Human Development Across Life Span: Stages and Theories

This essay provides a comprehensive overview of human development across the life span, examining various stages and theoretical perspectives. The essay begins by highlighting the significance of understanding human development for improving children's lives, emphasizing the role of psychology and the impact of age-related changes. It delves into key theories, including the psychoanalytic theory and its focus on personality development, and explores the biological aspects of development, such as pregnancy and birth. The essay then proceeds to discuss the stages of human development, including infancy, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, detailing the physical, cognitive, and psychosocial changes that occur in each stage. It covers topics such as physical growth, cognitive development, social relationships, and the challenges faced during each phase. The essay also touches upon the importance of understanding the development of the brain, the impact of puberty, and the development of trust and isolation issues. It emphasizes the significance of early, middle, and late adulthood, and explores the psychosocial changes associated with each phase. Finally, it references key scholarly articles and books that support the discussion of human development across the life span. This assignment is available on Desklib, a platform that provides AI-based study tools for students, offering past papers and solved assignments.

Running head: HUMAN DEVELOPMENT ACROSS LIFE SPAN
Human Development across Life Span
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1HUMAN DEVELOPMENT ACROSS LIFE SPAN
Week 1
The human development across the life span is a very important thing for the
improvement of the children from infancy. This goes through several stages. The impact of
change in the lives of the human beings can be assessed in many ways. This can be traced within
the human beings for the development that they go through (Demetriou, Shayer & Efklides,
2016). The aspect of psychology is very much associated in this scenario. The education and
psychology of the human beings depends largely on the way they have grown up and the quality
of their growth. The changes of the human beings occur with the growth of their age. The
explanation can be provided in the study of psychology as to how the changes and developments
take place (Demetriou, Shayer & Efklides, 2016).
Week 2
The human development theories are very crucial to assess the ways these development
processes take place. The psychoanalytic theory is one of those most important theories indeed
(Bjorklund & Causey, 2017). The growth and change of the human beings takes place all
through their lives. It has been said in some theories that the children are just considered as the
smaller versions of the adults. In reality, it is not at all like that. There are certainly many things
that are seen only in the adults. The aspect of personality development is one of the main
purposes of applying this theory. Freud has discussed about the personality development aspects
of the human beings for the betterment (Bjorklund & Causey, 2017). The psychological
functioning of the adults is discussed in this theory.

2HUMAN DEVELOPMENT ACROSS LIFE SPAN
Week 3
The biology based development of the human beings is a very significant aspect for the
ways the human beings can grow (Inhelder, Sinclair & Bovet, 2014). Two of the most important
sections in this scenario are pregnancy and birth. Pregnancy is indeed a very crucial stage in the
lives of the women. This helps the women for reproduction. This is indeed a very important issue
when the human beings give birth to the children (Inhelder, Sinclair & Bovet, 2014). Their
psychology changes completely after this incident as well. The human beings feel more
responsible in this section as well. The gradual development in the biological aspects of human
beings will be the prime factors for the overall development from both the physical and
biological aspects.
Week 4
The infancy is the beginning stage of the human beings. The human beings begin to grow
from the infancy period to the adolescence and then adulthood. These different types of
developments are their physical, cognitive and psychological infancy. This is the evolution of the
human beings that can grow with the physical developments. The process can be driven through
the physical changes (Rieber, 2013). The psychological development is also very elemental in
this process. The body and brain of the human beings change through these developmental
phases. The identity of the human beings can develop through this method indeed. The
relationships with the other people can be developed in this measure as well.
Week 5
The physical, cognitive and psychosocial development of the children is very much
crucial. The development of the human beings is a lifetime process (Rieber, 2013). This is very

