organizational growth, i.e., the environment in which a child lives or studies affect them immensely. The skill-set of a child changes in such an environment. For instance, a child develops reading habits or acquires an interest in the abacus. |
| 5. | Growth can be considered as physical growth that is seen from one stage to another. | On the other hand, development is considered as a gradual change in skill-sets, behaviour, habits, etc. |
| 6. | Growth is an external process. | Development is an internal process. |
| 7. | Growth changes the physical changes of a person. | On the other hand, development changes the character of a person. |
| 8. | Growth is limited, i.e., it happens till a particular point in time. | Development takes place throughout life, i.e., it doesn’t depend upon time or age. |
| 9. | Growth focuses on only one aspect, i.e., an increase in the child’s size. | Development focuses on various aspects like interpersonal skills, intelligence, etc. |
| 10. | Growth is structural. | Development is considered as functional. |
| 11. | Growth is influenced by development. | Development is not dependent upon growth. |
Conclusion
It’s understandable for most people to use growth and individual development interchangeably. But as a parent or teacher, you need to stand out from the group and classify these two terms with a professional perspective. This makes it much easier to plan your teaching schedule and implement ideal strategies designed to yield optimal learning results for your child.
By understanding these aspects of growth and development, parents and teachers are better equipped to foster an environment that facilitates not just learning, but also holistic well-being.
Apart form this topic you also prefere to read some topics given below:
| Effects of Heredity on Growth and Development | Negative and Positive Effects of Population Growth on Education |
| MCQ on Growth and Development | Definition of Growth and Development by Different Authors |
