Analysis of Different Stages of Human Development

Analysis of Different Stages of Human Development

There are several stages of human development. They include infancy, followed by childhood, then adolescence, and the last stage is adulthood. The study will critically analyze the different stages of development I underwent by presenting relevant literature and theories to aid in the analysis. The development stages are explained as follows; 

Infancy Stage

 It is a stage that extends from birth to 18 months of age. During this stage, I came into a new environment and required nourishment from my mother. It is a stage characterized by trust and mistrust (Hannush, 2021). Therefore, I needed to be taken care of well lest I develop mistrust, which could have negatively impacted my later stages of life. I can attest that my mother took care of me with love during this stage, which made me develop a sense of confidence, making me trust people around me to date. 

Early Childhood

 The stage starts from 18 months to 3 years of age. During this period, my muscular and nervous systems developed. One of the characteristics I had during this time was my eagerness to acquire new skills. Even though I required guidance at this stage, I faced a crisis of autonomy and doubt. When autonomy is given too much to a child, they encounter difficulties that they cannot handle hence making them doubt their abilities. On the other hand, putting too many restrictions on how one interacts with the environment at this point in life makes them feel worthless and denied their independence. One thing that I thank my mother and my caretakers up to date is their ability to balance the two positions. I grew up in an environment where there was a balance of autonomy. My caretakers made sure that they respected my needs and environmental factors. 

Middle Childhood

 It extends from 3 to 5 years. During this period, I was curious about many things and would like to try out many things. It is a period characterized by guilt and initiative. My caretakers allowed me to try out new things at this stage. It impacted my future initiative hence making me not grow in guilt. 

Late Childhood

 It is a stage that extends from 5 to 12 years of age. It is characterized by the child developing a greater attention span, requiring less sleep, and gaining rapidly in strength. The crisis I faced during this period was inferiority and industry. One of the reasons I encountered this was my willingness to develop the ability that could help me be industrious. My mother encouraged me to be competent by ensuring that she helped me solve all the tough problems I faced. It made me grow into an industrious being. 

Adolescents

 It is a period characterized by identity. An individual develops an understanding of self, the goals they would wish to achieve, and their occupation. It extends from 12 to 20 years. I remember feeling confused at the age of 12 because of the changes I started experiencing that were both physical and psychological. Both my parents became my biggest support system during this period. It enabled me to realize who I was at the age of 13, making me set worthwhile goals. Adulthood It is divided into early and mature adulthood. Early adulthood extends from 20 to 30 years. The individual during this period takes a firmer position in society by taking on various responsibilities like maintaining a family or caring for offspring. The crisis during this period is intimacy and isolation. The responsibilities come with tensions and frustrations that lead to isolation if not handled well. If one solves the problems with love and affection, individuals develop intimacy. Currently, I am in my early adulthood and what I would say is that this stage of life is not a walk in the park. It requires a constant reminder that you are strong and can always tackle everything you encounter. I am at a point where I require close intimacy with my family members and friends as a strong support system to rely on when faced with difficult situations. 

Theories 

The second theory that can support the literature is Bowlby's attachment theory. Bowlby maintains that children require the formation of attachments. They form attachments with people, places, or things that influence their life (Hornor, 2019). He maintains that a child requires more attachment during early childhood because it is during this period of life that determine whether a child will grow up responsibly. When children fail to form positive attachments with the people, things, and activities around them, they may be affected emotionally and socially and have cognitive deficits when they reach adulthood. It is one of the theories that people can connect to real life. Children who grow up in abusive families tend to be broken when they grow up and prefer isolation. Their level of attachment to others or the environment they grow up in is reduced, and mostly, they suffer from mental health. 

Individuals can employ several theories in explaining the development of human beings. One of the most appropriate theories is Erikson's psychosocial development theory. He posits that different crises characterize different stages of human development. He maintains that there are eight stages of human development (Chung, 2018). The stages include infancy, early, middle, and late childhood, adolescence, early and mature adulthood, and the last stage is old age. The crises correspond with each stage of human development. Trust or mistrust corresponds with the infancy stage. However, in the late stages of development, despair or integrity are the crises an individual faces. He maintains that one reflects on what one accomplished during their early years during old age, and when satisfied, one does not develop feelings of despair. 

 References

Blatný, M., Millová, K., Jelínek, M., & Romaňáková, M. (2019). Personality predictors of midlife generativity: A longitudinal study. Journal of Adult Development, 26(3), 219-231. 

Chung, D. (2018). The eight stages of psychosocial protective development: Developmental psychology. Journal of Behavioral and Brain Science, 8(06), 369. 

Hannush, M. J. (2021). Balance: The Capacity to Establish and Maintain a Dialectical Balance Between Polar Lifeworld Meanings. In Markers of Psychosocial Maturation (pp. 65-94). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. 

Hornor, G. (2019). Attachment disorders. Journal of pediatric health care, 33(5), 612-622.