Human Development Research Paper

Intimacy versus isolation is stage six in Erik Ericksons eight stages of human development. This stage takes place from approximately 19-40 years of age (Orlofsky, Marcia, & Lesser, 1973). The big question that people face in this stage is will I be loved or will I be alone. During this stage people start to develop more long term relationships. Friendship, dating, marriage and family play a big role in the happiness of this stage. This is when we leave the people that we grew up with and start our own lives. By establishing

The adolescent individuals begin to reach sexual maturity and established their identity as an adult. This period marks the transition in which individuals think and reason. They also start to encounter conflicts between their family and their peers.

In this paper I plan to discuss the developmental stages of adolescence. Adolescents are also referred to as "teenagers" or "young adults." Adolescence begins after the childhood stage and ends right before adulthood. The years of adolescence range from 12 years old to 21 years old. The years of adolescence can be quite a roller coaster ride. Young people in this stage encounter a great deal of changes in their life as they prepare for adulthood. I will discuss emotional, intellectual, physiological, and social domains of development and how it relates to adolescents. I will also discuss some helpful tips for teachers to aide in communicating effectively to adolescents and understanding their

Adolescents is a very important stage in the development for teenagers. Development is still present physically,

The stage of adolescence is a stage of emerging puberty. Boys and girls from the ages 12 and up are still finding themselves, confounding their bodies. Usually at this state of mind and body for a young teenager is

Human development theories are theories intended to account for how and why people become, as they are. These theories provide the framework to clarify and organize existing observations and to try to explain and predict human behavior. It is important to recognize the complexity of human development and the theories that explain human development. (Berger, pg. 23). The three theories that have influenced by development are Jean Piaget’s Cognitive Theory, Abraham Maslow’s Humanism and Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial Development Theory.

The life span theories is about four different theories; the psychoanalytic, behaviourism, cognitive and humanistic. Erikson has some similarities with Freud however it is extremely different in other ways. Rather than Erikson focusing on sexual interest as a driving force in development, he believed that social interaction and experience played a decisive role. Erikson has an eight stage theory of human development which describes the process from birth to death and the crisis of each stage brings. His life span stages follow as infancy which crisis is autonomy vs shame and doubt and trust vs mistrust. This is when the world seems a safe place or it can be a place that can have unstable events. During this stage of infancy it is unsure about the world that the live in. to overcome these feelings of uncertainty the infant looks towards their primary caregiver for stability care. If this care is constant the sense of trust will be developed which will carry on in other relationships. If there is success in this stage it will lead to the virtue of hope, furthermore the person will have hope if a new crisis and therefore a failing attain virtue of hope will lead to fear when a crisis occurs. Also if there is mistrust at the infancy stage this will carry on into other relationships.

Adolescence is manifested by the onset of puberty “marked by dramatic changes in hormone levels and in physical appearance: physical growth, changes in facial structure, and appearance of secondary sexual characteristics. Over the same interval, adolescents experience numerous changes in social and other environmental influences, and typically enter a stage of profound psychological transition. The end of adolescence is said to occur when an individual has attained a stable adult role.” (Burnett, Blakemore, & Dahl 2010, pg. 926). The onset of puberty can start as early as six years old and go as late as twenty-one years old. For many teens that is a period of trial and error, testing boundaries, values and establishing their own identities. For many it is a time where there body is awkward lengths, acne is barring its teeth and voice starts to crack at the worst times possible. The stage of

Child development occurs when there is a biological, as well as psychological, advancement in nature. There have been a plethora of brilliant minds who have had remarkable theories of child development, such as George Herbert Mead, Jean Piaget, and Sigmund Freud. Each of these sociologists, had their own unique approach when it came to child development, portraying some similarities.

After much thought in analyzing her development thus far, it would be normal of her to reflect and to possibly shift back and forth or on a day to day basis with making choices and addressing important issues within her life (Erikson, 1993).

The phenomena of secular trends encompass increase body composition of adolescents, reduction in the age of menarche, and the age adolescents reach biological maturity over time (Malina, 2004, p. 3). Better nutrition, availability of heath care, prevention of infectious diseases, increased socioeconomic factors, and genetics all contribute to many of these changing characterizes. Typically puberty has been associated with middle school students, however the secular trend in adolescent development has altered the terrain of the developing adolescent resulting in accelerated maturation, larger body size, and noticeable physical change in appearance of this present

At the health fair, we had a few pre-adolescent children that were 10-11 years of age. This age group focuses on fact rather than fantasy however, they beginning to increase their self-esteem. This age group is advancing toward maturity and abstract thinking they are accordingly “developing secondary sex characteristics and accepting responsibility.” (pg.131, Growth and development) By age 12 the head is adult size. The adolescent will hit a growth spurt just before puberty consequently, the average weight gain is 5.5 to 7 lbs., per year, height increases about 2inchs a year. (Leifer, Fleck, 2013) By age 11 the fine motor skills have developed more since preschool and kindergarten. The calorie intake will increase, as the child begins a growth spurt. Similarly, Ages 14-16 will experiment with different looks and images. ‘This age group is more impulsive, impatient, and has identity confusion.” (pg. 153 growth and development) Middle adolescents begin dating, feels they need to please their friends. The adolescent will rebel and demand privacy, also “struggle for autonomy.” (Leifer, Fleck) This age group might experiment with drugs and sex. In addition Ages 17-2 growth slows and they become comfortable with their body. This group is thinking independently now. They begin to have caring relationships, identify their career goals. The late adolescent will start considering what college he or she would like to attend.

If someone were to analyze adolescence through my own personal experiences, he or she would come to find that my personal experiences reflect those of a typical person’s adolescent period. Through the analyzation of my adolescent period one would find that the nature of it includes three types of transitions, biological, cognitive, and social. While there are pretty much countless biological transitions the most easily recognizable one is the height gain that everyone receives through adolescence. In addition to this these biological transitions, an adolescent will also undergo cognitive transitions such as development in their ability to maintain attention on a task. Added on to all of these biological and cognitive transitions adolescents go through there are social ones as well. The most common social transition being how one is viewed by others and how that person is defined in society. My personal adolescent period reflects a typical one because it displays common biological, cognitive, and social transitions that adolescents frequently go through.

The development process in Human Development begins in before conception with heredity. The next important stage in development is prenatal development. The is the stage of growth after conception and before birth. In this stage, there are many risk factors to consider that can affect the development of an embryo either during the pregnancy or after the pregnancy. A very well known risk factor during this time is smoking, drink and the use of drugs. Teratogen is the different agents such as, drug, alcohol, and tobacco that can cause different development problems at birth. I conducted a research experiment to see how women felt about these activities they partake in, and if they know the danger it producing toward the normal development of a fetus. In the following paragraphs, I will discuss how I conducted this experiment, and what my finding produced about the matter.

Adolescence occurred from phase of puberty to legal adulthood.It consist of stages physical and psychological development. Adolescence is found in teenage years and it is physical while its expression may occur earlier or may at the end. Macmillan (1981) refers to the period of human growth that occurs between childhood and adulthood. Adolescence begins at around age 10 and ends around age 21. Adolescence can be broken into three stages: early adolescence, middle adolescence, and late adolescence. Each stage has its own characteristics. Early adolescence is the first stage and occurs from ages 10 to 14. Puberty usually begins during this stage."