HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

Human Development



Human Development

Introduction

The study of life span development evolved following the Darwin's desire to understand the human development stages. Stanley Hall published the first study on children. The concepts of norms and adolescent were presented in Hall's Book. This paper discusses the human development throughout the lifespan. It will identify the development domains and periods of life span related to Erickson and Bronfenbrenner theories.

Discussion

Lifespan Development

Lifespan development is the process that begins at conception and continues till death. The progression initiates with the emergence of a fetus from one celled organism. The process is defined as a method methodological, intra- individual change associated with progressions corresponding to age. The major developmental periods are child and adolescence, early adulthood and late adulthood.

Characteristics of the Lifespan development

The concept of life span development argues that significant changes occur during each transition period. The lifelong perspective of human development comprises of multidimensional, multidirectional and contextual aspects. The human development consists of growth, maintenance and regulation. The changes during the transition stages should be considered according to the cultural context of occurrence. Humans are prone to be influenced by their environment, and this effect remains for a long period time starting from childhood to maturity. The various stimuli that a child receives during the early period develop his personality (Kail, 2008).

Lifespan Development Domains

The domains refer to categories that scientists use. These categories are:

Physical

Cognitive

Social

The physical domain refers to how humans physically grow during the early childhood and adolescence. This stage is characterized by how they view the world during the development period. The adjustment that humans undergo as the body develops is also included under this domain. The cognitive domain refers to the occurrence of learning and deterioration of memory in old age. This domain answers question related to the learning processes and reasons of impairment of memory. The social domain consists of adjustments in factors within social situations like personality research, interpersonal skills and relationship development. All the domains are interrelated and effect the development of each other (Bergen, 2008).

Human Development Periods

Human life span development follows four periods namely prenatal, early childhood, middle childhood and late childhood. As the child approaches adulthood, the periods are adolescence, early adulthood, middle adulthood and late adulthood. Every period requires five to six years to bring change in one's character and personality (Kail, 2008).

Life Span Development Theories

Erickson's Eight Stages of Development

Erik Erickson is did a great deal to explore this concept. Much if his research on human development was influenced by Freud. He conducted a study on Sioux Indians, from which he became aware of the cultural influence on life span development. He organized life into eight stages extending from birth to death. The stages are given below.

Infancy

This stage extends from birth to 18 months. Erikson referred infancy as the oral sensory stage, where the basic emphasis is on mother love and care for the child and visual contact and touch. If humans pass this stage successfully, they have confidence in their future and learn to trust ...