Paper Sample on The Growth of Humans: Exploring Developmental Psychology

A human course of life entails progressive changes over the years. The growth of humans throughout their lifespan (from conception to death) is referred to as development. In the development process, psychologists try to comprehend and explain the reason behind the transformations throughout life. While most of these changes are expected and healthy, they can prove stubborn to some, requiring extra assistance in managing them. Through ample research and understanding, developmental psychologists can work with people in different age groups to support growth and treat issues and even go further to specialize in specific areas such as old age, adulthood, and childhood.

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Developmental psychology is a branch of psychology that deals with how people grow and the changes that happen throughout their lifetime. The specialists in this field deal with the physical changes in growth and emotional, social, and cognitive development. Peter is a 63-year-old man who is currently in good health and helps us reflect on his life’s developmental process through his experiences. He narrates that there some issues that developmental psychologists may need to intervene to help their patients with examples like language acquisition, emotional development, self-awareness and self-concept, childhood cognitive development, among others. The professionals in this field strive to observe and investigate how these processes occur and the factors that can disrupt development.

There is a clear breakdown of development going by Peter's development experiences depending on various phases in life. In every development period, significant milestones are achieved, which might pose challenges where development psychologists can assess and help with the situation. The prenatal period is the initial influence on development. During this critical period in child development, the brain develops and continues to grow and change in the preceding years of childhood develpomental psychologists strive to understand the effect of early influences and how they affect later growth during childhood. In this stage, psychologists observe the fetuses' perceptions and responses to stimuli in the womb (Cohen & Reese, 2019). At this stage, potential problems may begin to show, such as down syndrome, inherited diseases, and maternal drug abuse that might play a part in impacting the course of development in the future.

Early childhood is the period that starts with infancy and consists of notable change and growth. In this particular stage, developmental psychologists take note of the physical, emotional, and cognitive growth. Parental guidance and lookout are necessary at this stage of development, and intervention by psychologists can help identify potential problems of development, which is aimed at helping the kids hit their full potential. Adequate nutrition is essential in helping the kids achieve cognitive milestones and ensures proper growth for their age. Middle childhood is characterized by physical growth and maturity. At this point, the child portrays increased importance of influences as they are introduced to elementary schools where they begin to mark their social advances by forming friendships, gaining competency through schoolwork, and discovering themselves. In this stage, problems that may arise are delicate and may need a developmental psychologist's intervention to help them deal with. Such issues include social, mental health, and emotional issues, among others.

Adolescence or as commonly known as the teenage years are often the topic of significant interest as children undergo transition and psychological turmoil in the journey of identity formation. At this age, the child looks to explore more and new identities, testing limits, and a quest to understand who they are. There are several problems that teenagers face, including puberty, social pressure, and emotional turmoil. In such cases, developmental psychologists can help teenagers tackle some of these unique issues to each adolescent. After the adolescence period, the teenager then proceeds to another phase known as early adulthood. During this period, the young adult feels the urge to form and maintain friendships; they also develop a tendency to form bonds socially, intimacy, permanent friendships, and even start families. Such milestones are essential in life. It is not strange that some of these young adults feel the pressure to belong. It has been observed that those who successfully build and maintain such relationships experience social support and connection. In contrast, those who may end up feeling lonely and alienated. It is crucial for people facing such issues to seek relevant professionals' assistance to help them overcome their barriers to build healthy relationships and combat emotional difficulties.

Middle adulthood is an important stage in life that marks self-realization In terms of purpose and contribution to society. It often borders the conflict between stagnation and generativity. At this stage, the adult feels the need to engage and contribute to things that will outlast them and leave their mark on the next generation. Things that can contribute to this include families, careers, community involvement, and group memberships. Old age is the final stage in the developmental stages. The old age is often viewed as a difficult period that is accompanied by retirement and poor health which is not always the case because many adults remain busy and active well into their 70s and 80s.indeed, health issues are a problem at this stage whereby some of the individuals may experience a decline in productiveness and mental matters connected to dementia. During this period, individuals often reflect on their lives, where some feel proud of a life well-lived and emerge with a sense of pride and wisdom, which eases the anxiety to face the later stages of their lives. In other cases, the individuals are remorseful and full of regrets, which leave feelings of bitterness and despair and can be devastating to an individual. Developmental psychologists should step in and help elderly individuals cope with such issues.

Through Peter's developmental experiences, we were able to conclusively exhaust the topic and confirm human development aspects. Developmental psychologists can use several theories in exploring human development. For example, in assessing a child’s intellectual development, one might use the Piaget's theory of cognitive development that states that children have four stages of mental development and focus on understanding how children get knowledge and understanding the nature of intelligence (Burman, 2016). In cases of considering the influence of the environment on the child, the psychologist may use Bowlby’s theory of attachment that focuses on relationships between people, including parents or romantic partners. If interested in looking at the effects of social relationships on children and adults' development, a psychologist can opt for Vygotsky’s theory of sociocultural evolution or Erikson’s theory of physical development that addresses the development process's influences. Both approaches emphasize different development parts, such as social, mental, or parental influence on children's growth and progress.

References

Cohen, S. H., & Reese, H. W. (Eds.). (2019). Lifespan developmental psychology: Methodological contributions. Psychology Press.

Burman, E. (2016). Deconstructing developmental psychology. Taylor & Francis.