Personal Perspective on Development

Biological Stages of Development 

The biological stages involved in my personal development    so far include germinal, embryonic, fetal stage, infancy, childhood, and adolescence.  

Germinal Stage 

It is the initial stage of development that involves the formation of the zygote from the fusion of the sperm and ovum donated by the father and mother, respectively. It is the stage that sets the sex of the baby. The zygote multiplies and divides moving from one cell structure to then to four and so forth. Mitosis, which is the process of division, is delicate and less than half of the zygotes formed survive beyond the first two weeks (Saccani et al., 2013). Once the zygote attaches itself to the mother's lining, the next stage of development begins. Germinal stage lasts for two weeks.  

Embryonic Stage 

Upon the implantation of the zygote, which has at least 150 cells, on the lining of the uterus, the resulting life form is called an embryo. My blood vessels develop at this stage to form the placenta, which is a structure attached to the uterus and provides oxygen and nourishment to the embryo from the mother through the umbilical cord. At the stage, I developed basic structures such as the abdomen, head, and chest. Additionally, the organs also form and begin to function, and the heart commences beating. The spinal cord and the brain develop to form the neural cord. It takes place in the third and the eighth week.  

Fetal Stage 

It begins when the organism clocks nine weeks and lasts up to the 40th week. At the stage, I was the size of the kidney bean. The recognizable human form begins at this stage. The sex organs begin to differentiate. The fingers and toes develop fully and are visible. Hearing is developed, and the fetus can respond to sound. The internal organs such as the liver, the stomach, the heart, and the intestines have developed. The fetus is ready for birth at 36 weeks. It marks the last prenatal stage. During the prenatal stages of development, environmental and genetic factors have a bearing on development. The fetus depends on the mother for life. The mother must take good care of herself and receive prenatal care.  

Infancy and Childhood 

I was born at 7.8 pounds. At this stage, the infant interacts with the environment its sensory capacities and reflexes. The reflexes assist the baby in survival until it can develop complex behaviors. The most notable reflex is the baby's response to any touch on the cheek. The sensory abilities, though important, are not fully developed, meaning that they can only smell, hear, and see partially. The physical development of the baby is rapid. In six months, the bodyweight doubles. It is worth noting that the rate of growth is not steady at infancy. The size of the brain also increases rapidly. At two years, 55 percent of the brain is developed. Children who attain school age are developmentally capable of controlling their behavior and emotions. The child gradually develops motor skills as he grows.  

Adolescent Stage 

It normally covers the period between 12 and 18 years and has predictable biological and physical development milestones. It marks the onset of puberty. It marks the maturity of sex and adrenal glands. The primary development, at this stage, includes the development of reproductive organs such as testicles. Additionally, it marks the development of facial hair and the deepening of the voice in males—a rapid increase in height known as the growth spat. The boys tend to be taller, stronger, and athletic at this stage (O'Connor, Monk, & Fitelson, 2014). The brain also undergoes development, particularly at the frontal region, which is the area of the brain that is responsible for impulse control, planning, and judgment. Noteworthy is the fact that the frontal lobe matures up to adulthood.  

Cognitive Development 

Piaget's Theory  

According to Jean Piaget's theory of development, children move through four distinct stages of mental development. The theory focuses on how children acquire knowledge and explain the nature of intelligence (Marwaha, Goswami & Vashist, 2017). Piaget postulates that children play an active role in the learning process as they make observations, perform experiments, and learn about the world. The interaction with the world permits the children to add knowledge, construct on the existing knowledge, and accommodate new information.  

The Sensorimotor Stage 

It is the initial stage of cognitive development that begins at birth and ends at approximately two years. At this stage, the infant learns about the world through sensations and movements. The child performs essential functions such as sucking, listening, grasping, and looking. They realize that their actions can cause corresponding changes in the world. The main modes of knowledge acquisition are though the manipulation of objects and sensory manipulation. The entire experiences at the stage happen through necessary reflexes, motor response, and senses. A great deal of cognitive development occurs over a short period.  

The Preoperational Stage  

At this stage, the child begins to use words, albeit symbolically, and learn to use pictures and words to represents objects. Furthermore, the child is egocentric and strive to things form other people's perspective. The language and the thinking process improve. The previous stage lays down the stage for the development and the subsequent acquisition of language skills. The children are quite skilled and think critically about the world. The child struggles with logic and mainly learns through pretend play.  

The Concrete Operational Stage 

The child begins to think critically and logically about the vents that surround him. Understanding the concept of conversation sets in and the child uses that to evaluate and determine their actions. The thinking is organized and logical. At this stage, a child will mainly apply inductive logic, which means he will reason from specific information to reach a general conclusion. At this point of development, the thinking process is concrete and literal, and they become little experts at applying logic (Di Paolo et al., 2014). Furthermore, their egocentric nature begins to diminish because they become aware of other people's perception of situations and actions. Finally, their thoughts, opinions, and feelings are unique, meaning that they develop and maintain a unique personality at this stage.  

