INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE

Individual Development and Change

Table of Contents

Introduction3

Internal Working Models5

Attachment8

How Internal Working Models Relates To Social Work12

Pschological And Emotional Impact Of Unfair Treatment15

Conclusion16

References19

INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE INTERNAL WORKING MODELS

Introduction

It has become commonplace to consider contexts of varying proximity to the individual in theories and empirical research about human development. A major guideline for the inclusion of contexts was Bronfenbrenner's (1979) differentiation of interactional systems operating on individual development, with the macro system representing the interplay between factors such as culture, shared value systems, and legislation, and more immediate contexts such as family, school, workplace, and neighborhoods. Nevertheless, contexts at the macro level have often been treated as static givens in a certain culture at a certain historical time and have served, at best, as an interpretational backdrop for developmental findings.

Macro contexts themselves, however, are in flux. Whereas human development is characterized as change throughout the life span, social change can be described as changes in macro contextual conditions for human development throughout history in quite an analogous fashion. Developmental psychology can hardly offer more than this very general description, because social change has been the prominent domain of theorizing and research for sociologists (see Hallinan, 1997), not for developmental psychologists. For an emerging applied developmental science, however, it seems necessary to adopt definitions, theories, and models of social change from allied disciplines, predominantly sociology and history.

The purpose of this essay is to demonstrate a critical analysis of internal working models, which is the organisation of feelings and behaviour that is learnt by a child through their carer. Further to explain how internal working models are associated with social work today. Within internal working models it is seen that the relationship between carer and child is crucial for a child to develop secure feelings, otherwise a child will experience mental representations of negative events and words said to them.

Internal Working Models

Internal working models is the organisation of feelings and behaviour which is learnt by a child through their carer. This will include experiences of mental representations of models, as children acquire representations of an adult's worthiness. The relationship between carer and child becomes internalised and a sense of self forms, which allows a child to relate to others through the experience of relationships. (Howe, 2005: 6)

For example if a child has a negative parent or carer who always puts them down and shows inconsistency of love, this will be a mental representation and a child will use this experience elsewhere. This representation will give a sense of self and a child will bank up all the negative events and will construct a model according to negative experiences and words said to them.

Howe (2005: 6) identifies that Internal working models develops psychologically if there is inconsistency of love and attention. And the reason is that a child will relate to others with an internal working model, which is also a defence mechanism and internal conflict to cope. Also a child will internalise this experience and therefore will ...