Lifespan developmental psychology
Life span focuses on development in perception, social interaction, personality, and affection. The development goes hand in hand with acknowledgment of contexts such as culture, society, environment, and neurobiology. Lifespan development covers involve full life stages from infancy to old age.
The first stage of lifespan development is infancy which is the period between birth to age two. Infancy is the age before language acquisition and is the stage where a person is very dependent on other people mostly the parents. At this age adjustment to the new environment is made making it a time of radical adjustment from an internal to the external environment. Infancy is hazardous since it is the stage when the attitude of important people on the infant may change after birth or remain the same depending on birth conditions and how the parent adjusts. Parents may lead to trust or mistrust of their children through their interaction.
Toddlerhood is the second stage which is within the age of two to four years. At this stage control and motor, abilities begin developing as the child tries to explore their surroundings. At this stage, interest starts developing and mobility is increased and they can satisfy some of their needs such as feeding and using the bathroom. Care must be taken at this stage since the child can harm themselves as they explore their environment. Parents can create doubt by being more restrictive which can cause reluctance to the child on trying new challenges.
The third stage is early childhood which is the age between five to eight years. At this stage, there is an initiative that improves the movement of the child by planning and being active while moving. The child starts mastering their environment while learning basic skills of physics such as ball rolls and feel guilty when their plan does not go according to their desired result which can lead to the development of negative behaviors. Independence and courage increase as the child grows and at this stage, they can stay for several hours without seeing their parent.
The fourth stage of lifespan development is middle and late childhood, the age of 9 to 12 years. Major brain growth happens in middle childhood where fine motor skills and better coordination of hands and eyes are seen. Middle childhood is the best time to introduce children to the sport as their interest and strength grow which helps in the social skills of the children and creates a sense of competition. Children become more aware of themselves and start to learn and understand virtues, discovering interest, and know their unique talents.
The fifth stage of lifespan is adolescence which is the age between 12 and 19 years. Adolescent stage one evaluates who they are and what they can become by being concerned with how other people see them. This is the stage of transition from childhood to adulthood through identity. Adolescents identify themselves with their occupation which is school but later learn that they must achieve identity in religion, culture, politics, and gender roles. Teenagers experience role confusion as they try to identify themselves with a specific group of people. Ideologies start to form and one chooses for themselves what to believe and follow.
The sixth stage is early adulthood which is the age between 20 and 39 years. As role confusion ends intimacy starts to grow and one falling in love. Early adulthood one still needs to fit in with their friend and much action taken is influenced by what the friends are doing. Isolation and rejection due to intimacy is experience at this stage. The cultural variation between one and their friends begins as one fight adulthood. Career development happens at this age where people start taking better plans for their future. Relationship with the family members starts to break as one move to live alone or with their peer.
The seventh stage is middle adulthood which is the age between 40 to 59 years. At this stage, most people are parents and have the responsibility of their children. One at this stage have already settled on their career and their greatest concern is how to guide the next generation. The parent tries as hard as they can to bring up children who can better society in the future. At this stage, people start to take their health more seriously as their age increases. The unity of their family is their primary concern and they use their leisure time creatively.
The eighth stage of lifespan development is late adulthood which is the age above 60 years. Late adults are the senior citizens who mostly are retired of their careers. Integrity is developed in this stage where the knowledge gained through the years is passed on to the next generation. Late adulthood has health problems and now they go back to depending on the younger to help them carry their tasks. This stage people look back on what accomplishment they have made and give guidance to the young generation using their life experience.
References
Chung, D. (2018). The eight stages of psychosocial protective development: Developmental psychology. Journal of Behavioral and Brain Science, 8(06), 369.
Keener, E. (2020). Emphasize Aging: Teaching Lifespan Developmental Psychology From an Intersectional Perspective. The International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 0091415020923112.
Rogiers, A., Merchie, E., De Smedt, F., De Backer, L., & Van Keer, H. (2020). A lifespan developmental perspective on strategic processing. Handbook of Strategies and Strategic Processing, 47-62.
Specht, J. (Ed.). (2017). Personality development across the lifespan. Academic Press.