Human Growth and Development Essay

benevolent increase is marked by different st ages and milest champions oer the c beerspan. It is expressed over three domains ain, cognitive and socio/ steamy. While human physical and cognitive development is universal, socio/emotional definitions and development deviate from finis to culture. Gaining a basic knowledge of human life storyspan development result lead to a better judgement of the protrudeance, perceptions and behaviors of the self and others. Adolescence is a demanding and critical period in life. trouble to meet received develop affable milest integritys shtup progress to serious short- and long-term implications for the individual and society at large. Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and psychological human development generally occurring during the period from pubescence to legal adulthood (age of majority). The period of adolescence is well-nigh closely associated with the juvenile historic period, although its physical, psychol ogical and cultural expressions can flummox earlier and end later.For example, although puberty has been historically associated with the onset of youthful development, it now typically catchs prior to the teenage days and there conduct been a normative shift of it occurring in preadolescence, particularly in females. bodily growth, as distinct from puberty (particularly in males), and cognitive development generally seen in adolescence, can to a fault extend into the azoic twenties. Thus chronological age provides only a rough marker of adolescence, and scholars get to ready it difficult to agree upon a precise definition of adolescence. A thorough understanding of adolescence in society depends on information from various perspectives, most importantly from the aras of psychology, biology, history, sociology, education, and anthropology. Within all of these perspectives, adolescence is viewed as a transitional period between childhood and adulthood whose cultural purpos e is the preparation of children for adult agencys.Stages of Human organic organic evolutionThe various stages of human development include the prenatal period, babyhood, toddlerhood, early childhood, center(a) childhood, adolescence, unseas wholenessd adulthood, middle adulthood and late adulthood. Each stage is marked by milestones in physical, cognitive, and socio/emotional development.1. Physical DevelopmentPhysical development has to do with the way that the human body develops over a lifespan. The most fast and complex human development occurs during the prenatal period. From babyhood to early childhood, the physical milestones include development go skills like learning to control body movements, walk, talk, speak, usance cocks like spoons and forks and use the rest room. From infancy to early childhood, humans grow in height, weight and mass and get their first set of teeth. Middle childhood has only a few physical milestones, such as continued growth at a much slo wer rate and the gain of permanent teeth. Adolescence is the second most rapid and complex measure of human development and is when the sexual maturation process begins.Females begin to grow breasts, their hips expand and they grow pubic hair and begin menstruation, which marks their physical faculty to procreate. They may grow a few inches to a greater extent in height. Males take away significant growth spurts and develop facial and pubic hair, their voices deepen and they begin to have sperm-producing ejaculations, signifying their ability to procreate. Young adulthood is when humans are at the prime of their physical development. All of the systems are single-valued functioning optimally, making this the best time for reproduction. Middle adulthood brings the beginning of physical deterioration, such as the end of fertility in women, or menopause. The decrease in physical abilities and health for both sexes continues with late adulthood. 2. cognitive DevelopmentCognitive development has to do with the way humans embrace and hold the world and deals with issues like retentivity, thinking and decision-making processes and concept comprehension. During the prenatal period, cognitive development is highly enveloped in physical development as the primary tool for cognition the brain is still being developed. During infancy and early childhood, milestones like speaking, comprehension and object differentiation occur.Thoughts about the world are simplistic, and judgments are make in an either/or frame wrench. Middle childhood brings the beginning of concrete and logical thinking, and adolescence brings about a phase where cognitive judgments are often overridden by feelings and impulses because of the bodys quickly changing physical and biological cli agree. Young adulthood is the human cognitive prime, as the capacity for rapid and accurate memory, purview processing and information analysis function at peak levels. Perceptions of the world, judgme nt and morality become more(prenominal) sophisticated and complex. During middle adulthood, humans are experts at problem solving, although they begin to experience some signs of diminish with speed in processing and recall. Late adulthood signifies the continued deterioration of cognitive abilities.Theoretical perspectives there are devil perspectives on adolescent thinking. One is the constructivist view of cognitive development. Based on the work of Piaget, it takes a quantitative, state-theory approach, hypothesizing that adolescents cognitive improvement is relatively sudden and drastic. The second is the information-processing perspective, which derives from the study of artificial intelligence and attempts to rationalise cognitive development in terms of the growth of specific components of the thinking process.Improvements in cognitive abilityBy the time individuals have reached age 15 or so, their basic thinking abilities are alike(p) to those of adults. These improve ments occur in five areas during adolescence 1. Attention. Improvements are seen in selective attention, the process by which one focuses on one stimulus while tuning out another. Divided attention, the ability to pay attention to two or more stimuli at the same time, also improves. 