Human development is a sequential process which starts in infancy. Our growth into adulthood is molded by our experiences at infancy and early childhood. These experiences are determined by our social and emotional development during our infancy and early childhood. It is this socioemotional development that determines who we eventually become. Our families and the support they provide help mold us into who we eventually become.
Three clocks that affect the way humans develop; the biological, social and psychological clocks (Seasons of Life, n.d.). The biological clock governs the physical growth. It is the body’s way of keeping time. It determines how long we take in the womb, when we are born and when we eventually die. The biological clock is common to all human beings and takes place throughout one’s lifespan.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
The social clock is the society’s way of keeping time. It tells us what society expects of us and when. The social clock depends on one’s generation and will always differ. In today’s society as children we know we need to go to school. In our 20s we know we should be working, thinking of marriage and starting a family. In our middle ages, we should be at the peak of our careers and enjoying time with our grandchildren. At the age of 70, we should be retiring.
The psychological clock represents an individual’s way of keeping time. It dictates our development and drives us to become ourselves. It gives us a personal sense of the seasons of life. It helps us determine how old we feel rather than tell us how old we are. All these clocks play a role in our development from infancy to adulthood. They determine the interactions we have with our parents, relatives, and friends.
At infancy, the biological clock is in play as the baby is yet to experience society’s expectations and his/her sense of self. At this stage, the baby undergoes a critical emotional development – attachment. Emotions can be defined as feelings that occur when one is an interaction that is important to them (Santrock, 2013). In babies, emotions are influenced both biologically and environmentally.
Parts of our brains play a role in our emotional development. However, one emotional development that is key during infancy is attachment. The attachment of babies to their parents is what leads to the development of a social relationship between a baby and its parents. Babies begin to trust their parents once they are attached. A baby crying will immediately stop crying when held by its parents. As the baby gets older, he/she develops a temperament.
Temperament refers to the individual differences that begin to be seen in a child’s ways of response, emotions, and behavior (Santrock, 2013). This would explain why some children are easy to deal with as they are calm while others are difficult to deal with as they cry frequently. In the video, Justin is an easy child as he is calm to deal with while Meredith is difficult to deal with as she is jumpy.
A baby eventually begins to develop a personality of its own. This normally occurs at the age of 2. The baby becomes self-aware, begins to trust and feels the need to be independent (Santrock, 2013). It is at this age that the baby begins to say ‘NO’ to its parents and wants to do things on its own (Seasons of Life, n.d.). At this stage, the baby is ready to start school which represents a new stage of life.
Infancy and early childhood development are considered critical stages of life for everyone. It represents a stage of human development when one is most vulnerable and dependent on their parents. The social relationships we form help determine our emotional development.
Comment on Two Other Students
Student 1:
I like how in the film “Seasons of Life” the focus is put on infancy and the development that takes place during this critical stage. The film reveals to us “gender typing” ingrained in young children. Young Meredith instinctively plays with other girls while the boys do the same. The games they play are attributed to the actual roles played by men and women in the society. The girls play games that involve cooking and caring for a baby. These games represent the level of stereotyping in our society. It has gotten so bad that children mimic their parents’ actions and play them out.
Student 2:
I like how the film addresses the issue of attachment during infancy and early childhood development. The film addresses a critical element that most parents and members of the society never seem to understand. Babies often show attachment to any adult when they are still young. That is why a crying baby will immediately keep quite when picked up and cradled. However, as the baby grows older, this attachment becomes limited. The baby begins to recognize who the mum and dad is and in so doing begin to reject all other adults. A baby picked by an adult who is not its caregiver will cry out until its returned to its mother and father.
References
Santrock W. J. (2013). Socioemotional Development In Infancy. In Life-Span Development. McGraw-Hill Education.
Seasons of Life. (n.d.) Annenberg Learner. Retrieved 16 February 2018, from http://www.learner.org/vod/vod_window.html?pid=451
