We Are Living In A Society With Much Diversity; The Examples Of The Diversity Include Family Structure, Ethnicity And Race, And Social-economic Status. How Do All These Factors Affect Us Personally? Do You Believe That The Contemporary Child Development Theories Can Capture The Diversity Of Children's Development?

Question

We Are Living In A Society With Much Diversity; The Examples Of The Diversity Include Family Structure, Ethnicity And Race, And Social-economic Status. How Do All These Factors Affect Us Personally? Do You Believe That The Contemporary Child Development Theories Can Capture The Diversity Of Children's Development?

2 Answers

Answer Question

Answer 1

NO of course, not.

The proof is in the word "theory"; a theory is a set of beliefs consistent with evidence and facts. But a theory is, by definition, unproven. Moreover, old theories are always being revised, and replaced by more comprehensive theories. Theories may work very well to facilitate understanding and produce desired results. But a theory is unproven; if it ever is proven, it becomes fact and evidence, and no longer theory.

In every field of science, including the social sciences, we manage to make progress in understanding by developing theories that in themselves imperfectly describe underlying phenomena. Eventually, though, either every theory is proven, or must be modified or replaced; that's okay, because our imperfect theories let us make progress, all the same. Many theories are found to be special cases of larger theories (e.g., Newtonian physics is a special case of Einstein's work).

As for theories in the child development field, until every child that ever exists (and ever will exist) is thoroughly studied, we cannot say for sure that any currently popular set of theories can capture all the diversity of human development.

The current theories are still useful for most children, we just have to be open minded about kids who don't/can't/won't fit neatly inside the existing boxes.

Answer 2

A polluted society
The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints.
We spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less.
We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time;
We have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, but more problems; more medicine, but less wellness.
We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry too quickly, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too seldom, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.
We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values.
We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.
We've learned how to make a living, but not a life; we've added years to life, not life to years.
We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor.
We've conquered outer space, but not inner space.
We've done larger things, but not better things.
We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul.
We've split the atom, but not our prejudice.
We write more, but learn less.
We plan more, but accomplish less.
We've learned to rush, but not to wait.
We build more computers to hold more information to produce more copies than ever, but have less communication.
These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion; tall men, and short character; steep profits, and shallow relationships.
These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare; more leisure, but less fun; more kinds of food, but less nutrition.
These are days of two incomes, but more divorce; of fancier houses, but broken homes.
These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throw-away morality, one-night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer to quiet, to kill.
It is a time when there is much in the show window and nothing in the stockroom; a time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just ignore it.