Formal Operational Stage 

It marks Piaget's final stage of cognitive development. The thinking process of the adolescent is mainly abstract, and the reasoning is critical about hypothetical problems. The emergence of abstract thoughts is common at this stage. Teenagers often think deeply about philosophical, political, social, moral, and ethical issues that require abstract and theoretical reasoning. The stage marks the beginning of the utilization of deductive logic, mostly from general reasoning to specific information. In essence, the final stage involves the increase in the application of logic, the understanding of abstract ideas, and the utilization of deductive reasoning. The teen can see multiple solutions to various problems and apply scientific thinking to understand the world around them. It is important to note that Piaget did not perceive development as a quantitative process, meaning that children do not just add knowledge as they grow and get older. The four stages are governed by qualitative changes that determine how a child thinks as he progresses.  

Vygotsky's Theory of Cognitive Development 

It is worth noting that Vygotsky's Theory of Cognitive Development provides a different perception of Piaget's theory. Vygotsky viewed cognitive development as involving active internalization and understanding of problem-solving processes that stem from mutual interactions between children and others. It means that for a child to learn, he should have the opportunity to interact with other as well as the environment through various means such as group activities, play, and group education ( Clarà, 2017) . The interaction with different make allows the child to learn and develop into an intellectually critical individual. Vygotsky, unlike Paiget, who perceived a child as scientists interacting with the environment through observation and experimentation, viewed the child as an apprentice that learns through interaction with the environment. Towards this end, Vygotsky stipulates that social interaction stimulates a child's cognitive development because it allows him to interact with the environment and the people therein to learn the culture, language, and communication skills that are essential for survival and progress.  

Psychosocial Development 

Erikson's theory of psychosocial development describes the developments that a child undergoes from birth until he reaches adulthood (Cross & Cross, 2017).  

Trust versus Mistrust  

Children spend the first 12 months from birth to determine whether adults can be trusted. Trust only comes when the child meets the child's basic needs and ensures their survival. The adults are the caregivers and the children are dependent upon them to provide for their needs. Providing for the needs of the children makes the children see the world as safe, palatable, and predictable place. On the other hand, failure to provide the child's needs makes him anxious, fearful, and full of mistrust.  

Autonomy versus Shame  

This stage defines a child psychosocial development at the ages of 1 and 3 years. The child begins to explore the world and realize that they can explore the world through actions and get the desired results ( Branje & Koper, 2018) . They develop and subsequently show clear preferences for certain elements present within the environment, such as toys, food, and clothing. A child may show autonomy in that they want to choose their clothes. If denied the opportunity to act, the child may develop low self-esteem and doubt her abilities.  

Initiative versus Guilt   

It is the pre-school stage between 3 and 6 years. At this stage, the child is capable of asserting authority over the environment through play and various social interactions ( Branje & Koper, 2018) . Task understanding happens through proper planning and the subsequent attainment of goals. The child develops a sense of responsibility and ambition. A child that can accomplish her goals will have a sense of purpose and develop self-confidence. On the other hand, the ones that fail may feel a sense of guilt.  

Industry and Inferiority  

It is the stage of elementary development when the child is in elementary school and happens between the ages of 6 and 12 years. At this stage, the child compares himself with his peers. They may develop a sense of accomplishment and pride in social activities, family life, schoolwork, or sports if they feel that they measure up or surpass others. They tend to develop feelings of inadequacy and inferiority if they feel they do not measure up to the others.  

Identity versus Role Confusion  

It marks the adolescent stage between the ages of 12 and 18 years. At this stage, an adolescent's only role is to develop a sense of self. They need to determine who they are and what they want in life. Many will try various things to see if they fit and to discover who they area, then settle on the one that suits them. The activities that an adolescent involved in at this stage include setting goals, exploring new roles, and idea, and attempting to discover themselves.  

References  

Branje, S. J. T., & Koper, N. (2018). Psychosocial Development . SAGE Publications, Inc. 

Clarà, M. (2017). How Instruction Influences Conceptual Development: Vygotsky's Theory Revisited. Educational Psychologist, 52 (1), 50-62. 

Cross, T. L., & Cross, J. R. (2017). Maximizing Potential: A School-Based Conception of Psychosocial Development. High Ability Studies, 28 (1), 43-58. 

Di Paolo, E. A., Barandiaran, X. E., Beaton, M., & Buhrmann, T. (2014). Learning To Perceive In The Sensorimotor Approach: Piaget’s Theory of Equilibration Interpreted Dynamically.  Frontiers in Human Neuroscience ,  8 , 551. 

Marwaha, S., Goswami, M., & Vashist, B. (2017). Prevalence of Principles of Piaget’s Theory Among 4-7-year-old Children and their Correlation with IQ. Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research: JCDR, 11 (8), ZC111. 

O'Connor, T. G., Monk, C., & Fitelson, E. M. (2014). Practitioner Review: Maternal Mood In Pregnancy and Child Development–Implications For Child Psychology And Psychiatry.  Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry ,  55 (2), 99-111. 

Saccani, R., Valentini, N. C., Pereira, K. R., Müller, A. B., & Gabbard, C. (2013). Associations of Biological Factors and Affordances in the Home with Infant Motor Development.  Pediatrics International ,  55 (2), 197-203.