2. Memory. Improvements are seen in both working memory and long-term memory.3. Processing speed. Adolescents think more quickly than children. Processing speed improves sharply between age five and middle adolescence it then begins to level off at age 15 and does not appear to change between late adolescence and adulthood. 4. Organization. Adolescents are more aware of their own thought processes and can use mnemonic devices and other strategies to think more efficiently. 5. Meta-cognition It often involves monitoring ones own cognitive activity during the thinking process. Adolescents improvements in knowledge of their own thinking patterns lead to better self-control and more effective studying.3. So cio/Emotional DevelopmentSocio/emotional development has to do with how an individual is able to give care emotions, relationships, mixer situations, and the various roles demanded of them by society. Some aspect of Socio/Emotional standards, such as social expectations, relationships, and roles vary from culture to culture. During infancy and early childhood, the primary relationships are with the parents and based on attachment. Environmental exploration, impulsivity, differentiation of self (from others) and the bedrock of social interaction are learnt. In early childhood, impulsivity begins to bring way to control, and awareness of consequences significantly affects behavioral choices.Middle childhood begins the transition from family orientation to peer orientation, which carries on into adolescence. Issues of identify, sexuality and sexual expression, conflict and resolving power and internal stability prevail. By five-year-old adulthood, the focus shifts from peers to career, social role, build external stability, finding a mate and starting a family. Middle adulthood is met with the psychological and emotional challenges of facing the mid-life crisis, and a life analysis and inventory is taken. Late adulthood marks the transition from the mid-life crisis. Life reflection, acceptance of death, and legacy building or making social contri scarceions also occur at this phase.I. Identity developmentAmong the most commonality beliefs about adolescence is that it is the time when teenagers form their personal identities. Egocentrism is being performed by adolescents who then form uncomfortableness of wanting to feel important in their peer groups and having social acceptance of fitting into the group. Empirical studies insinuate that this process might be more accurately described as identity development, rather than formation, nevertheless confirms a normative process of change in both content and structure of ones thoughts about the self. Resear chers have used three general approaches to understanding identity development self-concept, sense of identity, and self-esteem. The years of adolescence create a more conscientious group of late adults. Adolescents pay close attention and give more time and effort to their appearance as their body goes through changes. Unlike children, teens put forrader an effort to look presentable (1991). The environment in which an adolescent grows up also plays an important role in their identity development.II. Self ConceptEarly in adolescence, cognitive developments result in greater self-awareness, greater awareness of others and their thoughts and judgments, the ability to think about abstract, succeeding(a) possibilities, and the ability to consider multiple possibilities at once. As a result, adolescents experience a significant shift from the simple, concrete, and world-wide self-descriptions typical of young children as children, they defined themselves with physical traits wherea s as adolescents, they define themselves based on their values, thoughts and opinions.III. Sense of identityUnlike the conflict aspects of self-concept, identity represents a coherent sense of self unchangeable across circumstances and including past experiences and future goals. Everyone has a self-concept, whereas Erik Erikson argued that not everyone fully achieves identity. Eriksons theory of stages of development includes the identity crisis in which adolescents must explore different possibilities and integrate different parts of themselves before committing to their beliefs. He described the resolution of this process as a stage of identity act but also stressed that the identity challenge is neer fully resolved once and for all at one point in time. Adolescents begin by define themselves based on their crowd membership. Clothes help teens explore new identities, separate from parents, and bond with peers. Fashion has played a major role when it comes to teenagers fi nding their selves Fashion is always evolving, which corresponds with the evolution of change in the personality of teenagers.IV. Environment and identityAn adolescents environment plays a wide role in their identity development. While most adolescent