Life span development is complex and versatile. Studying different theories of development can help us understand life processes better and piece together the puzzle of our lives. There are numerous theories that explain life stages, but no single theory can account for all aspects of development. The best way to understand these theories is to apply them to your own life. There are three theories of development that can be related to my life, Erikson’s psychosocial theory, Piaget’s cognitive theory, and Kohlberg’s moral theory.
According to Erik Erikson, we go through 8 stages where we are faced with a crisis that can have a negative or positive outcome. This is a psychosocial approach where development is unconscious and an outcome of the inner workings of the mind. Each outcome is related to the next stage or step in life, and one stage does not need to be positively accomplished before going onto the next stage. As a 22 year old, I am now in Erikson’s 6th stage of intimacy vs. isolation. However, I still find myself trying to achieve a positive outcome of Erikson’s 5th stage of identity vs. identity confusion. As a teenager, I had many unhealthy relationships due to the fact that I had been in a state of identity confusion. I tended to follow the group and try to be what other people wanted me to be. This resulted in unhealthy relationships. By having a negative outcome in the 5th stage, I was getting negative outcomes in the 6th stage. After many unhealthy relationships, I began to reevaluate myself and backtrack to focusing on developing my identity before rushing into a relationship. Now that I have been able to develop myself, I am now in a healthy, happy relationship. I currently live with my boyfriend of 8 months in an apartment with our 2 adorable kittens. Before we became serious, my boyfriend and I were friends for 3 years. This allowed me to achieve positive outcomes in identifying myself and positive results in our relationship.
Jean Piaget focused on the cognitive aspect of development. His main idea was that children construct their own understanding of the world through organization and adaptation. The text explains, “To make sense of our world, we separate important ideas from less important ideas, and we connect one idea to another” (Santrock p.43). We also learn to adjust to new environmental demands. In order to understand how at different ages we understand the world, Piaget constructed 4 age-related stages. As an adult, I am in the last and final stage, formal operational stage, which lasts throughout adulthood. In this stage, we are able to reason in more abstract, idealistic, and logical ways. As a young adult, I am still in school, enjoying taking as many different classes as I can. I love to take my knowledge from one class and relate it to the ideas in anther class or to my on life. This shows my development of being able to connect ideas and higher understanding of the world. Being able to take classes and increase my knowledge gives me a better understanding of myself too.
As a close follower of Piaget, Lawrence Kohlberg studied moral development, which goes beyond Piaget’s 4 stages. He constructed 6 stages that are universal and age related. Similar to Piaget’s studies on moral development, Kohlberg believed younger children see rules as fixed and absolute. They obey in fear of punishment. Older children have a more relativistic view where they understand that rules can be changed if everyone agrees to it. Going beyond childhood, Kohlberg believed adults experience moral development stages too. The level that corresponds most with my development now is post conventional reasoning. The text describes this level, “the individual recognizes alternative moral courses, explores the options, and then decides on a personal moral code” (Santrock p.359). Stages 5 and 6 are included within this level, but I am currently in level 5. As an educated adult, previously majored in criminal justice, I am knowledgeable about laws, rules, society, and the government. I obey the laws of driving, the rules of my school, and other numerous laws that I am required to follow each day. However, as an individual I do have certain beliefs or morals that go against the set laws. For example, euthanasia for humans is illegal. As an individual, I believe someone who is terminally ill and in pain, or on life support, should have the option of euthanasia, as should their grieving family members. I also morally believe that the death penalty should be completely abolished. I have developed a strong belief that those who commit these atrocious crimes have experienced something in their past to push them to commit the crime. Based on the theory that past experiences are built into the unconscious, I believe these criminals need help, not death as a punishment. These are my beliefs that I have developed as an individual in Kohlberg’s 5th stage of moral development.
Studying psychology, especially life span development, has been beneficial to me to a great extent. I have been able to evaluate my life and understand where I am in my development. I have learned theories that have helped me be able to look back on my past and understand why I am the way I am today. It has also given me insight on what I want in life. I am currently an office assistant at a pediatrician’s office. I have had this job for a little more than two years, as I figure out what it is I really want as a career. By taking a life span development class and a child development class, I have discovered that I would love to become an elementary school teacher. I find children and their development processes fascinating. Now that I have more knowledge on the growth process of children, I can use that knowledge in educating children in a way that they will understand and have fun doing. I have always had a love for children and hope to have some of my own someday. Also, in studying life span development, I have gained more knowledge on the stages associated with the social clock. Being 22, still in school, not married, and having no kids, I feel I am late when comparing myself to the social clock. Due to major depression and an illness, I missed a couple years of college. While most of the people in my grade were going away to school, I was in the hospital. So because of those obstacles, I still have quite a bit of school left, while those of the same age graduated in 2008. Most of my friends are married and/or have kid(s). So in comparison to those in the same age group, I am late in completing certain life stages. At times I do feel depressed about not being further in my life at this age, but I have to keep reminding myself that I had to hit a few detours on my life journey to get to where I am today. I feel with getting through the struggles I had to go through, I have gained more strength than most people will in their lifetime.
Santrock, John W.(2008). Life Span development. New York:The McGraw-Hill Companies,Inc.
