Human Development and Family Relations
This domain tests lifespan development and family functioning as they appear in FCS courses - developmental stages, parenting styles, family systems, communication, and stress - and asks you to apply theory to realistic family and classroom scenarios.
Developmental stage theory
- Erikson (psychosocial): trust vs mistrust (infancy), autonomy vs shame/doubt (toddler), initiative vs guilt (preschool), industry vs inferiority (elementary), identity vs role confusion (adolescence), intimacy vs isolation, generativity vs stagnation, integrity vs despair.
- Piaget (cognitive): sensorimotor (0–2, object permanence); preoperational (2–7, symbolic thought, egocentrism, no conservation); concrete operational (7–11, conservation, classification, reversibility); formal operational (11+, abstraction).
- Maslow's hierarchy (physiological → safety → belonging → esteem → self-actualization) explains motivation when basic needs are unmet.
Parenting and family systems
- Baumrind: authoritative (warmth plus firm, explained expectations) is linked to the best adjustment; authoritarian (control without warmth), permissive/indulgent (warmth without expectations), and uninvolved are separate categories.
- Family systems theory: families have roles, rules, boundaries, and subsystems; a change in one member affects all; homeostasis resists change.
- Hill's ABC-X model: A = stressor event, B = resources, C = perception of the event, X = degree of crisis. Resources and perception, not the event alone, shape the outcome.
- Communication skills: "I" messages, active listening, negotiation, and structured conflict resolution.
Worked example
A caregiver repeatedly says, "No, you'll spill it - let me pour," when a four-year-old asks to pour juice. Erikson's initiative vs guilt stage suggests the child needs supervised, manageable chances to attempt tasks; blocking every attempt builds guilt and doubt, while a small pitcher and a towel give autonomy with limits. The reasoning path: identify the stage, name the psychosocial task, then match the adult response to that task.
Traps that cost marks
- Calling a warm, limit-setting parent "permissive" - permissive means few or no demands.
- Misplacing Piaget's ages or claiming a preoperational child can conserve.
- Reading ABC-X as stressor → crisis only, ignoring resources and perception.