Lifespan Development: Exploring Self, Relationships, and Intimacy

This essay examines human growth and development across different life stages, focusing on the development of self-identity from middle childhood through adolescence and early adulthood, the evolution of interpersonal relationships from childhood to adulthood within family and school contexts, and the manifestation of intimacy in middle childhood compared to adolescence and young adulthood. It also provides a comparative analysis of physical and cognitive changes in early and middle adulthood, highlighting both similarities and differences. The essay draws upon various sources to provide a comprehensive understanding of these developmental aspects, offering valuable insights into the transformations individuals undergo throughout their lives.

Running head: GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT 1
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Name
Institution

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Growth and development refers to an enduring progression of physical, communicating
besides expressive progress and alteration in the initial junctures of life after childhood,
puberty and adulthood. The purpose of my assignment is to discuss and find out in middle
childhood how to develop self-identity, its continuation through adolescent stage then further
through primary adulthood. The groups in this case are the children, adults and adolescents.
Another purpose is to explain how interpersonal relationship experience growth from
childhood, adolescents and adulthood. In addition to this, the purpose of the assignment was
also to elaborate how intimacy is apparent in middle adulthood (Becket and Taylor, 2019).
1. Discuss how identity of self is developed in middle childhood and continued in
adolescence and early adulthood including concrete examples of how growth occurs.
In early childhood, children often begin to develop a self-concept, attitudes, attributes and
other abilities which they perceive to truly describe whom they are. At the age of 3, children
have improved their categorical self that is a tangible way of viewing themselves. Early
concepts are based on easily demarcated and practical variables and this is because
preoperational children often have a comparatively high self-esteem. Little children have the
capability to learn a new different skill and finish a task. During emotional growth, both
internal and external variables might affect the self-concept of the children. For instance, the
personality of a child can affect how they outlook themselves and their capacity to
successfully terminate tasks (Stephanie and Margaret, 2008).
The process is continued in adolescent stage where the child carries on growing
substantially, cognitively as well as expressively growing from childhood to adulthood. The
body matures quickly in scope plus the sensual and the procreative tissues come to be entirely
purposeful. During the same period, teenagers grow other innovative configurations in
thinking plus a sturdier nous of person; they pursue towards targeting their own identities,

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evolving imperative connections through other persons and not their own parents. Even
though adolescents might be stressed at times and this happens to most of the teenagers. They
may also overcome the trials and tribulations successfully (James, 2009).
Occasionally, adults may reconsider and adjust definite characteristics of their identity as
life environments change. Most adults always begin talking about their careers or professions
that are strictly tied to the growth of identity. Nonetheless grownups that sense they have
encountered their lifetime achievements are most expected to go through the intellect of
completion that Erikson calls generativist in between adulthood stage (Jane & Erikson, 2008).
2. Explain how interpersonal relationships, including those from family and school
experience growth from childhood to adolescence to adulthood. Describe a relevant
example of each.
As children grow, so are their interpersonal and social skills. Little children and the peers
always learn to share with others; they are also more like influential and self-confident. As
children learn a language, they learn how to converse in progressively complex ways. At
moderately young ages, children learn to know how to converse differently to different
people inclusive of parents, siblings and teachers. A child may be having complications with
social interactions if they have difficulties in making and keeping friends. They may
misunderstand conversations regularly and make irrelevant or inappropriate comments.
In adolescence it may be founded on interpretation, affection, unanimity, consistent
business interactions or some other types of social obligations. Interpersonal are formed in
the background of social, cultural and other effects. In adults, most of them normally get to
know themselves by the aid of their personal associations together with family predominantly
with partners, youngsters and parentages.

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Relevant examples in each case like in children, when two children feel contented with
each other’s company they find easier to enter into a relationship with such person. A close
connotation between two adolescents who share conjoint interests lead to an interpersonal
relationship. Adults who are well-matched with each other normally enter into an
interpersonal relationship (Rogers, 2002).
3. Describe how intimacy is apparent in middle childhood and contrast this with the
intimacy in the adolescent and the young adult.
In the early moments of a child before he is becomes aware of him as a single person, he
or she captivates essential patterns and ways of relating and the feelings of relating which
will sway him throughout his life. Adolescents frequently encompass in discovering bodily
affection and sensual approaches. It is brought along by other changes that are in progress
during during puberty and they are connected to a child’s increasing curiosity in body
appearance and expressions including secrecy. In adults, intimacy mostly arises outside the
context of marriage (Megan and Mercedes, 2006).
4. Please provide a brief description of the physical and cognitive changes of early and
middle adulthood highlighting the similarities and delineating the differences.
As personalities progress from primary and mid adulthood, a diversity of bodily
modifications occur within the the body. During primary middle age, physical development is
complete although the height and weight might upsurge marginally. During premature
adulthood, the bodily capacities are situated at their highest together with weight gift,
response period, corporeal capabilities plus cardiac working. At the age of 30, variety of
alterations start to take place in altered portions of the body. The lens of the sense begins to
coalesce and condense, impacting in variations in illusion. Hair starts to shrill then becomes
grey. The skin changes to be thirstier and crumples instigate to perform.

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Unlike bodily capabilities that are at their highest in the mid-20s and start to show debility,
cognitive abilities go on moderately sound during primary and mid adulthood. Throughout
primary adulthood, understanding initiates to alleviate getting to a peak around the age of 35.
Young adults start to convert awareness of more than naive views of right versus wrong. In
middle adulthood, the adults show moderately stable to growing scores on brainpower until
mid-30s (Dennis, Helen $Johnson, 2015).
In conclusion, the purpose of the assignment was to look into the growth and development
of children, adolescents and adults at different perceptions which include identity of self,
interpersonal relationship, intimacy and cognitive and physical changes at different stages of
life. The information and the research done on these topics have aided me to understand
better what the topics entail and the differences at every stage of life.

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References
Chris B., & Hillary T, (2019). Human Growth and Development. SAGE Publications Limited.
Stephanie J.R., Margaret R.B., & Joanne E.R., (2008). Developmental Psychology 44(6).
James E. (2009). Identity formation and Self Development in Adolescence: Handbook of
adolescent Psychology 1, 266-304.
Jane K. & Vivienne A, (2008). Symbolic Meanings of Valued Personal Objects in identity
Transitions of late adulthood. An Internal Journal of Theory and Research 8(1) 5-24.
Carl R, (2002). The Interpersonal Relationship in the Facilitation of Learning. Supporting
lifelong learning 1, 25-39.
Megan H.B., Merritt M, & Blackstone C, (2006). Physical health outcomes of childhood
exposure to intimate partner Violence: A systematic Review.
Denise R.B., Helen L.B., & Paul A.J. (2015). Lifespan Development.
Hertzog K, Linden B, & Wilson, (2005). Growth and Development.

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