PART A
Development throughout the lifespan is an area of considerable research following the dynamic nature involving the physical, cognitive, and socio-emotional changes individuals go through as they move from one stage of development to another. Through the various developmental stages, each of them has various milestones that mark growth in the period. With a predominant focus on early childhood, there is a need to focus on the other periods of development such as middle childhood, adolescence, early and middle adulthood. Drawing from the psychosocial theory of Erik Erikson, middle childhood encompasses the industry vs inferiority marked by a child’s focus on school-oriented activities. The following stage being adolescence, an important one marked the adolescents struggle with identity formation. Early and middle adulthood provide a glimpse into the changes associated with adulthood from relationships, careers, and, nurturing families.
PART B
1. Self-Identity Development
Identity development is a continuous process guided by early life experiences and development. Middle childhood is a period marked by the development of reasoning abilities, embracing differing perspectives, and enhanced social skills, (Harter, 2012). The skills acquired during this period, influence the development of the self. A component children struggle with at this time is reconciling the discovery of their ideal and real selves. As Harter (2012) points out, various developmental milestones in self-identity help children transition into adolescence. One such milestone is self-conception where there is a shift from a social exterior to a focus on the psychological interior. This follows that there is a focus on the external dimensions of the self. As Harter (2012) explains, children use words fueled by social comparison. For example, if they fail a test compared to their peers, they will construct their identity from the perceived failure and struggle with self-esteem while stepping into adolescence. Another developmental milestone involves the evaluation of one’s own self-esteem.
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Self-identity development has ties to cognitive development as higher order reasoning characterized by abstract thinking encourages individuals to explore themselves. During adolescence as posited in Erikson’s theory, adolescents struggling with discovering their identity. As Fadjukoff (2007) points out, identity formation and wellbeing is essential in psychological wellbeing. Through the successful navigation from moratorium, diffusion, achievement, and foreclosure helps in the development of a stable identity that produces positive outcomes in adulthood. The shift from identity synthesis and confusion helps the young adult transition into intimacy versus isolation. According to Benson and Elder (2011), the identity of young adults is stable and enhances a sense of belonging. In this sense, they should be able to adapt to changing demands and understand themselves.
2. Growth of Interpersonal Relationships from Childhood, Adolescence, and Adulthood
During childhood, families and peers play a critical role in supporting development. For example, as a child is learning how to ride a bicycle or play a musical instrument, through support relayed by the family, they nurture their sense of confidence. This is through praise and encouragement. Family relations are at their closest during childhood, with adolescence marking a period where adolescents dissociate from their family members in a bid to develop their autonomy. Regardless, close and intimate friendships become a central feature with adolescents as they share their experiences in conceptualizing their identities and handling the storm and stress associated with the period. Peer groups represent interpersonal relationships that influence and affect the nature of development. In middle childhood, peers help children be appreciative of differing views from their own, build their competence in school-oriented activities. Adolescents rely on peer groups to establish their identity within social contexts. For example, the popularity associated with cheering squads owes to the popularity they have attached to them. With early adulthood, the focus is on building individual connections. Individual friendships equally set the stage for the development of elements such as trust and intimacy that are essential for adolescents and adulthood. In early adulthood, being in college draws individuals to form intimate bonds with others as the demands of college life drive them to rely on one another for support.
3. Intimacy in Middle Childhood and in Adolescents and Early Adulthood
Intimacy in middle childhood borrows from the need to be socially competent. At this stage, children develop deep and complex friendships. During this period, friendships encompass mutual trust and becoming better at school related activities. With school being at the center of the stage, friendships encompass a sense of emotional support and competitiveness that differentiates it from the intimacy in adolescence and early adulthood. In the transition to adolescents, the role of intimacy and loyalty in friendships is more pronounces. Adolescents approach friendship with a sense of loyalty and rely on intimate bonds with their peers to discover and enhance their identity.
Early adulthood is a period marked by intimacy with Erik Erikson psychosocial theory pointing out the period as one of intimacy vs. isolation. In intimacy, it encompasses achieving close relationships with family or with lovers. In the conception of intimacy, there is mutuality in the giving and receiving of physical and emotional connection, love, comfort, trust, and other elements that characterize healthy adult relationships. Isolation on another hand encompasses exclusion from the usual life experiences of building mutually loving relationships. It involves feelings of loneliness, social isolation, and non-participation.
4. Physical and Cognitive Changes in Early and Middle Adulthood
Cognitively, early and middle adulthood represent a period marked by mature thinking patterns. With early adulthood, there is an emergence of post formal thought while with middle adulthood; the thinking is more pragmatic owing to the experience acquired within various contexts. The cognitive and physical changes in early and middle adulthood are less dramatic compared to other stages. While early adulthood is a period where individuals are at their peak in terms of physical and cognitive development, middle adulthood marks a decline in the peak. Individuals who manage to adhere to a healthy lifestyle are able to maintain viable levels of physical stamina and ward off lifestyle diseases associated with the period. During middle adulthood, from a physical standpoint, individuals struggle with visual acuity coupled by difficulty in hearing. One of the distinctions especially in women involves the onset of menopause that is indicative of declining fertility. Menopause is a major life event that affects women’s emotional and social adaptation owing to the changes it brings out. Other physical changes relate to the hormonal changes in women that has ties to weight gain and declining skeletal muscle activity. On another hand, early adulthood marks a period of considerable fertility for women.
References
Benson, J. E., & Elder Jr, G. H. (2011). Young adult identities and their pathways: A developmental and life course model. Developmental psychology , 47 (6), 1646.
Fadjukoff, P. (2007). Identity formation in adulthood . University of Jyväskylä.
Harter, Susan. (2012). The Construction of the Self: Developmental and Sociocultural Foundations. London: The Guilford Press.
