Birth and Infancy ( 0 -3 years )
Physical Development
New born babies are born with a variety of reflexes. E.g. Rooting reflex – they will turn their head towards any touch on the cheek, it helps the baby to get the nipples into their mouth to feed. Grasp reflex – If you place your finger in the palm of the baby’s hand, they will grasp your finger tightly. Babies have the ability to recognise and interact with people. At 2 months major changes in brain function, they have more cortical involvement. At 4 months they are able to reach for objects. At 6 months they have the ability to roll over and sit alone. Between 8-10 months they have the ability to crawl and stand with help. At 12 months they already have the ability to walk alone.
At the age of 2 years they can run easily, climb stairs one step at time. At the age 3 years old they already have the ability to ride tricycles, use scissors and draw. As well they begin to talk.
Emotional Development
New born babies form bonding with parents. At 2 months is the beginning of wariness of strangers. Between 8-10 months they form an attachment with a career. Between 14 – 24 months they experience new secondary emotions. E.g. pride, shame, guilty and envy. As they begin to talk and think about themselves in relation to other people. At the age of 2 they have a self-definition based on comparison with others. At the age of 3 they already have gender stability.
Intellectual development
New born babies begin to make possible imitations of some gesture. Between 20 – 24 months it begins internal manipulation of symbols and early pretend play. At the age of 2 they can use pre-logical way to communicate and play. At the age of 3 years old they can do classification about things by function.
Social Development
New born babies at 2 months start to smile at human faces. At 3 months they can respond when an adult talk to them. At the age of 2 years old they play alongside other children. They are begging to make friends, but the attachment with the parents still strong.
Childhood ( 4-9 years)
Physical Development
During childhood, children grow steadily at this time, bones and muscles are getting stronger, and they develop coordination.
Children at the age of 4 have the ability to climb stairs, kick and throw large balls. Between the ages of 5 – 6 years old they can play ball games with more skills, and they have the ability to jump rope and skip. At the age of 7 they begin to ride two-wheeled bicycle.
Emotional Development
Children begin to have a self- definition on comparison with others. They might develop a sense of confidence or a sense of failure and inferiority. At the age of 6 years old, strong sex role stereotyping imitation of same sex model. Between 8 – 9 years old self- definition begins to include more inner and complex qualities.
Social Development
Children begin primary socialisation, where they begin to learn social roles and behaviour within their family context. Also they are involve in co-operative play, which means they will learn to co-operate if other children. At the age of 4 signs of individual friendship starts to show. At the age of 6 same sex play groups will be preferred. Between 9 – 10 years old enduring friendships appear regularly.
Intellectual Development
Children start to read, literacy, start to discover new talents, some of them sing, take part in choir and other activities such as drama.
At the age of 4 children begin systematic classification by shape, size, colour. At the age of 6 they develop memory strategies and Meta cognation. Between 8 – 9 years old they start to have inductive logic.
Adolescence ( 11 – 18 years)
Physical Development
During adolescence puberty occurs, it preparate the body for sexual reproduction. In girls puberty is usually between 11- 13 years old, in boys’ puberty start later, between 13 -15 years old. In girls breasts enlarge, pubic hair is developing and the start of menstrual period occurs. In boys the enlargement of testes and penis occur, pubic and facial hairs are developing and muscle strength, also the voice become deeper in tone.
A growth spurt happens in this stage where they grow taller at a faster rate than before, change in weight and shoe size.
Emotional Development
Adolescents do not behave as a child anymore due to major changes of the body; nevertheless the sense of self continues to develop. The understanding of self-others being to include expectations, comparisons, special conditions, deeper personality traits, empathy with another’s general plight. The development of identity occurs in this stage, mood can swing depending on situations, that in this stage is consider very stressful, which can lead to depression and also low self-esteem.
Social Development
Stable and intimate friendships continue and become more intimate. Adolescents will copy the styles of dress, beliefs, cultural values and behaviours of their own network of friends. At this stage is where beginning of relationships occur, they will by nature feel attractive for the opposite sex and start a very strong attachment.
Adolescents have an active social life, which enable them to create a bigger network of friends. Also a parent-child conflict might occur because they start to become full independent from the family.
Intellectual Development
Adolescents develop common sense; they start to think by deductive logic. They are able to understand complex things and solve complex problems in their heads. At this stage of life is where the literacy and reading skills are more developed. They are able to think scientifically and also able to use computers, phones and cameras.
Adulthood ( 18- 65 years)
Physical Development
At this stage adults are on the peak of physical performance. They have strength and can do things very quickly. They start to think more about career and to stabilise a relationship.
Women in their early teens and early twenties are most fertile. However between the ages of 45- 50 the fertility reduces and then come to an end in a process called menopause. It takes several years to complete.
Emotional Development
Adults learn to cope with emotional attachment to a sexual partner. Later adults may face a risk of stagnation, when they lose interest in social issues.
Social Development
At this stage friendship is consider very important as well the formation of adult sexual partnership.
Some adults value more marriage, parenthood. Some adults also have a limit social activity due to time pressure, they work too much and have to care for their parents or have other family commitments.
Intellectual Development
Early adults start to establish a employment career. They achieve more knowledge through experience. In early adulthood essential brain growth already has taken place, and individuals are now applying and using knowledge and analytical capabilities.
Young adults are able to assimilate and synthesize complex and contradictory situations and arguments and unlike adolescents, are not se on finding absolute truths. They are focused on developing their careers and achieving independence from their families.
Older Adulthood ( 65 + years )
Physical Development
In older adulthood health problems are more likely to occur. Eye problems as well some older adulthood might sick help with an optician, ear problems, some of them start to lose their audition.
Other changes in the body such lost of hair, they become bold, white hair. The facial definition changes as well.
Emotional Development
They need to cope with physical changes associated with ageing and death, some might experience emotional despair due to this physical changes and become depress.
Social Development
In older adulthood they have more free time due to retirement; however they have less contact with colleagues in social setting which limit social life. Some older adults increase involvement with old friends and family, instead of making new ones. Some of them do not have access to a car, internet, mobile phones, limiting opportunities for social contact.
Also due to physical changes such of ill-health, hearing problems vision problems may make interaction with other people more difficult.
Intellectual Development
Adults at this stage tend to have memory loss.
References:
by
sherrylima (student)
