Comparison Of Classical Post Modern Play Theories

Running head: COMPARISON OF CLASSICAL AND POST MODERN PLAY THEORIES 1

Comparison of Classical and Post Modern Play Theories

Name

Institution

COMPARISON OF CLASSICAL AND POST MODERN PLAY THEORIES 2

Comparison of Classical and Post Modern Play Theories

Transformative stages through which every human being undergoes has captured the

interest of social scientists and piqued the interest of other behavioral scholars in equal measure.

Despite being an important part of the human growth process, adulthood stage has interestingly

failed to attract the kind of attention otherwise captured by childhood stage. It goes without

saying that the former stage is naturally riddled with various mysteries that if left unexamined,

can make a proper understanding of how human beings grow and develop be an exercise in

futility. Play, during this particular phase of human life, stands out as one of such mysteries due

to its complexities (Smith, 2010). It is such complexities that have made various scholars come

up with varied theories surrounding play in a bid to offer intellectual theories aimed at exploring

its underlying intrigues. An attempt to examine such theories with a specific focus on comparing

classical and post-modern theories is made herein.

Classical Theories

Classical theories of play came into the limelight during the period between the 19

century and early 20

century. During this time, behavioral scholars directed their intellectual

focus on what made children behave the way they did and exactly what motivated their choices

during the process (Russ, 2012). Below is an in-depth exploration of the theories.

Surplus Energy

Spencer in his 1875 scholastic line of thought argues that children participate in plays

during their formative years for no apparent reason other than the presence of surplus energy.

The scholar proceeds to give out an extensive discussion of where the energy in question comes

from by reasoning that children posses a reasonable amount of energy at this particular stage.

Nevertheless, they fail to channel such into activities that require the very amounts, or activities

COMPARISON OF CLASSICAL AND POST MODERN PLAY THEORIES 3

that are commensurate with such energy due to restrictions from their parents or guardians

(Smith, 2010). In ability to use the excessive portion of energy, when such a child is released

from the clutches of the parent or the guardian, the inhibited energy beg for discharge. To find

solution from this kind of mental disturbance, the child will naturally want to balance the

equation through engaging in play.

Recreation

Propagated by one of the scholar is that this argument resonates with that of Spencer, but

totally brings a new dimension into the discussion. He Further opines that children are new

organisms that are likely to be subjected to fatigue if new tasks are brought to interact with them,

thereby reducing the aggregate stock of energy they posses. The need to replenish the energy lost

due to fatigue directs the child to find alternative measures realizable through playing.

Pre-exercise

Groos (1898) views play from a mirror perspective and openly argues that play is but an

indication of what the child will be as he progresses in the coming stages of life. The scholar

goes on to argue that aspects of play such as fighting and roughness are mirrored indicators of

how the child is likely to survive the tumultuous features of life as in sets advance growth and

developments processes.

Recapitulation

A proper diagnosis of the word indicates that it refer to the stages through which an

organism undergoes during embryonic development so as to repeat its evolutionary structural

changes present in its ancestral lineage (Johnson, Eberle, Henricks, & Kuschner, 2015). Its focus,

therefore, is not to develop future instinctual skills for the child, but rather to rid the child of

primitive and otherwise unnecessary instinctual skills emanating from inheritance.

COMPARISON OF CLASSICAL AND POST MODERN PLAY THEORIES 4

Contemporary Theories

Psycho-analytic

This part of the contemporary theory of play allows a child to get rid of any negative

emotions that he or she might have accumulated within the self in the course of the day or life,

and substitutes such hindering emotions with others that are more likely to increase productivity

in the young individual. Additionally, this theory allows the child to express inner feelings in a

way that could have been difficult to do so through other channels. How the child views the past,

the present and the future can equally be seen through this theory.

Arousal Modulation

This theory introduces a total paradigm shift unlike what the others tackled, the dilemma

of play in children. It examines play from biological parameters by arguing that children, just

like other human beings beyond their age bracket, possess a central nervous system, which

produces an intense feeling of alertness and ease if taken to the optimal levels (Moyles, 2012). In

this sense, the theory opines that the only reason children engage in play is to take their central

nervous system to the optimal level so as to attain the said results.

Meta-Communicative

Developed by Erickson in 1955, this theory argues that the role of play in the life of a

child is much deeper than assumed. The scholar believed that the possibility of someone losing

his or her identity from childhood stages can be high if such an individual does not find a way to

develop it (Pellegrini, 2009). In this context, play assumes the role of giving individuals the

opportunity to find their identity before that individual reaches adulthood, where finding it can

be problematic.

COMPARISON OF CLASSICAL AND POST MODERN PLAY THEORIES 5

References

Johnson, J. E., Eberle, S. G., Henricks, T. S., & In Kuschner, D. (2015). The handbook of the

study of play.

Moyles, J. R. (2012). A-Z of play in early childhood.

Pellegrini, A. D. (2009). The role of play in human development. New York: Oxford University

Press.

Russ, S. W. (2014). Pretend play in childhood: Foundation of adult creativity.

Smith, P. K. (2010). Children and play. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell.

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