Human Development across the Lifespan

This report explores human development across the lifespan, focusing on the theories and concepts that explain how individuals acquire knowledge and skills. It includes a literature review on development theories, an analysis of attachment theory, and an examination of the impact of attachment on growth and development. The report emphasizes the importance of secure attachment in building strong relationships and self-confidence.

Human Development across
the lifespan
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TABLE OF
CONTENT
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
Literature review on development theories.................................................................................3
Attachment theory.......................................................................................................................4
Analysis and examination of theory............................................................................................5
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7
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INTRODUCTION
Human develop new skills and knowledge throughout the life span such as learning from
his parents to speak in specific language and perform different function in life. Human
development theories helps in understanding the way people get knowledge and skill through
lifespan. This report is about human development across lifespan that helps in development and
growth of various knowledge and skill in child. It also critically analysis and evaluate
attachment theory that helps in formulation of successful relationship, strong identity and
confidence within individual to perform function achieve success in life.
Literature review on development theories
As per view of Walker and Horner, (2020) there are various development theories that can
be used to analysis the way individual have learned new skills and knowledge during its lifetime.
Such as cognitive development theory state that children gain knowledge through explore of
world in which they live. As per the author child learn new things with age such as sensorimotor,
preoperational, concrete operational and formal operational stages. Sensorimotor is age between
child is born to 2 years when he learns new things through hearing, touching, seeing, smelling
and tasting. Thus, it is stage where child learn through seeing what happen after performing
specific task and copying things as per its parents without thinking. In preoperational stage
children above age of 2 to 7 in order to explains its ideas, words and image use symbols at the
same time they have no logical thinking. Walker and Horner also state that concrete operational
stage is third stage where children focused on logical reasoning and include child that are in age
group of 7 to 11. At the same time learn to add and subtract things and take decision on logical
basis. The last stage of human development is formal operational stage where children develop
self confidence, ability to find solution of various problems, therefore at this stage child develop
systematic and logical thinking and able to create hypothetical ideas in order to explains different
concepts.
As noted by Hering, A and et.al., (2016) it can be stated that through various life stages
child is able to gain knowledge about importance of various relationship, able to evaluate its self
identify and develop new ideas so that child can get success in future life. As per the author it
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also get confidence to perform different kind of function by watching other to do similar things
at their different life stages. So it can be stated that human development theory helps in growth
and development of child in term of effective relationship, confidence and self identity. Author
want to state that child learn most of things from its surrounding and people with who with it
stay or get attached. Children try to copy habit and nature, behaviour of their parents as in initial
stage they are unaware of logical and illogical things. But as soon they develop knowledge at
adult age they perform activities on basis of accurate logical and reasoning. So it is said that
secure attachment is important for child development as its helps in building strong relationship
and confidence among child to grow and succeed in life.
Attachment theory
Another theory that can be used to analysis and evaluates human development through
lifespan through attachment theory that explained that individual through attachment such as
infants attachment with its father and mothers or other people that live close to him. Infants child
get attached with its parents as they only take care of child when he cries, smile and being hurt
therefore child learn lot many things from their parents (Wrzus and Neyer, 2017). When parents
of child are close to child he feels secure as they are there to protect him from various danger of
life so it develop a sense of confidence in him towards its parents. Attachment theory also state
that successful creation of secure base helps in development of effective relationship among
infant and its parents. It is a long and complex process that helps in building strong and deeper
connection with child for long period of time till his adulthood. Therefore it is classified into four
stages of attachment such as preattachment, clear cut attachment, attachment in the making and
formation of reciprocal relationship (Peavey and MRE, 2017). Preattachment- it state that
newborn baby get attached with people that take care of him and child can easily recognise voice
and smell of caretaker. It stage where relationship between child and care taker start building as
whenever its mother pick up chid smiles. But at this stage complete attachment is not yet
developed between child and mother so baby can be left with other unfamiliar people. Another
stage in attachment theory is attachment in the making that explained child behave differently to
those people whom it is attached than other unfamiliar people. At this stage parent tries to build
strong relationship and attachment with child by meeting basic needs of shelter, foods and
comfort. Child gets upset when he is taken away from his parents and caretakers as child began
to attach with them. Clear cut attachment is stage where child get more and more attached with
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its parents due to most of time spend with them while playing, eating and enjoying foods. Child
likes to play, do funning things, irritate and climb on parents or caretaker in order to grab their
attention (Tse, Nakamura and Csikszentmihalyi, 2020). Therefore child get high attached with its
parents and learn new things, knowledge under their guidance. It is last stage of attachment
which is known as formation of reciprocal attachment where child understand parent time to
departure home and come back at specific time. Separation anxiety feeling is reduced among
child as he is aware of daily routine of mother and father so have no fear. But parents can form
secure attachment with child by spending more and more time with child, teaching him values
and ethics that need to be followed and continuously meeting its demand and needs to keep child
happy (Rosing and Jungmann, 2019).
