Development Theories Case Study

Running head: DEVELOPMENT THEORIES
DEVELOPMENT THEORIES
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

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Introduction:
Child development is an important aspect of the process of human development process.
It is a critical aspect of the human growth and development as well. The sociologists and the
psychologists have opined that there are multiple factors and attributes that contribute in the
human or child development process.
In the following case study the developmental process of Jacob has been discussed with
the help of the Moore case study. From the case study it is found that Elaine and Michael Moore
have adopted six children and Jacob is the second eldest among them. Jacob is six years old and
has a special condition of learning impairment and diabetes. Both these physical conditions have
enough contribution in hindering the growth process of the child. Along with this, the child is not
exposed to a good family environment. Both his parents are chain smokers and religious
drinkers. They smoke and drink at the home premise only and the eldest of the children, Candice,
had to take care of her brothers and sisters, most of the times. Therefore, all the children were
being raised in very unsafe and unhealthy condition, and knowing this the local authority have
taken significant steps for the children, some of them had been sent to the foster cares while
some of them have been adopted. Considering such a situation, the developmental process of
Jacob has been analyzed.
Task 1: Different Stages of the Lifecycle Development
Lifecycle Development:
Lifecycle development refers to the process of mental and physical development of the
children. Different theorists have approached the concept of development from different aspects.
These different aspects of growth include physical development, social development and

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cognitive development. To develop a simplified understanding of the lifecycle development of
the children will include the biological development, the social and emotional development and
thus the theorists have opined that there are different stages in the life span of a human being.
The initial stage of the life of a human being is infancy, the next step is childhood, adulthood,
adolescence, adulthood and old age (McAdams. and Zapata-Gietl. 2015). Along with the
development at the cognition level, and with the social and emotional development, the children
go from one step or stage of life to the other.
Stages of the Life Cycle:
The stages of life cycle refers to the different chapters in the life of a human being. It
refers to the different process through which a child turns into a grown up, and then the grown up
turns into an elderly person. Different theorists and different child psychologists have termed and
explained these stages differently. In a generic sense the stages of life cycle is divided into seven
steps being, Newborn, Toddler, Pre- school, School age, Adult, Late Adult, and Old Age.
However different theorists have stated differently. While some of the theorists have explained
the growth structure or process from the perspective of the changes in the behaviors and the
approaches of the children, some other theorists have explained it from the perspective of the
psychological growth of the children. Many other sociologists or social psychologists, have
considered the cultural and the social aspects of growth as well. The physical changes and the
skill developments are also a part of the developmental process of the children. According to the
child psychologists the development of the motor skills mark an important aspect of growth. The
ability of the children to sit, crawl, stand, walk, write, spoon, and the all these motor functioning,
are a part of the developmental process of the children. Along with this the development of
cognition power, and the ability of involving into critical thinking processes and the ability of the

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children to decide for themselves and by themselves are all a part of the developmental process
of a child into an adult and the development of certain skills mark the different stages of life.
Life Cycle of Jacob:
Considering the case study, and approaching it from a psychological perspective, it can
be stated that the developmental process of the child can be hindered. Since the child has a
special situation of learning impairment therefore, it is likely that the social and the cognitive
development of the same will be affected and the child will be needed special attention and care,
which he never got from his parents and this is likely to affect his development process. Most
importantly, the child is in the pre- school age which is the most vulnerable age. The child is
more likely to compare and imitate and because of his special situation he can behave violently
as well, and therefore, his psychological development can also be affected, and he is likely to
develop depressive attributes.
Nature vs. Nurture:
Nature vs. nurture is an important part of the development psychology. It refers to the
relationship between the innateness of the attributes inherited and possessed by a child since
birth, with the influences of the environmental factors (Biemiller. and Meichenbaum. 2017).
The concept of nature refers to the innate attributes of a child influenced by the
organization of the genes of the organisms. On the other hand, the concept of nurture refers that
certain processes and certain behavioral attribute are created within a child because of the impact
of the environmental factors, for example, the cultural and the social set up, the influence of the
peer group, and the impact of the impact of the relationship with the family (Wong. and
Edwards. 2013).