Lifespan Psychology Assignment Report

Running head: LIFESPAN PSYCHOLOGY
Lifespan Psychology
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

1LIFESPAN PSYCHOLOGY
Section 1: Childhood
The news article suggests that the emotional bond between the child and its parents
have been found to have a great effect on their speaking and learning capabilities
(Richardson, 2014). The Attachment theory by Bowlby describes this behavior and
deficiency. According to the theory, children need attachment from their mothers. When
separated, the children showed extreme distress even when they were attended by care
providers. The theory states that the mother-child binding stems from the feeding of the
infant done by the mother in their infancy. The article furthers the research conducted by
Bowlby where A research conducted by the Sutton Trust Education Society states that the
early life bonding with parents is also impactful to the educational abilities that children
develop. The implication of the research is huge on the policy makers as well. The study
suggest that the educational and learning impacts of attachment theory has not been explored
till now while now there is clear evidence that it should be taken into account by the
educational policy makers. The report suggests that when children in their early ages do not
form the bonding, known as secure attachment, a developmental stage in Bowlby’s theory,
they exhibit weakness in language learning and behavior in their pre-school years (Rosmalen,
Horst & Veer, 2016).
Bowlby’s research was conducted with 88 children among which 44 were thieves and
the rest had no prior record of crime. The research suggests that the children having prior
records have low moral conscience. The children having theft records showed psychopathic
tendencies and among the 86% of them had separation experience before they reached the
age of five (Bowlby & Ainsworth, 2013). The study is a longitudinal study and the sample
size and controlling factors are present. The result that the research presents is further
amplified by later scientists. The implication of the results are argued by later scientists

2LIFESPAN PSYCHOLOGY
where they found evidence in Rhesus monkey that they formed alternative proximity bonding
after 3 months of separation.
The Article presents further proof that the study conducted by Bowlby is in fact true
and it has impact on the development of the developmental, learning and cognitive skills of
the children. The parents who fail to bond with their children lead to reduced social mobility
and employment skills development. Thus the implication of the study conducted by Bowlby
and the article too gives a far reaching consequence that the children might face in real life
due to short and long time separation from the parents. The article also shows evidence that
the most advantaged and least advantaged children have a 19 month gap in school readiness.
The study of the article and Bowlby’s study combines to support the idea that parental
support and bonding might help the children realize their future goals more easily, build their
confidence and acquire their education at a normal pace. The help of the health officials,
children centers and local authorities can help the children and parents to improve their early
life bonding. Thus, this theory and the evidence presented by the article can help the
psychologists develop practices that supports bonding in early childhood therapy.

3LIFESPAN PSYCHOLOGY
Section 2: Adolescence
The time that youngsters spend on social media sites such as Instagram, Snapchat and
Whatsapp is highly relevant to the amount of sleep that they are likely get every day. The
identity theory of Marcia states that the development in the adolescent period is largely based
on the extent of exploration and commitment to a particular identity (Marcia, 1980). These
exploration and commitments are gathered from various aspects of life such as religion,
gender roles, relationships, vocation and many others. There are two stages that form the
identity development of the adolescents, the crisis stage and the commitment stage. In the
crisis stage the individuals gather information to form opinion and have not made any
commitment to any identity yet. It is the commitment stage that the individuals have decided
on an identity looking at the people around them and other people and scenarios that appeal
to them (Valencia, 2017). The impacts of social media affect the development of identity as
suggested by the theorists. Commitment to social media creates a social media identity that
the adolescents commit themselves to maintain in order to belong to their desired community.
The studies find that people who append greater amount of time in social media are
likely to have lesser amount of sleep. The research also reveals that individuals belonging to
the 11 to 20 years of age group are getting lesser than the required amount of sleep (Staff,
2018). Sleep deprivation can lead to poor academic performance as it affects concentration
and cognitive ability. The kind of posts that one makes in the social media creates a social
media persona or biography. This persona that they create becomes an integral part of their
identity and their commitment to uphold their identity force them to invest regular time to
these channels. As time goes, their involvement increases and their online time also
multiplies, this leads to lack of sleep and depression among the adolescent.