studies are conducted on white, middle category children, studies have shown that the more privileged upbringing one has the more successful they go out be in the development of their identity. The forming of an adolescents identity is a crucial time in their life. It has been recently found that demographic patterns suggest that the transition to adulthood is now occurring over a longer span of years than was the case during the middle of the 20th century. Accordingly, youth, a period that spans late adolescence and early adulthood, has become a more prominent stage of the life course. This therefore has caused various factors to become important during this development. So many factors transmit to the maturation social identity of an adolescent from commitment, to coping devices, to social media. All of these factors are affected by the environment an adolescent grows up in.A child from a more privileged upbringing will be receptive to more opportunities as well as better situations in general. An adolescent from an inside city or a crime driven neighborhood is more likely to be exposed to an environment that can be detrimental to their development. Adolescence is a very sensitive period in the development process of ones life and exposure to the wrong things at that time can have a major affect on decisions someone will make. While children that grow up in nice suburban communities are not exposed to bad environments they are more likely to put down in activities that can benefit their identity and contribute to a more successful identity development.V. intimate orientation and identitySexual orientation has been defined as an erotic inclination toward flock of one or more genders, most often describe d as sexual or erotic attractions. In recent years, psychologists have sought to understand how sexual orientation develops during adolescence. Some theorists believe that there are many different possible developmental paths one could take, and that the specific path an individual follows may be determined by their sex, orientation, and when they reached the onset of puberty.VI. Self-esteemThe final major aspect of identity formation is self-esteem, ones thoughts and feelings about ones self-concept and identity. Contrary to popular belief, there is no empirical separate for a significant drop in self-esteem over the course of adolescence. Barometric self-esteem fluctuates rapidly and can cause severe distress and anxiety, but baseline self-esteem remains highly stable across adolescence. Girls are most likely to enjoy high self-esteem when engaged in verifying relationships with friends the most important function of friendship to them is having someone who can provide social an d moral support. When they disregard to win friends approval or couldnt find someone with whom to share common activities and common interests, in these cases, girls will suffer from low self-esteem.In contrast, boys are more concerned with establishing and asserting their freedom and defining their relation to authority. As such, they are more likely to derive high self-esteem from their ability to successfully puzzle out their friends on the other hand, the lack of romantic competence, for example, failure to win or maintain the regard of the opposite or same-sex (depending on sexual orientation), is the major contributor to low self-esteem in adolescent boys. ECONOMIC CRISES plenty HAVE SERIOUS IMPLICATIONS FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT Financial crises, at both the global and the national level, are ubiquitous. This raises concern about the human impacts of crises, especially among more defenceless populations in developing countries.This is particularly true during childhood and youth, when the brain is developing rapidly, and when socio-emotional and behavioral developments are at their peak. Given the accumulative nature of human development, shortfalls or setbacks at any stage of the life coursefrom the antenatal environment through adolescenceare often difficult to reverse later in life and may have severe consequences for individual development as well as for the growth and development of successful communities. Thus, it is necessity to protect and promote human development in the face of adversity. Three unified concepts provide the asylum for understanding the potential impacts of shocks on children and youth.a) TimingHuman development is characterized by critical periods of life during which certain investments must be made to facilitate the achievement of specific milestones in development, or stage outstanding developmental tasks. These age-related expectations for the mastery of particular tasks provide benchmarks for the abilities that an in dividual should ideally master by different ages, and that are correlated with successful development and transition to subsequent stages in life. Economic crises can disrupt a young persons normal development by preventing or delaying the mastery of these developmental tasks at specific stages, whichif uncorrectedcan have potential long term consequences.b) ContextDevelopment in childhood and youth is influenced by diverse contexts or settings (family, peers, schools, communities, socio-cultural belief systems, policy regimes, and the parsimoniousness). The relative importance of these settings changes during the life course. Interactions among these settings determine both the transmission system of shocks such as a financial crisis to the young persons immediate environment and the impact of the shock on her development. As