Development Psychology

Development Psychology

Each developmental stage in life brings about exciting experiences. By nature, humans will continue to evolve and adapt to their immediate surroundings, and child development is no different. The development of children is categorized into infancy, early childhood, middle childhood, adolescence, and emerging adulthood. Each of these stages brings into perspective various complexities in physical, social, and cognitive dimensions (Black et al., 2017). Although some developments occur naturally, others are nurtured; both set the foundation for our lives and how we reason, interact, and act on issues. Just like any other child, I went through these developmental phases.

The first two years were the ones of my dramatic growth and changes. As a newborn, the person who immensely influenced my development was my mother. At this stage, I had a keen sense of hearing but poor vision. My mother would frequently talk to me as if we were in a proper conversation. From this, I learned the art of speaking and listening, although more listening as opposed to talking. Each day my mother tucked me to sleep, she would whisper, “please sleep and rest. It is good for you.” Also, she would frequently sing me lullabies. I learned to recognize the voice and touch of my mother, and each time a different person held me, I could realize it wasn’t her. Therefore, as illustrated by Erikson’s model of development, I learned to trust my mother owing to her care. This is why I would frequently cry each time someone different held me.

At three to five years (early childhood development), I started learning language and gained a sense of self and great independence. At this stage, the people who greatly influenced my development were pre-school teachers, other children, my parents, and siblings. Fundamentally, my growth was impacted by the people around me at the time. My parents, siblings, and teachers would teach pronunciation of common words, singing, and demonstration of everyday activities like sitting, standing, walking, and jumping. Also, I learned to differentiate between what was wrong and right. For example, one day, my mother told me that it is essential to keep away from fire and sharp objects. This was after I had cut myself using a kitchen knife. As Erikson argues at this stage, shame and doubt dominate this stage of development (Knight, 2017). Also, will and purpose are crucial virtues. This is the stage where I told my parents that I wanted to become a singer or an actor. I felt that my goal in this world was to act or sing.

Further, my will to do what is right and what can be approved meant that I was always nervous when doing something out of the ordinary (at least in my perspective). I always wanted to do something that my parents and teachers would acknowledge and not shame. Whenever I felt ashamed, my tears were always ready to express sadness. One day, a glass fell and broke as I was playing near a table, and immediately I looked at my mother and starting crying. My reaction was based on the disapproval I was expecting from my mother at that time. However, later on, I was able to adjust my reactions as I tried to copy what my elder siblings did. My play habits were determined mainly by the actions of my elder brother and sister.

Middle childhood occurs between the ages of six and eleven. My classmates and teachers influenced many of my activities at this age. However, my elder siblings and parents also played a significant role. As Erikson explains, the essential virtues include purpose and competency (DelGiudice, 2017). I started to develop a sense of purpose and establish my competence. I believed that my competency lay in singing and acting, just like the great Oscar award winners I watched in television shows and movies. I believed that I wanted to help the needy in society and contribute to the creation of a sustainable world. In school, I always compared myself to my classmates to gauge my performance. Owing to the influence of my closest friends, I started participating in sport and other recreational activities. Soon I joined the school team and became an assistant captain. It is in the team that I learned the role of teamwork in complex task completion. Also, at this stage, I believed that my closest friends and relatives influenced my competency.

As an adolescent, I ventured into a different perspective on life. This is the stage where an enormous influence came from friends as opposed to family members. My body immensely changed, both physically and emotionally. I felt like I became stronger and would make my own decisions without involving my parents, and this attitude always got me in trouble with my parents. If I was not fighting with my mother, I was doing it with my father. I remember one time, my elder brother saying, “Just remember this, it is a stage, and it will come to an end, just be cool.” To date, these words still ring in my mind. All I wanted was freedom, and I wanted to go to parties and stay out with friends. The most exciting event at this stage was falling in love. However, this did not last long, and I later learned that it was just a passing cloud and emotional instability of being an adolescent. Erikson argues that at this stage, the primary virtue is fidelity (Gilleard & Higgs, 2016). However, people experience identity and role confusion. This applied to my development; my friends and I exhibited a strong bond and always considered ourselves as ‘faithful partners.’ However, I also did not figure out whether I was a child or an adult (apart from the age constraint). I always felt that I should make my own decisions, but my parents always emphasized I had not become of age to do so, and today I agree with their stand.