4LIFESPAN PSYCHOLOGY
The study is conducted among the Canadian adolescents and the result is relevant as
well. The result also indicates that the sleep pattern and social media use is independent of
the gender variable. The study is mainly a mixed methodology which indicates both behavior
and their impact in the population. The theories proposed by both Marcia and the online
identity theory indicates that the social media involvement has much implication to the
mental development of the teens and their wellbeing. Due to the pervasive nature of social
media and internet use, the adolescents are falling prone to mental illnesses that are impacting
career goals and professional development (Syed & McLean, 2017). An individual who has
shown much promise and growth in their early years becomes depressed and uninterested in
life due to their involvement in social media or starts to perform poorly in their studies due to
sleep deprivation, indicates that their regular involvement in social media is likely to affect
the future of this generation.

5LIFESPAN PSYCHOLOGY
Section 3: Mid-Life Crisis
This news article suggests that people who are suffering from mid-life crisis or show
some signs of it may need some medical assistance or support. The Levinson’s theory of
adulthood was developed by an eminent psychologist named Daniel Levinson which
identifies the stages and the growth that is said to occur well into adult years. This theory is
mainly comprised of stages which are in sequence and the stages are shaped by some action
or an event that then transits to the next stage. One of the stages, which is relevant to the
article discussed is the mid-life transition stage.
The mid-life transition stage talks about the people who are between the ages of 40-
45. According to the theory, this time period is often known as the period of crisis (Levinson,
1990). In this stage, a person starts evaluating their lives. In this stage, the value of an
individual might change and also the way society views the people belonging to this stage.
During this stage, individuals often make drastic changes in their lives like a change in the
career or divorce. People at this point start contemplating their lives and also think about
death or leaving a legacy.
This paper has been prepared by interviewing eminent medical historian, Mark
Jackson who has shared his views on the basis of his own research. This news article states
the realization that death is near looms in human beings when they are in their 40’s and this is
one of the major reasons that make many individuals try to retrieve some of the youth and
one of the greatest example is to have intercourse with someone who is younger to the
individual (The Independent, 2019).
According to the Levinson’s theory of adulthood, people start contemplating their
lives and think about death which has been shown in this article. This article also states that

6LIFESPAN PSYCHOLOGY
people when they reach their 40’s often realize the fact that all the success that they once
hoped for and had planned had not panned out the way they wanted it (The Independent,
2019). Backer & Jacobs, (2016) states that people during their early middle age often reflect
on their past personally and professionally and often feel disappointed and lose their self-
confidence as they feel that they have not accomplished much as they had dreamt once which
often makes people during this stage depressed. This piece of article agrees to this statement
as it states that according to research there are many coping strategies for the people who
suffer from mid-life crisis to overcome the issues they face however there is not much
evidence that shows that the coping strategies help the people to become happy and not feel
miserable about themselves.
Thus, the people who are suffering from mid-life crisis may become depressed which
may need some medical assistance at some point in order to overcome depression and
anxiety. It has been seen that the Levinson’s theory of adulthood is applicable in this article
as the article states how individuals during this stage of their lives start reflecting on their past
and think about the approach of death.

7LIFESPAN PSYCHOLOGY
Section 4: Old Age
This news article suggests that older patients who are depressed are less likely to be
referred to psychologist for medical treatment and psychological therapies and are likely to
be given pills to help them feel better. The Erikson’s final stage is the eighth stage that
portrays ego integrity versus despair. According to the theory, the final stage usually begins
approximately at the age, 65 and ends at death. During this stage or time the people often
contemplate their accomplishments which help in developing integrity if people view their
live as a successful one. It helps people to positively coming to terms with death however
unable to overcome the situations in the past and the inability to be satisfied with one’s life
often results in despair (Derdaele et al, 2019). Erikson in this theory stated that as people tend
to grow older and become a senior citizen they become slow in terms of their productivity
and also explore their life as a retired person. This theory suggests that if people at this age
saw themselves as unproductive and feel guilty about their past and feel like a failure they
often feel dissatisfied which leads to hopelessness and depression (Derdaele et al, 2019).
This news article is based on the study that has been conducted by the University of
Bristol and University College London and is also based on other research like British
Journal of General Practice. This article states the fact that people who generally from the age
of 65 who become depressed are often given pills to calm them down and make them feel
better rather than sending them for professional therapy (Laura Donnelly, 2019). According
to the article, around four in ten people who are above the age of 75 suffer from depression.
Aligning this statement with the final stage of the theory proposed by Erikson, it can be seen
that people over the age of 65 tend to become depressed especially if they contemplate their
lives in a negative manner.