3HUMAN DEVELOPMENT ACROSS LIFE SPAN
much important because the children go through the development process in the different stages
of their lives. The children are not able to interact with their close ones when they are infants.
This period onwards, the psychosocial development begins and they become able to identify
their close people (Papalia, Feldman & Martorell, 2012). The physical growth also takes place
during this stage as well. The children slowly acquire the ability to solve all the problems with
reasons. This becomes very evident when the children grow their skills and knowledge. If the
children can go through these stages with success, they will surely give sensorimotor responses.
Week 6
In the middle childhood, the children begin to go to school and development the skill of
gathering knowledge learned from their studies (Papalia, Feldman & Martorell, 2012). The
children learn new things very rapidly and this becomes very much effective from the way they
learn their chapters. Many questions can arise in their heads regarding the things they learn. If
they are unable to understand and accept it, they can use their problem solving skills as a part of
their cognitive development (Shapiro & Margolin, 2014). The physical growth also helps them to
adjust with the various challenges. As a part of their psychosocial growth, they begin to make
new friends and this becomes one of the biggest achievements in their growth. They turn out to
be successful in their quest for further knowledge.
Week 7
The adolescence age group is also a crucial stage of the human development. The
development of the brain is a very significant perspective in this section because the
development takes place in a fast paced method (Shapiro & Margolin, 2014). Another important
factor in this section is the physical development as well. The puberty is one of the biggest

4HUMAN DEVELOPMENT ACROSS LIFE SPAN
features of physical development in this stage. This is why this change is extremely crucial
indeed. Some of the important processes like the mistrust on the people is a very important
feature of the adolescence period (Newman & Newman, 2017). The psychological development
of the children can be fueled by this. The aspect of isolation is almost an inseparable part of this
phase. The children stay very afraid of isolation.
Week 8
The early adulthood is also an integral part of the human development. The psychosocial
development of the adults can be noted from various aspects. This is definitely the first step
towards being an adult (Holt, 2016). A great deal of psychological change occurs in the minds of
the people in this phase. The early adults get developed from both the physical and cognitive
aspects. The early adults begin to understand the importance of depending on the close people
and the proper meaning of the trust. The trust issues can also develop in this section as well. This
is why the psychological change for the early adults is indeed elemental (Schneider, 2013). The
early adults learn to act as per their external environment. This is also a notable thing.
Week 9
The next stage after the early adulthood is the middle adulthood. In this phase, the
psychological and psychosocial development improves a lot. The cognitive development of the
children can develop a lot in this phase indeed. The adults will learn to interpret a lot of new
things in their studies, daily lives, schools and other places (Shapiro & Margolin, 2014). The
middle adults will gain better psychomotor control indeed. Thus they will have better control
over themselves. They will get better control in how they will act to different situations. The
matter of egocentrism begins to grow in the middle adults during this period. The social

5HUMAN DEVELOPMENT ACROSS LIFE SPAN
influences begin to grow upon the middle adults effectively. The clash between intimacy and
isolation is also on the verge at this phase as well.
Week 10
The late adulthood is the final stage of the adulthood in the human beings. The
development gets more intense in this stage. All the kinds of developments that began previously
would continue to grow (Papalia, Feldman & Martorell, 2012). The physical development takes
place and mature physical features are there in their bodies. The cognitive features also develop
within them as well. This is when the actual maturity is felt by the individuals. The individuals in
this phase learn to identify the important things that come their way and they also learn to
disseminate between the right and the wrong. They mix with more people in the society and
learn new ways of responding to them.

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References
Bjorklund, D. F., & Causey, K. B. (2017). Children's thinking: Cognitive development and
individual differences. Sage Publications.
Demetriou, A., Shayer, M., & Efklides, A. (2016). Neo-Piagetian theories of cognitive
development: Implications and applications for education. Routledge.
Holt, N. L. (Ed.). (2016). Positive youth development through sport. Routledge.
Inhelder, B., Sinclair, H., & Bovet, M. (2014). Learning and the Development of Cognition
(Psychology Revivals). Psychology Press.
Newman, B. M., & Newman, P. R. (2017). Development through life: A psychosocial approach.
Cengage Learning.
Olson, D. R. (2013). Cognitive development: The child's acquisition of diagonality. Psychology
Press.
Papalia, D. E., Feldman, R. D., & Martorell, G. (2012). Experience human development.
Rieber, R. W. (2013). Problems of general psychology. The Essential Vygotsky, 26.
Schneider, M. (2013). Adolescence as a vulnerable period to alter rodent behavior. Cell and
tissue research, 354(1), 99-106.
Shapiro, L. A. S., & Margolin, G. (2014). Growing up wired: Social networking sites and
adolescent psychosocial development. Clinical child and family psychology
review, 17(1), 1-18.