Explain the Life Span Perspective of Development
The life span perspective of development focuses on individuals’ development through their respective lifespan. It is concerned with who people are and how they gradually gain their identity. Research suggests that psychoanalytic theories attempt to provide insight into an individual’s lifespan development as well as the developmental stages that a person undergoes in their life (Doise, 1998).
Ideally, the lifespan perspective offers useful information regarding the way environmental and hereditary factors interact to create the differences in individuals’ lifespan development. The perspective is essential in the study of human development because it provides significant insight into an individual’s development (Lerner, 2013). Culture affects the development of a person; therefore, development is a multicultural concept. The other disciplines that provide insight into people’s lifespan development include education, biology, anthropology, history, genetics, religion, and medicine. Research indicates that development is a multidirectional concept that delves into the way changes occur in various directions and aspects of an individual’s life. The plastic nature of development implies that individuals have their own traits that may change during their lifespan. The changes may be random and sometimes difficult to identify (Doise, 1998).
Summarize Two Theories Of Life Span Development
Psychosexual theory by Freud Sigmund: Sigmund’s psychosexual theory focuses on humans’ sexual drive. According to Freud, human development occurred in a series of six stages. The initial three stages centered on sexual interests. The oral stage begins from birth to a year after one’s birth (Lerner, 2013). During this stage, a child develops an interest in their mouthparts such as lips, gums, and tongue. The second stage is the anal stage, which occurs among individuals aged between one and three years. During the anal stage, a child develops an interest in their anus (Lerner, 2013). The phallic stage affects children aged between three and six years that are widely fascinated by stimulating their organs to achieve sexual pleasure. It is followed by the latency stage that occurs before the genital stage that starts during puberty and persists throughout a person’s adulthood. Sigmund maintains that the earlier stages of a person’s development influence their personalities and habits (Mavis, 1988).
Psychosocial Theory by Erik Erikson: The theory is concerned with eight developmental stages that have a certain developmental crisis. While acknowledging the polarities that characterize each of the crises, Erik reiterated that there are diverse between the opposing sides (Mavis, 1988). The theory focuses on the social needs of an individual as well as the way they affect their development. The eight stages include integrity versus despair, trust versus mistrust, industry versus inferiority, intimacy versus isolation, autonomy versus doubt and shame, generativity versus stagnation, ingenuity versus guilt, and identity versus role misperception (Mavis, 1988). Unlike Feud’s psychosexual theory that emphasizes on sexual desires and urges, psychosocial theory emphasizes on the relationship between an individual and family and culture.
Explain How Heredity and the Environment Interact To Produce Individual Differences in Development
Both environmental and hereditary have a substantial influence on an individual’s development. The debate continues whether nurture has a greater influence on the development of an individual than nature. Hereditary factors encompass inherited genes or traits while environmental factors include friends, family, school, and society. The relationship and interaction between environment and hereditary factors affect an individual’s development (Mavis, 1988). The exchange between nurture and nature is indeterminable; however, experts agree that it influences an individual’s development. The extent to which environmental and hereditary factors affect development remains a contentious subject for further studies (Lerner, 2013).
References
Doise, W. (1998). Life-Span Developmental Psychology. New York: Prentice Hall, Press.
Lerner, M. (2013). Individuals as Producers of Their Development: A Life-Span Perspective. Cornwall: Polity Press.
Mavis, E. (1988). Child Development in a Life-Span. Berkeley: University of California Press.
