Running Head: LIFE SPAN PERSPECTIVE PAPER Life Span Perspective Paper Natalia Pimentel University of Phoenix PSY/375 Andrew Rodriguez September 15, 2009 Life Span Perspective Paper People are constantly changing and developing ever since conception to the day they pass away. Some changes can be more for people depending on the choices and incidents that occurs in a person’s life. The majority of changes that people go through are passed by common biological and psychological heritage by all people. One of the obvious elements is change when a development is being defined (Infed, 1998).
This is when development which involves a movement from a certain state to another. The human development occurs through a process of certain stages in which helps to understand the human development. Maturity is shown by action and what something may be acceptable in one setting may not be appropriate in another setting. Furthermore, to fully understand human development the characteristics of life span will need to be discussed. The developmental domains and periods will also need to be discussed in other to fully comprehend human development.
The study of human development is a fascinating method which seeks to describe, predict, explain, and update development. The ways to study human development is still evolving as time changes and with the use of advanced new technologies (McGraw-Hill, 2004). The major human development domains are the physical domain, cognitive domain, and the social domain. All three domains are crucial to everyone. The physical domain involves changes made to the body such as size, shape, and changes that will occur as time goes by. A person will need to be comfortable with their body since the changes will be occurring eventually.
The cognitive domain includes intellectual and academic skills, such as memory, thinking, problem-solving, and language. This domain can also include specific topics such as math and science. The third domain which is the social domain is social skills of the person, the emotional stage, and also helps develop the person personality’s traits. According to Infed (1998), “ Levinson argues that the life cycle comprises a sequence of four eras, each lasting for approximately twenty-five years. He also identifies a number of developmental periods within these eras, concentrating on early and middle adulthood. (para. 8). The four eras in which are identified are; childhood and adolescence, early adulthood, middle adulthood, late adulthood (Infed, 1998). There are distinct characters in each era; however, the transition between eras can take a good three to six years to complete (Infed, 1998). For example, in order to complete the transition of the Early Adult period, there are two tasks which would be to move out of the pre-adult stage and take baby steps into the adult world. During the life span development two contemporary concerns that are related are nature versus nurture and continuity and discontinuity.
Changes in humans have been researched through centuries in trying to understand forces that drive humans inside and out. Nature and Nurture are known to be contributions and experimental factors (McGraw-Hill, 2004). Believers of nature are believed that children are born with certain behaviors that are innate. These patterns can be a result of genetic and or prenatal care (McGraw-Hill, 2004). For people who lean more towards the nuture side, the effects of certain experiences can depend on a person’s perception (McGraw-Hill, 2004). The continuity and discontinuity is based on age related change.
For example, a child’s friends they differ depending on the age of the child. The progress of children is different through stages of cognitive development (McGraw-Hill, 2004). Every person changes individually due to the genetic factors and the life experiences. Every person is also unique in their own way. Lifespan development continues to evolve through the years as a lifelong process. Each period of life is an important process to the human development. Children progress through milestones, which is a result of parent’s education and physical environments.
People are shaped in the person that they are today in which makes them unique in every way. Reference Bee, Helen, Boyd, Denise, (2006). Lifespan Development, Fourth Edition, Chapter 1. Allyn & Bacon, Inc, A Pearson Education Company. Retrieved September 15, 2009 Infed (1998) Life Span Development and Lifelong Learning. Retrieved September 15, 2009 from http://www. infed. org/biblio/lifecourse_development. htm McGraw-Hill (2004) The Study of Human Development. Retrieved September 15, 2009 from http://highered. mcgraw-hill. com/sites/0072820306/student_view0/chapter1/