development is partly a function of a persons repeated interactions with her immediate environment (the proximal processes of human development), shocks can disrupt the contexts in which these processes occur, and hinder a young persons ability to develop successfully.c) Transmission mechanismsthither are numerous pathways through which a crisis can affect the well-being and development of a young person. Crises may be experienced directly at the individual level (through e.g. a change in aspirations and identity), or indirectly through the family, school, or other settings (through e.g. increased parental stress, parental job loss, a reduction in publicly-provided services). The developing person will experience crises through the loss in income, but also through other channels, such as psychological distress. The relevance of each particular transmission mechanism varies depending on the life stage of the person as well as on the context. antithetical settings may provide protective factors that prevent, mitigate or attenuate negative impacts these factors can be a source of resilience, facilitating positive adaptive behavior on the part of the developing person.Effects of economic crises on adolescents Adolescence is a crucial stage in a persons development. Adolescence is marked by unintelligible physical, emotional, and social transitions the brain undergoes significant neurological development, and cognitive and socio-emotional abilities take shape. While social expectations of the precise quantify of certain transitions vary across countries and cultures, all adolescents are eventually expected to make the transition to adulthood, including ingress work, becoming financially independent, and starting a family. Adapting to these new roles and successfully managing this transition requires the mastery of three interrelated stage-salient tasks3 a. Autonomy and relatednessAs young people mature, they renegotiate their relationships with parents, peers, teachers, and other adults. Settings extracurricular the family, such as the workplace, become increasingly important. Young people must achieve greater pe rsonal and financial independence while maintaining positive relationships with parents and other adults.b. IdentityThe process of growing more autonomous and defining ones role in society requires that adolescents establish personal and vocational preferences and aspirations.c. Goal setting and achievementThe ability to define goals and plan and act strategically provides the foundation for subsequent growth and development.ECONOMIC CRISES CAN IMPAIR HEALTHY ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENTCrises affect the opportunities and support structures available to adolescents to develop the cognitive, socio-emotional, and behavioral competencies undeniable to master the stage-salient tasks. In particular, crises can lead to i) Limited and unpredictable employment opportunities juvenility employment tends to be more vulnerable to economic crises than adult employment. Young people are often engaged in temporary and unprotected worksuch as seasonal, temporary, and part-time jobsor in sectors particul arly vulnerable to economic fluctuations, such as construction. By constraining employment opportunities, as well as the availableness of other entry points into the labor market, such as internships and apprenticeships, economic shocks affect the process of acquiring infallible skills, work experience, and achieving financial autonomy. Worsening labor market conditions can also affect adolescents expectations, vocational identity, and personal goals, as the context and grokd likelihood of achieving them may change dramatically. ii) Loss of parental employment and income, and deterioration of family dynamics The threat or realization of losing income or assets can lead to anxiety among parents, which is then inherited to adolescents through parents emotions and behaviors. For example, the quality of parenting can be negatively affected, impairing the development of adolescents autonomy and ability to form relationships. damage family dynamics are linked to mental health problems and heightened incidence of risky behaviors.Research also shows that adolescents who perceive economic stress within their families have lower self-expectations for the future. iii) Changes in the availability of adult role models outside the family Crises may not only affect intra family dynamics, but also the availability of and interactions with positive role models in the school or community. Lower public expenditure can adversely affect the quality as well as quantity of schooling, while supervised extracurricular activities and out-of-school programs are often discontinued.These constrain the availability of positive adult mentoring relationships, restricting the support and guidance available to adolescents in mastering their developmental tasks. In addition to these disruptions in their immediate environment, adolescents are more aware than younger children of the impact of shocks on socioeconomic status, and they may perceive economic pressures and stigma more directly. T his can lead to additional difficulties with psychosocial adjustment, and influence their self-esteem, identity, future orientation, and efficacy beliefs. THE FAILURE TO MASTER CRITICAL TASKS CAN HAVE NEGATIVE IMPLICATIONS FOR ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT. disaster to achieve stage-salient developmental tasks can jeopardize other life outcomes. Although there is considerable heterogeneity across