Man is a social animal and is here in this world just because of our one and only God. He is the one who has sent us in this world to live and to do various types of activities so that we can understand that what actually life means. But the question is that how can we survive? How can we live? How will we manage to live? Because when we arrive in the world, we are nothing, only a small piece with little heartbeat along with life, but we are unable to do a single thing. So how can we live? And the answer is that we can live and can survive day by day with the help of our development. (Kaplan, 87)
There are different steps of development from the day first when you are born to die.
Motor development refers to the progression of muscular coordination required for physical activities. This kind of development includes basic growth, which includes grasping, reaching for objects, manipulating objects, sitting up, crawling, walking, and running; when a baby is born, he/she is unable to do even a single activity. He even can’t sit on his/her own or can’t talk, or can’t convey his/her feelings. This motor development helps the baby to grow day by day and helps to know the world to know that how to live, how to sit, or how to start their life. This type of age is very much sensitive and needs a lot of attention. (Kaplan, 79)
Here are some activities which usually all babies do when they are in their motor development stage.
- Prone, lifts head
- Prone, chest up, arm support
- rolls over Bears some weight on legs
- Sits without support
- Stands holding on
- Pulls self to stand
- Walks, holding onto furniture
- Stands well alone
- Walks well alone
- Walks up steps
These above mention activities are done by all babies when they are in their motor stage and are growing. This age is no doubt very much hard and difficult and sensitive too but has very much importance too. In this stage, a baby wants to do a lot of things; things also attract them, but they are unable to do anything in this stage because of unawareness, and all the things are unreachable from them; therefore, they try and tries.
In this stage of life, a baby can do nothing and is totally dependent on others. Even if a baby wants to sit, he can’t sit without the help of others. (Kaplan, 75).
Attachment means bonding – creating a bond with people, especially with family members or people who are all around the child. In this stage, child starts making bond and attachments with their closest ones. They start to recognize people who are who. This stage has very much importance in the child’s life because at this age child starts to recognize that who is who and what is the relationship of that particular one with him or her. And similarly, when infants are separated from people with whom they have formed an attachment, they develop emotional distress situations which are very much harmful to their lives.
Research by Ainsworth and her colleagues believe that attachments basically emerge out from the complex relationship which is between infant and mother. Mothers are always with their babies and spend most of the time with them, so this is the reason that why infants develop a strong bond with their mothers as compare to fathers.
Erikson divided the life of a child into eight major parts.
- Trust versus Mistrust
- Autonomy versus Shame And Doubt
- Initiative versus Guilt
- Industry versus Inferiority
- Identity versus Confusion
- Intimacy versus Isolation
- Generativity versus Self absorbtion
- Integrity versus despair
Here these stages have their own meanings. In the first stage, it means “Whether my world in which I am living is predictable and supportive.” The second stage means “can I do things on my own or I must always depend on others.” The third stage means “Am I a good one or not.” The fourth stage means “Am I competent or worthless.” The fifth stage means “Who am I and what are my paths.” The sixth stage means “Shall I share my life and feelings with others or not.” The seventh stage means “Will I produce something or not.” And the last stage means “Have I lived in full form of life or not.” (Kaplan, 68).
When a child is in the growing stage, his/her mind is full of these questions and is deciding that what is happening all around.
“Human personality in principle develops according to steps predetermined in the growing person’s readiness to be driven toward, to be aware of, and to interact with a widening social radius.” (Kail, 67)
This type of development includes the transaction in youngsters when they develop the ability of thinking, recognizing, remembering, reasoning, and problem-solving. In this part of life, you are able to understand things, able to recognize things for a long period of time, and can recall things easily and quickly. Some of the people in this age find difficult to recall things because of the weak brain. In order to make your mental level high, you should work regularly and should do things, do different types of activities so that you can make your mental level high enough, which makes you recall things easily. (Kail, 78)
Erik Erikson introduces four periods that were very much important in the development of a human being.
- Sensory Motor Period
- Preoperational Period
- Concrete Operational Period
- Formal Operational period
The sensorySensory-motor period is a period in which you are able to recognize things. When some information is sent to you, your brain can immediately reply to that action. On the other hand, the preoperational period is the development of the symbolic thought market by irreversibility decentration and egocentrism. Concrete operational period applied to conservation when you can recognize between the amounts. And in the last Formal operational period is a period when you are aware of the world. You can do anything and know how to react in the world.
Basically, children progress in information progressing with the help of two basic things.
- Attention
- Memory
When a child is paying full attention to you and your behavior, then he/she can keep that particular thing or action in their mind for a long period of time. But when they are not paying any kind of attention and just watching that action at a glance, then they will find difficulty in remembering that particular action. (Kail, 67)
Another is memory. There are two types of memory.
- Long term memory
- Short term memory
Long-term memory is the memory when you remember things for a long period of time. This is because you pay full attention to all the actions. But on the other hand, short-term memory is for a short time because you are not paying attention to the actions which are taken place around you. (Kail, 89)
Kohlberg defines six major points
- Punishment orientation
- Native reward orientation
- Good boy/good girl orientation
- Authority orientation
- Social contract orientation
- Individual principles and conscience orientation
The above-mentioned points describe that when something is done by any human being, so what the results were.
After this stage, when you are well known and good enough to know that what is good for you and what is bad for you, the stage that arises is termed Adolescence.
At this age, you start growing physically and sexually. This is one of the very important ages in a human’s life and plays an important role. Everyone should be careful in this stage because this is the stage when you will make your life. At this age, everyone is ready to explore the world want to do a different kind of activities, and want to become famous within a day. But you should be very careful while spending this year of time. (Sigelman, 67)
This is the stage when you want to become someone – popular and famous one with high respect in society. In this part of life, everyone is trying to find out his/her own identity.