Analysis and examination of theory
From the above analysis of attachment theory it can be stated that there are various types of
attachment between caretaker that is parents and children. When child feel secure and attached
with caregiver by giving them preference over others is knows as secure attachment. On the
other hand when child is not given proper attention or basic needs of individual are not satisfied
then in such case child treat its parents as strangers and later on develop low self esteemed
feeling. It is known as avoidant attachment which adversely impact on behaviour of child as he
does not feel secure and confident to take correct and accurate steps in life. Some student are not
given proper attention since they were born or unsecure base is provide to child so it create
feeling of distressed among child (Schwaba and Bleidorn, 2019). It make irritate and angry to
the child when caregiver come and go from his life and impact on its overall growth and
development. Therefore name of this stage is resistance as child resist itself to spend time with
parents and learn various things that can benefit him in personal and professional life. At last
disorganised attachment is made when improper nutrition is provided to child or his opinions are
neglected so child began to remain happy with strangers rather than its own parents. Therefore it
can illustrate that secure attachment is crucial in effective growth and development of child as he
feels comfortable and happy with its parents. All need of child are fulfilled by its parents so that
it can work hard to get more and more success in future career. Parents try to build confidence
within child that he has power to learn new things, enhance its knowledge so that it can live
better life in future circumstances (DuPre, 2017). Secure attachment helps in developing
knowledge in child about importance of relationship in life such as father and mother or mother
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and his child. It is also essential for self identification of individual as through support and
effective attachment of parents child try to develop his own identity, name fame and work hard
to get success in life. Secure attachment is important not only to build strong relationship but it
also enhances confidence level of child to actively take part in various activities so that he can
grow and develop its skills (Haywood. and Getchell, 2019). Therefore from analysis of above
theory of attachment a child feel secure and comfortable only when his parents devote lot of time
and efforts to satisfied needs of children.
CONCLUSION
From the above analysis many things can be concluded but among them some are
explained that secure attachment play an important role for growth and development of child.
Human develop various skills and knowledge within lifespan through attachment with people
and surrounding environment in which child has live its life. Over age’s child knowledge,
analytical skills and attachment with its parents and care taker keep on increasing. It can also be
concluded from above report that there are various types of attachments that impact adversely on
growth and development of child.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Dawson, A. R., 2019. Integrating Multiple Narratives in Human Behavior Across the Lifespan
Curriculum.
DuPre, E., 2017. Structural covariance across the lifespan, from 6-94 years of age.
Haywood, K. M. and Getchell, N., 2019. Life span motor development. Human kinetics.
Hering, A and et.al., 2016. The role of cue detection for prospective memory development across
the lifespan. Neuropsychologia, 93. pp.289-300.
Peavey, D. B. and MRE, T., 2017. Lifespan Development.
Rosing, K. and Jungmann, F., 2019. Lifespan Perspectives on Leadership. In Work Across the
Lifespan (pp. 515-532). Academic Press.
Schwaba, T. and Bleidorn, W., 2019. Personality trait development across the transition to
retirement. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 116(4). p.651.
Tse, D. C., Nakamura, J. and Csikszentmihalyi, M., 2020. Beyond challenge-seeking and skill-
building: Toward the lifespan developmental perspective on flow theory. The Journal
of Positive Psychology, 15(2). pp.171-182.
Walker, J. and Horner, N., 2020. Social work and human development. Learning Matters.
Wrzus, C. and Neyer, F. J., 2017. Co-development of personality and friendships across the
lifespan. European Psychologist.
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