Helen Bee
Helen L. Bee | |
|---|---|
| Born | c.1942[1] |
| Occupation | Academic |
| Spouse | Carl R. de Boor |
| Parent | Austin Bee |
Professor Helen L. Bee is a noted authority on child and adult development and has published several books on this subject of Human development. She builds some of her ideas on the works of Erik Erikson and Jean Piaget.
Key concepts
Bee was born in the 1940s, one of the two daughters of Austin Bee[2], she is a self confessed intellectual.[1] She has published a number of books notably on human development. She discusses childhood development including the psychological effect of puberty on adolescents. She notes the gender difference between each gender's different perceptions of puberty. Boys she observes desire to enter puberty earlier than the norm and they get an increased level of confidence and self-image from percieving early changes in their development. Late onset of puberty can lead to a loss of confidence. Bee notes that there is a direct relationship between the onset of puberty and its psychological effect (It is a linear relationship in the case of boys). However Bee notes that it is the perception of puberty and not necessarily the actual age which is important here.
Whereas with girls they desire to hit the norm. They see both early and late onset of puberty as undesirable. Early onset can have girls feeling fat. Whereas late arrival can lead to them feeling left out, although early onset is worse psychologically. As Bee notes girls want to be seen to enter puberty at the right time.[3]
Gee also comments on abstract thinking which has been seen as an important part of adolescent development by workers such as Jean Piaget. Bee notes that some teenagers may not develop abstract thinking, but people only tend to think abstractly when they have an occupation that requires that type of thinking.[3]
Helen Bee (1995) identified three defining features of human biological maturation:
- Universal-appearing in all children in all cultures.
- Sequential-involving a predictable pattern of unfolding physical changes or skill development
- Biological-not requiring an 'environmental' influence to trigger its occurrence.[3]
To understand children’s development, we must understand both change and consistency, both universality and individuality[4]
Bee has also identified three themes in adult life. The first is the change and continuity, Bee uses herself as an example here noting that she has remained an intellectual but her relationships with other people has changed. The idea that people give different parts of their lives to bringing up a family or making a career is the second theme. The last one is Bee's identification of the inner and outer journeys through life. An example of the outer part is a career where advancement is noted publicly for all to see; whereas a person inner journey may be coming to terms with religous aspirations which may not be so widely known.[1]
Family
Bee currently lives on Orcas Island, in Washington state. She has been the wife of Carl R. de Boor, an emeritus professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison since 1991.[5]
Major works
- The Developing Child ISBN 0060405821
- The Journey to Adulthood by Helen Bee and Barbara Bjorklund U.S.A. Prentice Hall. 1999. 0130109533
- Essentials of Child Development and Personality; Helen Bee
- Lifespan Development by Helen Bee and Denise Boyd
- Child and Adolescent Development (9th ed.) Bee, H. (2000). [e-text]. Boston, MA: Pearson Custom Publishing.
References
- ^ a b c Psychology and Social Care By David J. Messer, Fiona Jones, p196-7, 1999, Jessica Kingsley, ISBN 1853027626
- ^ The Bee Hive accessed March 18 2008
- ^ a b c Health and Social Care - Walsh et al, Collins, 2005 ISBN 0 00 719788 8
- ^ Child and Adolescent Development (9th ed.) Bee, H. (2000). [e-text]. Boston, MA: Pearson Custom Publishing
- ^ Y.K. Leong, Carl de Boor: On wings of splines, Imprints (newsletter of the Institute for Mathematical Sciences, National University of Singapore), Issue 5, 2004. retrieved 18 March 2008