Essay
Abstract
Development is the sequence of transition that occurs over an individual's life span. A number of well-known psychologists, such as Jean Piaget, Erick Erickson, and Sigmund Freud, identify development as a progression of stages. The different theories of stages of development have several major premises. First, development is disconnected, with subjectively and conditionally distinctive abilities developing in every stage. Second, stages are connected to age progression. And, third, individuals move from one stage to the next in a particular sequence, with every stage depending on abilities achieved in the preceding stage. This paper is an analysis of an actual development from infancy to middle adulthood. The analysis uses the different theories of development, particularly that of Piaget and Erickson.
Infancy
My mother told me that I do the usual actions and reflexes of a newborn, such as opening my mouth when someone touches or strokes my cheek, especially when I am hungry. She told me that she touches my mouth with her pinky to know if I am already hungry. I also have a sucking reflex and startle reflex, according to her. I am easily startled, which, according to my mother, is the usual cause of my fretting. As stated in Piaget's theory of infant development, these reflexes are normal in babies. He calls this stage the sensorimotor stage (Slee & Shute, 2014), wherein newborns exhibit some motor-based reflexes.
I then asked my mother whether I exhibited actions that seem to give me pleasure during infancy. My mother said that when I reached three months of age I started to suck my thumbs and move my legs and fingers repeatedly. And then, I began playing with my rattle toys, repeatedly shaking it as though I enjoy the mere sound of it. Piaget explained that these actions are not reflexes. These actions are carried out deliberately, with the sole purpose of seeking pleasure. Piaget explains that infancy is marked by intense egocentrism (Peterson, 2013; Sameroff, 2010), wherein the infant does not have any awareness or perception of the world besides his/her own perspective.
During the sensorimotor stage, the key development is the awareness that the existence of objects and the taking place of events are independent of a person's existence. This is referred to as 'object permanence', which is more specifically defined as an understanding of an object's existence, even though it is concealed (Slee & Shute, 2014). It involves the capacity to create a mental model of the object. For instance, my mother told me that if she hides a food in the cabinet, I always keenly look for it and find it. But my mother said that it took several months before I was able to find things that she hides from me. After a while, I learned that objects do not just disappear. According to Piaget, this progress in learning marks the passage to the next developmental stage.
Erik Erikson has another explanation of this stage. Erikson calls the stage from birth to roughly one year of age the psychosocial stage. At this point, if children always get their core needs like food, clothing, care, and affection from adults, they will understand that they can get what they want from these people who love them and, therefore, be able to trust them. If they are ignored or abandoned and do not receive these basic needs at all times or if they are treated harshly and erratically, they will learn to distrust their caregivers and think that other people are not capable of loving and supporting them (Horowitz, 2014; Muthivhi, 2010). In other words, in order for children to have a positive self-worth, their caregivers must be affectionate, responsive, and appreciative of them. On my part, I can surely say that my parents loved me and provided all my basic needs during infancy, because I developed an encouraging outlook in life and have a healthy self-esteem.
Early Childhood
I cannot remember most of my early childhood days, but there are several major events in my life during this time that I can vividly recall. I sought my parents' help for this part, asking them about my usual behavior and activities from the age of two until five. My father told me that when I was two years old I usually play alone, preferring to scatter my toys than actually play with them. I was somewhat riotous inside our house, especially when I play alone, but when I go out and play with other kids I behave more appropriately. My mother also told me that my hobbies during my early childhood days were playing in the sand, picking fruits and flowers, collecting insects, telling stories, and pretending to be somebody else. I love to explore, according to my parents. I often go out in our garden and play there all by myself, examining and collecting all the interesting natural things I can find. Piaget calls this stage the pre-operational stage.
In the pre-operational stage, children become more and more skilled in playing with and understanding symbols, as shown by a heightened interest in pretending and playing (Damon & Lerner, 2006; Emeling, 2014). For instance, my mother said that I can pretend that a certain object is something else entirely, like I always pretend that our bathtub is a large, open sea that I swim at to reach the other end of the world. Piaget claims that pretending or role playing is crucial during this stage. Another characteristic of this stage is the development of language (Peterson, 2013). At the age of two, I can already form sentences without stuttering. Piaget observed that during this stage children are not yet able to grasp precise logic, which he later on referred to as 'conservation' (Damon & Lerner, 2006). For instance, at five years of age I am not able to distinguish between bigger and smaller and thicker and thinner. My mother said that I always prefer to drink in a bigger feeding bottle than the smaller ones even though they have the same amount of milk.
