Human development is a complex process that goes on for a lifetime. At each moment in our lives, we are in a state of evolution, which encompasses cognitive, psychosocial, moral, attachment and ecological aspects of development. Theorists show that as we grow older, the evolutionary processes become more complex as we tend to develop distinct identities. The human development theories help us make sense of the experiences we go through, hence, this is an analysis of cognitive and psychosocial development theories based on my personal experiences.
According to Ghazi et al. (2016) cognitive development theories focus on the development of thinking processes. A common cognitive theory is Piaget’s development model, the model states that thinking processes go through a series of development and stops at the formal operations stage during adolescents. After studying cognitive development in children, Piaget realized that children are not as intelligent as adults because their cognitive abilities are yet to be developed fully. He proposed that human cognitive development becomes complex over time due to biological maturation and environmental experiences (Ghazi et al., 2016). Thus, the stages of Piaget’s cognitive development theory are: the sensorimotor stage, preoperational stage, concrete operational stage and formal operational stage. The formal operational stage ends in early adulthood, at this stage an individual is capable of using deductive reasoning and have a good grasp of abstract ideas.
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As a young adult, I have gone through some personal experiences that are described in the four stages of cognitive development by Piaget. I do not remember much experience from sensorimotor stage, however, at the preoperational stage I learned new things through play. The preoperational stage lasts between 2-7 years, I cannot compare my experiences at the preoperational stages with my experiences today. In my adolescent stage, my cognitive processes were developed, but not fully developed like today. I focused more on fantasies about adult life, and now I realize that the reality is much different than what I used to think about. I only saw the fun aspects of being an adult, especially the freedom and I failed to take into account the responsibilities of adult life.
At the early adulthood stage, I have a realistic picture of what I want my future to look like. I understand abstract ideas, and I can use deductive reasoning to come up with solutions to day to day problems. Young adults at the formal operational stage can reason about hypothetical situation problems, and come up with logical solutions for the problem (Ghazi et al., 2016). Today, I can analyze a complex problem, assess various sides of the problem before coming up with a thoughtful solution unlike in the previous stages.
On the other hand, psychosocial development focus on the psychological and social aspects of human development. Sigmund Freud’s psychosexual theory is probably one of the most famous and controversial theories of psychosocial development, however, it inspired many other psychosocial theories including Erik Erikson’s psychosocial theory. Erikson’s psychosocial theory is a lifespan model of development broken down into eight stages, nonetheless, Erikson emphasizes on the importance of the adolescent stage in forming one’s identity (Crawford et al., 2004). The fifth stage is the ego identity versus role confusion stage, which lasts between the ages of 12 to 18. The sixth stage is the intimacy versus isolation stage lasting between the ages of 18-40.
At the adolescent stage, I struggled with my identity. I often wondered about my identity, and I went through a series of events and hobbies trying to figure out my life. My interests in new things faded, and I struggled between my identity with my friends and fitting in at home. Erikson’s stage of identity vs. role confusion was quite evident in my adolescent life. In my adolescent stage, I considered myself an adult and I wanted to explore different things just like adults. I wanted freedom and autonomy, I broke my curfew a lot and got in trouble with my parents. Erikson emphasizes on the importance of identity vs. role confusion stage, teenagers who have a strong sense of identity are more likely to stay true to themselves in their adulthood unlike teenagers who are pressured to conform to their parent’s wishes (Crawford et al., 2004).
The intimacy vs. isolation stage marks the beginning of adulthood. After developing a sense of self in the teenage years, individuals want to share their lives with others. In my early adulthood years, I have developed serious romantic relationships. While most of my romantic relationships were not successful, I realize loneliness can be unbearable as we grow older.
To sum up, life span development is quite complex and unique. People have different experiences, and sometimes those experiences do not mirror the stages in developmental theories. Nonetheless, theories of human lifespan development help us to make sense of the things that we go through as we grow up. Piaget’s cognitive development model shows that children think differently from adults, probably because of biological immaturity and lack of experience. Being a young adult now, I can process all kinds of information. I have a more realistic view of life because of my superior cognitive processes and experiences that shape my reasoning. Alternatively, psychosocial development theory states that human go through different stages in life. The identity vs. role confusion stage is probably the most important stage as an individual develops a sense of self. Regardless, human development is a lifelong process, and we have to be open to new development processes even in our adult life.
References
Crawford, T. N., Cohen, P., Johnson, J. G., Sneed, J. R., & Brook, J. S. (2004). The course and Psychosocial correlates of personality disorder symptoms in adolescence: Erikson's developmental theory revisited. Journal of Youth and Adolescence , 33 (5), 373-387.
Ghazi, S. R., Khan, U. A., Shahzada, G., & Ullah, K. (2014). Formal Operational Stage of Piaget's Cognitive Development Theory: An Implication in Learning Mathematics. Journal of Educational Research , 17 (2), 71.
