Question

Elias puts her infant daughter in her crib for a nap, and a few minutes later she begins to cry. He is not sure what to do so he goes to his Santrock text to find what each theorist would do in this situation. Knowing what we know about each theorist, which statement is most accurate about what each would do in this situation?

A. John Bowlby, an ethologist, would wait 10 minutes, then go to his daughter to soothe her crying.
B. Erikson, a psychoanalytic theorist, would pick up the baby and soother him or her so that a healthy sense of trust develops
C. Erikson, a psychoanalytic theorist, would soothe the baby about every other time, so that he or she does not become dependent on external comforters
D. Vygotsky, a behavioral theorist, would put the baby on a behavioral program with rewards and reinforcers.

Answer 1

Erik Erikson, being a psychoanalytic theorist, would recommend picking up and soothing the infant to develop a healthy sense of trust, in line with his 'trust versus mistrust' developmental stage theory.

Step-by-step explanation:

Among the theoretical perspectives provided, the most accurate statement regarding how each theorist might respond to an infant's crying is that Erik Erikson, a psychoanalytic theorist, would likely recommend picking up and soothing the baby to foster a healthy sense of trust. Erikson emphasized the need for a caregivers' responsiveness to create a sense of trust and predictability in the world for the infant. This aligns with Erikson's stage of trust versus mistrust, which focuses on the development of trust during infancy when the infant is entirely dependent on the caregiver.