On the other hand, Erikson characterizes this stage with 'autonomy versus shame and doubt' (Slee, Campbell, & Spears, 2012, 273). Being autonomous means being self-reliant in making decisions and choices; children who are autonomous are self-assured that the outcome of their decisions would be good. This positive character is developed in children when their caregivers are responsive and sympathetic, and allows the children to pursue their own choices and explore their talents without humiliating them. In contrast, when children are ashamed and doubtful, they think that they do not have the ability to make correct choices and accomplish ordinary tasks (Slee et al., 2012). This will negatively affect the self-confidence of the child. However, in my case, as my parents told me, I was not allowed to make my own decisions until the age of eight, because I always get hurt every time they allow me to decide for myself. There was one instance, which my mother said almost gave them a heart attack, where I stood at the edge of a cliff to see a clear view of the rocks below. My mother said that it was a big mistake on their part that they allowed me to roam around without adult supervision. It was a decisive moment in my parents' life which led them to become overprotective of me.
Yet, even though I did not experience that much freedom in decision making during my early childhood years, I still grew up with a strong sense of self-worth. This may be attributed to my parents' supportive and appreciative attitude toward my interests and hobbies. There were moments that they doubted me, but they make it a point that I understand their reasons for doubting or not granting me their permission at all times. I believe that this overprotective attitude of my parents toward me was a milestone in my development because it assured me of my value to my parents and, perhaps, to other people.
Middle Childhood
At the age of eight, I already know how to add and subtract numbers mentally. I can do precise logic and was no longer confused with sizes, masses, or volumes. I know that size does not matter if the volume of the content is the same. I can also make assumptions that are often correct. For instance, I saved my friend from being hit by a speeding car by stopping her from crossing the street because I know that this particular place is prone to accidents. Another instance was when my mother and I were buying some fruits in a market. She decided to buy strawberries in a nearby stall and picked those strawberries placed on the top of the pile. I stopped her and told her to pick the ones at the bottom because those would be sweeter and fresher than the ones on the top. I presumed that vendors would place inferior strawberries on the top because they would want those to be bought first. The vendor smirked at me with disdain, which meant that I presumed correctly.
In the Piagetian theory, a mental operation is the capability to precisely or correctly envision the outcome of an event without it literally having to occur. In the course of a mental operation, a child visualizes situations that have not occurred yet which require the imaginal conversion of mental images of things they have encountered in the actual world. The capability to solve simple mathematical problems mentally is a perfect illustration of a mental operation (Upton, 2011; Gilleard & Higgs, 2015). During middle childhood, children become skilled at adding and subtracting numbers and related operations and therefore are capable of knowing that if they take two candies out of a container holding ten, that there will be eight candies left in the container. Generally, they can accomplish this by simply imagining taking two candies and then counting the candies left in the container because they are capable of mentally representing the candy container and working on the content of that mentally represented container in order to come up with the answer without needing to in fact carry out the task.
Additionally, Vygotsky found out that during early childhood children have a tendency to voice out what they are doing or how they are trying to solve a given problem. Such voicing out or talking out loud makes it easy for children to accomplish mental tasks. However, once reaching middle childhood, children begin to exhibit efficiency and skill in solving different mental tasks without having to voice it out (Goulet & Baltes, 2013). In fact, during this stage children try to carry out mental operations quietly or, primarily, through internalization.
Early Adolescence
My early adolescence years are mostly marked by efforts to become independent and the need to experiment. As observed by developmental theorists, young adolescents start to redirect their attention from their immediate families to their peers. This is the time where young adolescents build their own networks of significant others. These social networks usually replace the family because they can also provide the guidance, support, affection, and care that the family provides (Ludlow & Gutierrez, 2014; Gouveia et al., 2015). Due to the growing significance of peers, young adolescents may have difficulties fitting in or coping with peer pressure, which might lead to conformity. I experienced this pressure to conform during my early adolescence years. There was even a point where I stayed with my friend's house for a few days, even without my parents' permission. I did it because my friends told me that it is cool to sleepover at another person's house. I wanted to be cool so I ignored my parents and just went with it. I even go to parties without telling my parents, because I know that they would not let me go. I really liked my friends at the time because I feel at home and comfortable with them. It seems that there were no dull moments when I am with them. Early adolescence also meant the beginning of new relationships for me. I started going on a date, but not too often. For me, dating was only an experiment.
Furthermore, I developed what I will call emotional competence during early adolescence. In the past, I was always afraid to voice out my opinion or express emotions. I fear how other people would react to me if I show anger, frustration, or irritation. But when I reached the age of 13, I began to realize that I can express my emotions and thoughts in a constructive way so that people would understand me more and respond appropriately to my issues. This was when I developed a somewhat strong sense of worth. Erickson explained that early adolescence is the stage of development wherein a young adolescent learns to assert his/her identity. Piaget calls this a cognitive milestone because during this stage reflective thoughts begin to arise (Mooney, 2013). Yet, still, I was always self-conscious, always thinking about what other people would say, thinking that they constantly scrutinize and observe my every move.
