As human beings, we go through several changes over the course of our lives. This growth of humans throughout their lifespan is known as development. The question that many psychologists seek to explain is the reason and process behind the changes that occur throughout life. While most of these changes are usually normal and anticipated, they can still result in a major challenge, and one might require extra assistance in order to cope. Developmental psychology focuses on the process of growth in human beings throughout their lifetime. There are a number of development theories that have been put forth in a bid to understand the physical, emotional, social, and cognitive aspects of human life. These theories include:
Sigmund Freud’s Personality Theory
Sigmund Freud described personality development as something that occurs in stages. Freud believed that in all these stages, the most important is early childhood. According to this theory, the personality of a human being is developed when they are around the age of five.
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Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial Development Theory
Erik Erikson also held the belief in the importance of the early childhood stage of development. However, his theory holds that personality development is something that happens throughout the course of one’s life. Erikson argued that people are faced with new challenges as they go through different stages of development. For this reason, he brought forth a theory that describes eight stages of development throughout human life.
The stages are named according to their possible outcomes:
Trust vs. Mistrust – This is the stage right after a birth. A child builds trust in their caregiver if they provide for their basic needs. Failure to do so results in mistrust.
Autonomy vs. Doubt and Shame – As toddlers aged one to three years begin to gain independence, they start learning various skills like eating and dressing. If they are able to do this properly, then they become confident, otherwise, they will develop a sense of guilt.
Initiative vs. Guilt – Similar to number two but it applies for children between ages three and six.
Industry vs. Inferiority – This sense of attitude develop in children as they compete with peers in school. It applies to children aged six to twelve years.
Identity vs. Role Confusion – This is a stage of development that applies mainly during adolescence, the period from puberty to adulthood.
Intimacy vs. Isolation – This stage comes to play for young adults as they seek to develop intimate relationships with others.
Generativity vs. Self-Absorption – People in their middle adulthood strive to become productive individuals, and if they fail in doing this, then they become self-absorbed.
Integrity vs. Despair – This stage applies for old people as they look back to their lives. They can either be contented or disappointed.
Erikson’s theory is the most important for Lupe’s case because it addresses both personality change and personality stability. While someone might be stable or unstable at one point, situations tend to change with time or due to experiences. However, this theory seems to address only the typical pattern, and he does not acknowledge the differences that exist between individuals.
Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory
Piaget stated that the thought processes of children tend to change as they physically mature and interact with other people. As children learn, they tend to develop and modify their mental models of how they had perceived the world. Piaget’s theory describes four models: sensorimotor period (from birth to about three years), preoperational period (ages two to seven), concrete operational period (ages seven to eleven), and formal operational period (age eleven throughout adulthood). The formal operational period is the most applicable to Lupe’s case study because it states that individuals in this stage are capable of imagining and reasoning through hypothetical situations and act in logical and systematic ways.
Application of Lifespan Development Theories to Lupe’s Case
In Lupe’s case, we see several changes happening in her life, most of which are not anticipated. First of all, Lupe is a single mother who lives in separation from her husband who felt that the family had too many issues. Secondly, Lupe is a very caring lady who takes care of her mother with lots of love. She expects to receive a similar kind of treatment from her daughter but this is not the case. Finally, Lucia has committed most of her life to her children to a point that she even forgot about herself. Just when she finally regains the spark and starts going out, her daughter Lucia comes back home after a fight with her boyfriend. Lucia is once again taken back to her sad and depressed condition. Lupe’s job is also stressing her out and she got injured while on duty. There are so many things happening in Lupe’s life that a single development theory does not seem sufficient to come to play.
Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial Development Theory is the most applicable theory in this case. We first see intimacy vs. isolation coming to play for Lupe when she was a young adult. She tried to build an intimate relationship with her husband, who ended up leaving her when they were faced with challenge. As a result, Lupe ended up living a life of isolation, and she only started releasing herself after her children had fully grown. The stage of Generativity vs. self-absorption can also come to play because we see Lupe as an individual who has spent her middle adulthood in self-absorption due to her failed marriage. She is trying to pick up the broken pieces. Finally, we see Lupe as an individual who is left in despair when her daughter moves back home just when Lupe had started getting the grace to go out.
To some extent, we also see Piaget’s cognitive development theory coming to play in Lupe’s case. However, it is only the formal operational stage that can be related with her life. According to Piaget, individuals in this stage are capable of imagining and reasoning through hypothetical situations and act in logical and systematic ways. We see Lupe reaching a point where she acknowledges that she has been living a life of isolation and self-absorption. She is finally willing to start going out to social events and making new friends. While the venture was not fully successful due to her daughter’s situation, we can acknowledge that Piaget’s theory did come to play to a great extent. It is this theory that will facilitate the implementation of the identified intervention process for Lupe, which is therapy. In this case, her ability to reason through life is what will make her see the need for therapy and to follow through with the plan.
Potential Impact of Individual and Cultural Differences on Development
Lupe’s case is one that is greatly impacted by individual and cultural differences. For one, Lupe and her daughter are different in that, while Lupe is very much committed to taking care of her mother, Lucia is different and she does not show the same commitment. As a result, Lupe ends up getting frustrated as she expects a similar treatment from Lucia. Secondly, Lucia and her husband have major differences where Lucia’s husband sees her care and commitment to the family as a bother. The two of them have different views about family life, and this is why her husband ended up leaving her and their two children. Also, Lupe seems to be a culturally open-minded individual who opens her doors to her daughter who had a child out of wedlock. She allows her daughter’s shortcoming to prevent her from exploring the newly found light. Maybe this is because she was also not married to a man with whom she had two children.
Conclusion
Human beings go through different stages of growth. While theorists seek to generalize this growth and describe it, everyone has a unique journey. The life of Lucia is quite interesting and sad at the same time. She goes through a number of challenges in her lifetime, from her separation to her husband, her lack of a social life, her stressing work as a nurse, to the breakdown of her daughter’s relationship just when Lucia had decided to start being outgoing. Erik Erikson’s psychosocial development theory does a great job of explaining these stages of growth that Lucia goes through. Also, Piaget’s cognitive development theory will greatly come to play in the suggested intervention process.
References
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1994). Ecological models of human development. International encyclopedia of education , 3 (2), 37-43.
Lerner, R. M. (1998). Theories of human development. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly of Behavior and Development , 16 , 238-245.
Lerner, R. M., Theokas, C., & Bobek, D. L. (2005). Concepts and Theories of Human Development: Historical and Contemporary Dimensions.
Newman, B. M., & Newman, P. R. (2010). Theories of human development . Psychology Press.
Papalia, D. E., Olds, S. W., & Feldman, R. D. (2007). Human development . McGraw-Hill.
