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Lifespan development is one of the major research areas in the field of psychology. Theories about lifespan development vary considerably, with some focusing almost exclusively on biological features of development and others purely on the psychological or social dimensions of development. As Staudinger & Lindenberger (2003) point out, "the description, explanation, and enhancement of development in individuals and groups of individuals are seen as important goals of scientific inquiry in most of the social, behavioral, and life sciences," (p. 1). Lifespan development includes issues such as the evolution of sensory-motor skills from birth to adulthood; the evolution of the sexual responses in the human system, and the evolution of moral reasoning. The primary objective of lifespan development research is to discover patterns in the ways individual human beings grow on different dimensions such as physiological changes, neurobiological development, emotional maturation, or social skills development.
An interesting sub-field of developmental psychology is the conceptualization of normative development itself, in research such as that "beliefs about normative cognitive and social aspects of life span development emerge in late middle childhood, solidify into culturally shared scripts by mid-adolescence, and remain subject to further change into old age," (Riediger, Voelkle, Schaefer & Lindenberger, 2014, p. 503). The ways people think about "normal" lifespan...
Therefore, lifespan development illustrates the commonalities between psychology, sociology, and other social sciences.
Many lifespan development theories focus on "stages" or phases of development, and some also suggest that progression through the stages is linear. For example, Erikson and Freud each proposed a linear stage-based model of lifespan development. Many lifespan development theories spend a greater portion of time exploring the issues surrounding early childhood development such as the evolution of sensory and motor skills or the acquisition of language. Other theories might take a broader vantage point of lifespan development to critically inquire about late adulthood and end of life issues. Lifespan development is tacitly linked with aging, and often the biological age becomes almost synonymous with the stage of development. For instance, both Freud and Erikson present their theories of lifespan development in terms of age-based stages. Freud suggested that, for example, oral fixations can develop in infancy until 18 months of age. This is the same age-based developmental stage that Erikson associated with the development of feelings of trust for other people. The notion of lifespan development hinges on smooth progression through these stages, with any…
References
"An Introduction to Lifespan Development," (n.d.). Chapter One. Pearson. Retrieved online: http://www.pearsonhighered.com/assets/hip/us/hip_us_pearsonhighered/samplechapter/0205805914.pdf
Riediger, M., Voelkle, M.C., Schaefer, S. & Lindenberger, U. (2014). Charting the life course. Psychology and Aging 29(3): 503-520.
Staudinger, U.M. & Lindenberger, E.R. (2003). Understanding human development takes metatheory and multiple disciplines. Chapter 1 in Understanding Human Development. Springer.
Of course, Spears is still very young, and may face numerous future changes. However, at this time, she appears to have found some stability. Cognitive While Spears spent much of her early life in the public spotlight, it is actually difficult to assess her early cognitive development. This should come as no surprise when one looks at various theories of cognitive development. For example, Piaget discusses cognitive development, but all of
It was to this group Gacy devoted the majority of his time to and eventually became first vice-president and 'Man of the Year.' ("John Wayne Gacy: Crime Library," 2006, p.4) Gacy was married to a woman whose father owned a Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise, but rumors began to swirl that Gacy had made passes at the young men working at the chain. Gacy was incarcerated for an incident involving
Psychology Developmental Stages Using Freud, Erikson, Or Maslow's Theories Development Stages of Life Prenatal and Infancy Early Childhood Middle Childhood Adolescence Emerging Adulthood Adulthood Late Adulthood Liberace was born in West Allis, Wisconsin on May 16th, 1919. Liberace's mother was of Polish descent Frances Zuchowaska and his father Salvatore Liberace, was an immigrant from Formia, Italy. Liberace was born with a twin who died at birth and also had a caul on his head. Many cultures believe caulbearers bring
Psychology Development Early Childhood Medelein N. Moody, (2013). A Relational Aggression Intervention in Early Childhood. University of Nebraska. ProQuest LLC. The paper was aimed at interrogating the relational aggression in early childhood and if there are interventions within the school setting that can act to reduce the aggression. This intervention is referred to as the Early Childhood Friendship Project and entailed taking stock of the changes in the behavior of the children as
At the same time, the relationship with the family changes as the teenager becomes more independent. Teenagers often spend more time with their friends than their family and also will listen more to their friends. The same trends from middle childhood also continue, as friends understand themselves as part of a peer group, and as one-on-one relationships with close friends become more important. The major social change that occurs
" (2003) in other words this is a trust based on possible rewards or possible punishment, or gains vs. losses. Over a period of time when the relationship is further tested trust evolves to 'identification-based trust which is stated to be the "highest level" of trust in that "the parties have internalized each other's desires and intentions. They understand what the other party cares about so completely that each party