Adolescence
Theorists of cognitive development explain that the need for self-reliance and independence heightens during adolescence (Shaffer & Kipp, 2010; Sun & Li, 2014). Once I reached the age of 16, I started to accept greater responsibilities, such as household chores; take my studies more seriously; think about the career that I should pursue in the future; become aware of larger social issues like poverty and climate change; and, comply with ethical values like honesty and compassion. All these developments, according to Piaget, are the direct outcome of expanding cognitive capabilities. But as adolescents start to apply their new cognitive abilities, some of their action, behaviors, or decisions could be unsettling or worrying for adults. I can remember that I had frequent arguments with my parents, as well as with my siblings, during this time. I always felt the need to express my opinions and win arguments. My increasing desire for autonomy led me to greater conflict with my parents. But, according to the socio-historical theory, it is normal for adolescents and their parents to have disagreements or altercations once in a while as they adapt to their evolving relationship.
During adolescence, the extent of involvement with social networks or peers opens doors to greater romantic and supportive relationships. For adolescents, peers offer the greatly needed feeling of belongingness in the mainstream culture. Nonetheless, the transition in the social world of the adolescent from family to peer groups does not reduce the value of the family in the life of the adolescent (White, Livesey, & Hayes, 2012). At the age of 18 I realized that my family was still more important than my peers. I began to appreciate what my parents are doing for me, consistently reprimanding me for the bad things I have done and always commending me for all the good things I have managed to accomplish. I know that my attachment to my family is one of the key reasons why I did not stray. I do not have any vices. I do not smoke. I do not drink. All of these became possible through the strong ties I have with my parents.
Young Adulthood
At the age of 20, I began to build and explore personal and intimate relationships. These relationships were different from the social networks I had built during my early adolescence years. They were stronger, more committed, and more profound. Erikson argued that a well-built sense of identity was crucial to the development of secure personal relationships. A strong sense of worth makes a healthy personal relationship possible. Empirical findings have shown that those with a weak self-worth have a tendency to have less secure personal relationships and more prone to experience depression and emotional seclusion (Damon & Lerner, 2006; Bowman, 2010). I can certainly say that I have a committed personal relationship that even now I am still friends with my old peers. I have a rather small clique because I really choose whom to trust.
Generally, young adulthood is a stage of remarkable transition in personal relationships. It is a time of seeking physical and emotional affection in people outside one's immediate family. A feeling of belongingness and self-admission are key components of intimacy. A healthy mind and body is a prerequisite for such intimate relationships. At the age of 25, I began thinking of my romantic options and started to take dating more seriously. I started to look for specific characteristics of an ideal mate. As explained in the triangular theory of love of Sternberg, love has three elements, namely, 'intimacy', 'passion', and 'commitment' (Sternberg & Weis, 2006, 184). I believe that I have experienced all my romantic relationships in this order. Moreover, during this stage, I developed a more refined sense of spirituality. I learned to comply with moral values that I usually ignored during the previous stages.
Middle Adulthood
I am currently at this stage of development. The major aspect of this stage for me is my improved ability to make informed decisions concerning my lifestyles, beliefs, values, relationships, and career. According to Levinson's Seasons of Life theory, during middle adulthood, there are usually changes in one's lifestyle that may be delicate or more serious (Horowitz, 2014). For me, I think that the changes in my lifestyle are rather mild because I developed most of the attributes needed for a smooth transition to the next stage of development.
These attributes are, as specified in Vaillant's Adult Tasks theory, should be gained in order for an individual to successfully transition into adulthood (Peterson, 2013). These attributes are as follows: a strong sense of identity, a sense of intimacy, career awareness, willingness to give or unselfishness, ability to transmit or pass on traditional knowledge and practices to the next generation, and ability to attain a sense of harmony and stability in one's life.
Conclusions
Theories of physical, cognitive, and social development are indeed useful in examining and understanding one's own development. Generally, my transition to one stage of development to the next has been smooth and easy thus far, simply because of the foundational character that my family helped me to develop. My lifestyle at present is somewhat stable-- a good education, a secure career prospect, and strong personal relationships. I do not have any destructive hobbies or vices that could distance me away from my goals. What I find difficult at present is my competitive and somewhat straightforward attitude. I think I have too much pride in me, too much belief on what I can do and accomplish. This may be good some times, but also bad at other times. This would definitely affect my aging process, especially the future of my personal relationships. The solution I thought of is exposing myself to more humbling situations, like socializing more with people of lesser status, and then learning from them.
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