Which of the following theories can broadly be considered to be “contextual theories”?

Question

1. Erikson’s psychosocial stages
2. Bronbenbrenner’s ecological theory
3. Freud’s psychosexual theory
4. Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory

a. 1 and 3
b. 2 and 3
c. 2 and 4
d. 3 and 4

Answer 1

The correct answer is c. 2 and 4.

Both Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory and Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory emphasize the importance of context in understanding human development. Bronfenbrenner's theory considers how different environmental systems (microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem) influence an individual, while Vygotsky's theory focuses on the social and cultural context in which learning and development occur.

Erikson’s psychosocial stages, while considering social factors, are more focused on individual psychological development across stages rather than broader contextual influences. Freud’s psychosexual theory is primarily centered around individual psychological conflict and does not emphasize context as much as the other two theories.