When there is an urge to do something which can make you famous and with the help of which you can earn money and can live a marvelous life in this urge each and everyone is also keen to know that who he/she is. (Sigelman, 67)
These questions have great importance in everyone’s life and everyone in this part or stage of life is keen to know that who is she/he? These questions can be answered properly by special training and before any type of training; the important thing is for parents that they should pay attention to their children’s personality.
In this part of life, everyone wants to know that what should I do? This is the major part of life in which you decide what to do. Which line should I choose in order to start my career? (Newman, 345)
Here the main thing is that whatever you want to do, just do it doesn’t wait for others that they will come and tell you. No, in this world, no one is free. Just do what you want and be aware of right and wrong.
In this part of life or stage, you are young, want to achieve goals and targets, and want to go higher and higher. You are young and able to do and everything you are not dependent on others. You want to achieve your targeted goals and want to become successful. You want to gain more and more and want to have that much level by which you can make yourself good enough to survive in this world.
People usually in this part of life lose hope. You should not lose hope because if you lost hope, then how you will be a successful one.
No doubt this age is full of risks, but you are young at this age and can achieve whatever you want.
This is a part of life when you are in your middle age. When you got married and started a new life again, this is when you are young and able to do everything. You are strong enough, too, and know that what is right for you and what is wrong. (Newman, 56)
When you get married, now you are with more and more responsibilities. Now it is your duty to take care of your life, and along with this now you are responsible for taking care of your partner’s life. You should take each and every step very carefully. (Bjorklund, 69)
This is the time when you are getting a little old and when you are not able to do and everything on your own. Everything is not in your own hands now. You are a little bit dependent on others.
In this stage of life, you are getting old and old day by day and becoming weak. You are not young now and cannot do everything. You depend on others and want to do rest because now you are not that young as you were before. (Bjorklund, 78)
In this part of life, you should take care of yourself because now is the time when you need others’ attention. Now you are not young everything is not in your hands you need others to help in order to do your work. Some people in this age feel shame for them that they are not able to do anything but this is not the right way. You should not feel ashamed of yourself because you are hereafter spending your whole life working for others, so now it is their turn to work for you.
People in this stage of life are weak as compared to the early stages. Their bones become weaker and weaker. They are not active.
This part of life is similar to the young baby’s part of life when a baby is unable to do anything. (Nielsen, 709)
This whole procedure is made by our God, and no one can change it. You all are here because of him and have to send your lives according to the stages which are ordered by him. (Nielsen, 500)
Erikson’s theory is one of the most important theories, from which I agree. In this theory, he described the natural phenomenon of a man that he is living in this world and is noticing everything which is happening around him. If he finds it difficult to understand, he feels depressed, and if, on the other hand, he finds anything interesting, he starts to develop more and more interest in it. Erikson’s theory is very much true because it describes man’s nature in very much detail. It is very much true that when a man is living in this world, he is focusing on everything which is around him, the place where he finds anything interesting he gets attracted to it and where he finds nothing interesting, he gets to ignore that particular activity. (McWhirter et al., 90)
Whereas on the other hand, Freud’s psychoanalytical theory describes about the man-nature that he is in this world for two main reasons that are Eros and Thanatos, which means life and death. Whatever he wishes for, whatever he thinks, whatever he feels is just for two main reasons that are to survive to live or to prevent any kind of destruction. Whatever a man does in this world is to live a happy life.
Whatever he does is just in order to earn money so that he can live a happy and prosperous life. The psychoanalytical theory states that we whatever do in this world is just in order to survive so that we can spend a luxurious life and can have more enjoyment in this life and on the other hand if we don’t consider our life seriously se will then surely loose all the excitement from our life. (McWhirter, 70)
I do not agree with this theory because we are here not for these two reasons. We are here to make other people happy, too, so that he can make himself happy.
Works Cited
Barbara M. Newman, Life-Span Development: A Case Book, 1st Edition, 2003.
Barbara M. Newman, Development through Life: A Psychosocial Approach, 9th Edition, 2006.
Barbara M. Newman, Development through Life: A Psychosocial Approach, 10th Edition, 2009, Philip R. Newman.
Carol K. Sigelman, Life-Span Human Development, 6th Edition, 2009, Casebound.
Carol K. Sigelman, Life-Span Human Development, 5th Edition, 2006.
Dana Comstock, Diversity and Development: Critical Contexts that Shape Our Lives and Relationships, 1st Edition, 2005.
David F. Bjorklund, Children’s Thinking: Cognitive Development and Individual Differences, 4th Edition, 2005, Paperbound.
Jean Mercer, Infant Development: A Multidisciplinary Introduction, 1st Edition, 1998.
Jeffries McWhirter, Benedict T. McWhirter, Ellen Hawley McWhirter, Robert J. McWhirter. A Comprehensive Response for Counselors, Teachers, Psychologists, and Human Services Professionals, 4th Edition, 2007, Paperbound, USA.
Kathy H. Trotter, Life Span: A Multimedia Introduction to Human Development CD-ROM 2.0, 1st Edition, 2007.
Linda Nielsen, Adolescence: A Contemporary View, 3rd Edition, 1996, Casebound.
Paul S. Kaplan. The Human Odyssey: Life-Span Development, 3rd Edition, 1998, Paperbound, USA.
Paul S. Kaplan, The Human Odyssey: Life-Span Development, 3rd Edition, 1998.
Peter LaFreniere, Emotional Development: A Biosocial Perspective, 1st Edition, 2000
Robert V. Kail, Cengage Advantage Books: Human Development: A Life-Span View, 4th Edition, 2007.
Robert V. Kail, Human Development: A Life-Span View, 4th Edition, 2007.