Emerging adulthood is the stage between adolescence and adulthood. At this stage, young people still live with their parents as they do not have the capacity and income to cater for their needs. The period is also termed as role-less owing to the instability and identity struggles. Erikson shows that intimacy and isolation are the primary psychosocial struggles, and love is the main virtue (Malone, Liu, Vaillant, Rentz, & Waldinger, 2016). In this regard, the people with the most significant impact in my life are my parents, siblings, and friends. However, I tend to stay more with friends and my siblings. Occasionally, I go out with friends for parties and events around the community. Also, I participate in sports, which have become integral in enhancing my relationships with my best friends. Further, I am also looking for income-generating activities as a way to make money and cater to my needs as opposed to continually asking the same from my parents and elder siblings.

Cultural and environmental factors influence child development (Hyslop, 2016). In our culture, respect for the elderly is a crucial virtue, and we are told to respect any people older than us. At the same time, our culture emphasizes the need for reducing food waste and helping the needy. Therefore, throughout my development, I have learned to respect older than myself and always avoid any altercations with the elderly. Moreover, I never throw away food and instead only cook or purchase what I can finish.

In the same way, my immediate environment has influenced by learning and development. I come from a family where socialization is pivotal. Therefore, we always meet for various events –celebrations. This has led me to appreciate the significance of social networks. Moreover, my parents have illustrated that handling family issues should not be done in public. By creating such a trend, I have learned not to correct people in public, but instead call them in private and show my disapproval for their actions.

Many factors influence the development process, and some of these elements can lead to addiction or mental counseling. The factors that have led to addiction, in my case, are my social networks and sporting activities. My friends and I are regular gamers, and I was told that I could be addicted to digital video gaming, and I need to work out ways to reduce my problematic gaming behavior. In this case, counseling continues to play a crucial role in ensuring that I prioritize my activities appropriately.

As I grow older, my development has been characterized by exciting experiences. While some of these experiences have been positive, others have been negative. However, what is important is that all through my development stages, I have learned to appreciate life and love the people around me. Also, I have known what is acceptable and rejected in my setting. Thus, I hope as I develop further, I will learn and become a good role model for the people who will come after me.

References

Black, M. M., Walker, S. P., Fernald, L. C., Andersen, C. T., DiGirolamo, A. M., Lu, C., … Grantham-McGregor, S. (2017). Early childhood development coming of age: science through the life course. The Lancet, 389(10064), 77-90. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(16)31389-7

DelGiudice, M. (2017). Middle childhood: An evolutionary-developmental synthesis. Handbook of Life Course Health Development, 95-107. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-47143-3_5

Gilleard, C., & Higgs, P. (2016). connecting life span development with the sociology of the life course: A new direction. Sociology, 50(2), 301-315. doi:10.1177/0038038515577906

Hyslop, J. (2016). Human growth, behavior, and development: Essential theory and application in social work, Alistair Gibson and Neil Gibson. British Journal of Social Work, bcw124. doi:10.1093/bjsw/bcw124

Knight, Z. G. (2017). A proposed model of psychodynamic psychotherapy linked to Erik Erikson’s eight stages of psychosocial development. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 24(5), 1047-1058. doi:10.1002/cpp.2066

Malone, J. C., Liu, S. R., Vaillant, G. E., Rentz, D. M., & Waldinger, R. J. (2016). Midlife Eriksonian psychosocial development: Setting the stage for late-life cognitive and emotional health. Developmental Psychology, 52(3), 496-508. doi: 10.1037/a0039875