individuals, crises can have particularly negative consequences in the following areasa) Schooling & EmploymentContrary to the experience of idiosyncratic shocks, such as parental job loss, there is no compelling evidence that young people leave school during aggregate crises to work and support the household. Young people have few job opportunities in a crisis this decreases the perceived returns to entering the labor market relative to remaining in school. On the other hand, diminished opportunities for employment can severely affect those young people who do try to enter the labor market. Ear ly un- and underemployment is known to have serious long-term effects on future employment and lifetime income, and these young people often fail to catch up when the economy rebounds.b) Mental healthBy altering their relationships, identity, and goals for the future, unexpected life events can affect adolescents physical and mental health. Difficulty in the labor market may lead to hopelessness and lower self-esteem, especially for young people who are in the process of forming occupational identities. In fact, unemployment experienced at early ages is associated with stress, depression, and unsoundness later in life. Mental health problems during youth can also lead to lower educational achievement, increased substance abuse, violence, and risky sexual behavior.c) Risky behaviorEconomic adversity and its effects on the adolescent and her immediate environment may lead to greater risk taking, although this response is by no means universal. Crises can diminish the quality of paren ting, which in turn may increase the likelihood for vice among youth. Similarly, stress and mental health problems have been associated with risky sexual activity. But while young people who experience severe stress are more prone to substance abuse, an income shock that decreases disposable income can decrease the consumption of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs.SignificanceHaving some knowledge about human lifespan development is expert for many reasons. It increases self-awareness and understanding, which helps with life planning. If a female is aware of the stages of her physical development, for example, she will know that her natural vaginal birth years are limited. If she wants to have children, she can use family planning to make choices about her education, career and mate to support this goal. Additionally, this knowledge can be helpful for improving relationships and interpersonal communication and resolving conflicts. inferenceHuman development is marked by different stages and milestones over the lifespan. It is expressed over three domains physical, cognitive and socio/emotional. While human physical and cognitive development is universal, socio/emotional definitions and development vary from culture to culture. Gaining a basic knowledge of human lifespan development will lead to a better understanding of the appearance, perceptions and behaviors ofthe self and others. Physical development has to do with the way that the human body develops over a lifespan. The most rapid and complex human development occurs during the prenatal period. From infancy to early childhood, the physical milestones include developing motor skills like learning to control body movements, walk, talk, speak, use tools like spoons and forks and use the rest room.From infancy to early childhood, humans grow in height, weight and mass and get their first set of teeth. Cognitive development has to do with the way humans perceive and experience the world and deals with issues like memory, thinking and decision-making processes and concept comprehension. During the prenatal period, cognitive development is highly enveloped in physical development as the primary tool for cognition the brain is still being developed. Socio/emotional development has to do with how an individual is able to handle emotions, relationships, social situations, and the various roles demanded of them by society. Some aspect of Socio/Emotional standards, such as social expectations, relationships, and roles vary from culture to culture.REFERENCE1. Human Development, Diane E. Papalia, 9th edition2. Boyd, D., and Bee, H., (2006). Lifespan Development, Fourth Edition. Boston, MA. Pearson Education, Inc. 3. Chassin, L., A. Hussong, and A. Beltran. 2009. Adolescent Substance Use. In enchiridion of Adolescent Psychology. 3rd ed., Hoboken, NJ Wiley. Lundberg, P. et al. 2011. Poor Mental wellness and Sexual Risk Behaviours in Uganda A Cross-Sectional Population-Based Study. BMC Public Health 11 (125) 110 4. Bell, D., and D. Blanchflower. 2010. Young People and Recession A Lost Generation? Working Paper. Dartmouth College. 5. See for example Duryea, S., and M. Morales. 2011. Effects of the Global Financial Crisis on Childrens School and Employment Outcomes in El Salvador. Development 6. Policy Review 29 (5) 52746. Scarpetta, S., A. Sonnet, and T. Manfredi. 2010. Rising Youth Unemployment during the Crisis How to Prevent Negative 7. Long-Term Consequences on a Generation. Social, Employment, and Migration Working Paper 106, OECD Paris. 8. Carlson, N. R., & Heth, C. (2010). Psychologythe science of behaviour, poop Canadian edition by Neil R. Carlson, C. Donald Heth. Toronto Pearson. 9. Steinberg, L. (2008).Adolescence, 8th ed. New York, NY McGraw-Hill. 10. American Psychological Association (APA). United States Department of Health and Human Services. 11. Carlson, Neil R. (2010). Psychology the science of behaviour. Toronto, Ontario Pearson Education Canada.