Our temperament, plus our experiences, equals our personality. There are many different varieties of personalities in a society.Some people are easy going, while others are irate.  A person?s personality is closely related to their developmental care, physical growth, and even their social interface. There are eight theories which have been adapted to explain developmental growth.

  The Developmentally Appropriate Practices Theory, or D.A.P., is one develop mental theory. This theory is based on the fact that children learn best when highly motivated, and interested in the material they are learning. It emphasizes individual needs and differences, and caters to the child accordingly to the level of development they are on, not the level that every other child in that age group is at. This theory encourages caregivers to treat every child as a unique person, and be aware of the child holistically. The basis of this theory is that for learning to be most favorable it must be rewarding, real, and have a good foundation.

  Another developmental theory is the Psychodynamic theory. This theory was, adapted by Sigmund Freud, and Erik Erikson. Freud alleged that human beings have three motivating drives: sex, survival, and destruction. Erik Erikson believed culture widely influenced behaviors, thus affecting emotions, and learning.  He classified life into stages of development and their opposites: trust vs. mistrust, autonomy vs. shame & doubt, Initiative vs. guilt, and industry vs. inferiority. He believed that if you were nurtured correctly you developed the more positive traits, and if you were not given a good, loving foundation, you developed the less positive traits.

 "It is human to have a long childhood; it is civilized to have an even longer childhood. Long childhood makes a technical and mental virtuoso out of man, but it also leaves a life-long residue of emotional immaturity in him."?Erik Homburger Erikson (1902-1994)

  The Behaviorist Theory, adapted by Watson,Pavlov, Skinner, and Thorndike, stresses behavior modification. They believed that all behavior can be changed with the proper stimulus.  Pavlov conducted an experiment to back this theory. He showed how dogs when presented with a bell, and dog food for stimulus could cause the reaction of salivating in dogs, even after the food was no longer presented. He believed that there is no behavior that cannot be modified.

  Piaget's Cognitive Theory was built around thinking, and reasoning. He believed that logic in humans was constructed in three stages: sensory motor, preoperational, and concrete operational stage. He stated that in the sensory motor stage, from birth to age two, you learned through your senses; touch, taste, etc. In the preoperational stage you acquired new knowledge with very little, or no logic on how to use it. In the concrete operational stage he believed you also gained knowledge. Unlike the preoperational stage, Piaget thought that in the concrete stage you are more aware of how to use the knowledge acquired. Piaget considered development to bean ongoing, cumulative process of learning, and integration.

  Vygotsky's Socio-Cultural Theory emphasizes the importance of social interactions. He believed children learned the most from the people who they interacted with the most. His theory relates tradition with development. He believed that we alllearn from the person who raises us, and they learned from the one before them,and so on.

  The multiple intelligence theory alleged that all persons have at least one developmental strength. Gardner broke down developmental strengths into eight categories: Logical/mathematical, music/rhythm, spatial/visual, bodily/kinesthetic, Interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalistic, and linguistic. He believed that all human being developed a strength in one, or more of these categories.

  Gessel believed that maturation is physical, and mental process, determined mainly by heredity. He believed that all children developed the same, and went through the same process. However, he thought that they reached different developmental stages at different ages. He also believed that growth was not even among allchildren. This theory is called the Maturation Theory.

  The Humanist Theory was adapted by Maslow.Maslow believed that human growth could not occur without certain basic needs. He thought that learning was impossible until your basic needs are fulfilled. He constructed the hierarchy of needs based on this theory. Maslow stated that your needs included physiological, safety, love/belonging, esteem. When all these needs are met, only then can you have the most important need, self actualizing. Maslow approached human growth with a holistic awareness.

   While some of these theories differ drastically, they all point to one similar indication; development is indeed a process which takes time. Some develop rapidly, while others require more time, and nurturing.