Chapter 1 Flashcards
Lifespan Development
Study of human behavioral change from conception to death that examines patterns of growth, change, and stability.
Development
Pattern of movement and change which allows for the potential for growth or decline of abilities in each stage.
Lifespan Developmental Science
- Describe people’s behavioral characteristics at different ages
- Identify how people are likely to respond to life’s experiences at different ages
- Formulate theories that explain how and why we see the typical characteristics and responses that we do
- Understand what factors contribute to developmental differences from one person to another
Reflective practice
- Emphasizes beliefs and knowledge as precursors to practice
- Use theory as a lens through which to consider problems, along with experience
- Problem solving depends on deep background knowledge in interaction with applications
- Begin by examining your beliefs
Lifespan Perspective views development as:
- Lifelong
- Multidimensional (biological, cognitive & socioemotional)
- Multidirectional
- Plastic
- Multidisciplinary
- Contextual
- Development is a process that involves growth, maintenance, and regulation of loss
- Development is constructed through biological, sociocultural, and individual factors working together.
Culture
Behavior patterns, beliefs, and all other products of a particular group of people that are passed on from generation to generation
Ethnicity
Cultural heritage, nationality, race, religion, and language
Socioeconomic Status
A person’s position within society based on occupational, educational, and economic characteristics
Gender
Characteristics of people as males and females
Mutlidimensional Development
- Development is the product of biological, cognitive, and socioemotional processes
- Biological: changes in an individual’s physical nature
- Cognitive: changes in thought, intelligence, and language
- Socioemotional: changes in relationships with other people, changes in emotions, and changes in personality
Developmental Period
- A time frame in person’s life that is characterized by certain features
- Prenatal period
- Infancy/toddlerhood
- Early childhood
- Middle and Late Childhood
- Adolescence
- Early Adulthood
- Middle Adulthood
- Late Adulthood
Prenatal period
- Conception to birth (9 months)
- Tremendous growth
Infancy
- Birth to 18-24 months
- Dependence upon adults
- Development of many psychological activities
Early Childhood
- End of infancy to 5-6 years
- Preschool years
- Self-sufficiency and increased play
Middle and late childhood
- 6-11 years
- Reading, writing, and arithmetic
- Focus on achievement and self-control
Adolescence
- Varying endpoints
- From 10-12 to 18-22 years
- Rapid physical changes
- Pursuit of independence and identity
Early adulthood
- Late teens to early 30’s
- Personal and economic independence
- Selecting a mate
Middle adulthood
- 40-60 years
- Social involvement and responsibility
- Assisting the next generation
Late adulthood
- 60’s -70’s to death
- Life review
- Adjustment to new social roles
- Longest development span
- “Youngest old” vs. “Oldest old”
Chronological age
*Number of years that have elapsed since birth
Biological age
*A person’s age in terms of biological health
Psychological age
*An individual’s adaptive capacities compared with those of other individuals of the same chronological age
Social age
*Social roles and expectations related to a person’s age
Classic Stage Theories
- Activities have similar qualities within stages but different qualities across stages. After long periods of stability, qualitative shifts in behavior seem to happen relatively quickly
- Imply periods of relative stability (within stages) and periods of rapid changes (between stages)
- Freud’s psychosexual stages of development
- Erikson’s psychosocial stages of development
- Piaget’s cognitive developmental stages of development
Stage
- Period of time
- During which a person’s activities (at least in one broad domain) have certain characteristics in common.
- A person’s activities have similar qualities within stages but different qualities across stages.
- There seems to be discontinuity in these changes rather than change being a gradual, incremental process
- One person might progress through a stage more quickly or slowly than another
Qualitative or transformational change
*New forms of behavioral organization are both different from and more complex than the ones at previous stages.
Psychoanalytic theory
Sigmund Freud
*describe the complex functioning of the adult personality and offers an explanation of the processes and progress of its development throughout childhood.
Three aspects of personality in psychosexual stages
*In conflict with one another
*Id: the biological self, the source of all psychic energy
-Babies are born with an id
-Blindly pursues the fulfillment of physical needs or “instincts”
Irrational
-Driven by the pleasure principle: by the pursuit of gratification
-Keep the individual, and the species, alive
-Inborn aggressive, destructive instincts
*Ego: begins to develop as cognitive and physical skills emerge
-Some psychic energy is invested in these skills, and a rational, realistic self begins to take shape
-Seeks to meet these needs in sensible ways that take into account all aspects of a situation
-Operate on the reality principle: garnering your understanding of the world and of behavioral consequences to devise a more sensible and self-protective approach
*Superego: last of the three aspects of personality to emerge
-“Internalized parent” during the preschool period as children begin to feel guilty if they behave in ways that are inconsistent with parental restrictions
-Ego: meet the needs of the id without upsetting the superego to avoid the unpleasant anxiety of guilt
Psychosexual stages
*changes in the id and its energy levels initiated each new stage
Oral stage
- Birth- 1.5 years
- The mouth is the body part that provides babies with the most pleasure
*Oral fixation
- grow up to need oral pleasures more than most adults, perhaps leading to overeating, to being especially talkative, or to being a chain smoker
- Also exhibit the fixation in more subtle ways,maintaining behaviorsor feelings in adulthood that are particularly characteristic of babies
- Fixations at any stage could be the result of either denial of a child’s needs or overindulegence of those needs
- Specific defense mechanisms can also be associated with the conflicts that arise at a particular stage
Critical (sensitive) periods
- time frames during which certain developments must occur
- Much of personality development occurs before age 5, during the first three stages
Anal stage
- 1.5 to 3 years
- Pleasure focused on anus, eliminative functions reduces tension
Phallic stage
- 3-6 years
- Pleasure focused on genitals
- Self-manipulation as enjoyable
- Oedipus complex: intense desire to replace the same-sex parent
Latency stage
- 6 years to puberty
- Child represses sexual interest & develops social & intellectual skills
Genital stage
- Puberty onward
- Sexual reawakening; source comes from outside the family
- Unresolved conflicts with parents can re-emerge
Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages
- Deemphasized the id as the driving force behind all behavior
- Emphasized the more rational processes of the ego
- Explaining the psychosocial aspects of behavior: attitudes and feelings toward the self and toward others
- In each stage the individual faces different “crises” or developmental tasks