8LIFESPAN PSYCHOLOGY
According to scholars, old people are often depressed as they think that they have
become a burden to the society as they cannot function independently and constantly need
assistance which make them feel depressed (Nasir & Asghar, 2017). According to scholars,
the doctors and the nurses often have a preconceived notion about old people which is that
they are reluctant towards any kind of change and would rather want things the way it has
been going on (Lenze et al, 2015). This article provides a similar concept where it states that
misconception of the doctors about the old people is one of the reasons that they provide anti-
depressants rather than suggesting them to any kind of psychological therapy.
The Erikson’s final stage of integrity and despair aligns with the article and it
resonates with the concept of despair among the old people. Due to the misconception, it can
be seen that the old people are given medication rather than psychological therapy in order to
overcome the negative feelings and depression.

9LIFESPAN PSYCHOLOGY
References
Backer, C. L., & Jacobs, M. L. (2016). Fontan at 40: Midlife crisis?. The Journal of thoracic
and cardiovascular surgery, 151(3), 621-622.
Bowlby, J., & Ainsworth, M. (2013). The origins of attachment theory. Attachment Theory:
Social, Developmental, and Clinical Perspectives, 45.
Derdaele, E., Toussaint, L., Thauvoye, E., & Dezutter, J. (2019). Forgiveness and late life
functioning: the mediating role of finding ego-integrity. Aging & mental health, 23(2),
238-245.
Laura Donnelly. (2019). NHS ageism means elderly people with depression far less likely to
be referred for therapy. Retrieved 24 December 2019, from
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/02/12/nhs-ageism-means-elderly-people-
depression-far-less-likely-referred/
Lenze, E. J., Mulsant, B. H., Blumberger, D. M., Karp, J. F., Newcomer, J. W., Anderson, S.
J., ... & Reynolds III, C. F. (2015). Efficacy, safety, and tolerability of augmentation
pharmacotherapy with aripiprazole for treatment-resistant depression in late life: a
randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. The Lancet, 386(10011), 2404-
2412.
Levinson, D. J. (1990). A theory of life structure development in adulthood.
Marcia, J. E. (1980). Identity in adolescence. Handbook of adolescent psychology, 9(11),
159-187.
Nasir, N., & Asghar, M. (2017). Old Age, Depression and Social Support. Peshawar Journal
of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences (PJPBS), 3(2), 205-222.

10LIFESPAN PSYCHOLOGY
Richardson, H. (2014). Poor bonding 'hampers learning'. Retrieved 24 December 2019, from
https://www.bbc.com/news/education-26667036
Staff, J. (2018). Teens losing sleep over social media. Retrieved 24 December 2019, from
https://inews.co.uk/news/health/teenagers-losing-sleep-social-media-514400
Syed, M., & McLean, K. C. (2017). Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development.
The Independent. (2019). Midlife crisis could be early warning for mental health problems,
expert says. Retrieved 24 December 2019, from
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/midlife-crisis-mental-health-porsche-
a8900316.html
Valencia, M. J. S. (2017). How Online Social Media Persona Affects Personal Identity and
Self.
Van Rosmalen, L., Van Der Horst, F. C., & Van der Veer, R. (2016). From secure
dependency to attachment: Mary Ainsworth’s integration of Blatz’s security theory
into Bowlby’s attachment theory. History of Psychology, 19(1), 22.