Family Is, the Stages in the Development Term Paper

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family is, the stages in the development of a child into an adult, the benefits of early education for a child, and how he develop as a result of this program. Further the paper shall also deal with the eight stages of life as defined by famous psychologists, and how one pass through them; how can an adult feel empowered and in full control of himself; what has he learnt within an early education program, and how can this be coordinated with his family life as such.

'Family' is a social unit that lives together sometimes under one roof, sometimes under several different roofs, but all united by blood ties or familial ties. The primary social group of a family is a set of parents and their children. (Definition of family on the web) There are several issues that are related to the family as a unit, and primary among these is the fact that the needs of adults can also be considered to be an important stage in their development, and this quite apart from their children's developmental needs and wants. However, when taken at the level of children, that is, the beginning of the developmental stage in any person's life, there are four important stages. These are the 'cognitive' development stage, the 'social' development stage, the 'emotional' development stage, and the 'physical' development stage. (Ages, Stages and Growth)

Quite often these four stages are handled as being entirely separate issues, but they are all linked together because of the simple factor that what happens in one area often affects the other areas too, and most of the time, it is seen that a child's self-esteem and self-confidence and the very image of himself is based on the views and the opinions that are offered on a daily basis by the child's parents or teachers or this peers. A simple statement by a parent would make a child translate this statement into a reality and assume that it defines the child's view of himself. As the child continues to grow, he will define himself under the same terms, and evaluate his every performance under these terms. For example, when the parent has said that he is a clumsy person, then the child, when he reaches high school and joins a sport, he will continue to think of himself as a clumsy person, regardless of whether he is really clumsy or not. Therefore, he will fall often, get injured easily, and say, I am clumsy, and never try to get over it, because he defines himself as a clumsy person now, and cannot see beyond it. (Ages, Stages and Growth)

The Early childhood education of a child generally comprises those activities and experiences that a child often undergoes which bring about developmental changes in them, and helps them in their later years as a responsible adult in charge of looking after his own family. However, not all early education programs are equally effective in the promotion of learning and in fostering the development of young children; the overall success of a program depends on several different factors. Some of these are: the quality of the staff that is in charge of the program, the environment in which the program is set, the grouping practices that are followed within the program, the scheduling practices, and the involvement of the parents. All the decisions about the early childhood program of a child need to be made earlier on in the development and growth process of the child, because of the fact that these decisions may have important ramifications on the child in its later life as an adult. They will also affect the child in his behavior in society and in the classroom and in the community as a whole, and the family as a unit. (Critical issue: Organizing for effective early childhood programs and practices)

Erikson's 'Eight Stages of Human Development' define the stages through which a human being passes before the end of his life. Stages one to four deal with the infancy and early childhood stages, and stage five deals with the ages from 12 to 18, or the period of adolescence, as it is generally known. This is the time when the child has grown to the level of asking the question, 'Who am I?' role confusion is an essential part of this stage of human development, and it is at this time that the child starts to attempt to integrate all the earlier issues that he had gone through into one single healthy resolution.

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The adults who had been playing a major part in the child's life until that time and who were responsible for the basic nature of the child would be questioned at this time. The child would have to put together all the important questions in his life until that time like: do I have the basic trust in people, do I have a strong control over my emotions and feelings, am I independent, and am I competent and capable of handling the events in my life on my own, and so on. (Erikson's eight stages of human development)

When the child or the adolescent deals with all these emotional questions successfully, he can be stated to be ready for the all-important 'identity crisis' that every individual on earth must pass through in his life at this time. This is a conflict that a person will have to face in his life, and this is what makes a man out of a child, in essence. When the child, however, is not able to reap positive benefits out of the whole episode, then he will remain a person who is always seeped in confusion, who is unable to make his own decisions by himself in an independent manner, especially in matters that concern him at this stage of life, like for example, his course of study, his sexual orientation, and his role in the society in general. The stage 6 is the period from the age of 19 to the age of 40, according to Erik Erikson. In this period of life, what is most important is the love life and romantic relationships of the individual. No matter how successful the person may be in his chosen field or profession, unless and until he feels fulfillment in a romantic relationship he will not feel complete, and therefore the need for intimacy becomes one of paramount importance. (Erikson's eight stages of human development)

What must be remembered here is that a person who does not have a good sense of identity would almost always fear getting into a relationship with another person, and eventually, he will retreat into isolation because of this very fear. Therefore, a sense of identity and self-confidence are of utmost necessity in the formation of good inter-personal relationships, and close relationships are formed only because of this within the family. However, if the individual suffers from a lack of the sense of self, then he will almost undeniably retreat into an isolated world of his own, and will not be able to form any sort of long lasting relationships with any body, either within or outside of the family unit. They are the types of people who fear commitment and find that they cannot depend on anybody in the whole world. The stage number 7 in a human being's life ranges from the age of 40 up to the age of 65. This is the stage of life wherein a person looks outside the events and happenings in his own life towards others, whereby he may care for other people, either for his own children or for his own family members.

It is often at this stage that a person realizes the need and the importance of his own children and a family life, as maybe a need to continue the legacy that he had received from his own parents or for any other deep-seated reason. This is also the stage when the individual realizes the continuity of life, through his children, and he often feels that it is through taking care of them that he would be able to continue his own life. Therefore, this stage is one off nurturing and caring for others, and helping the next generation to cope with whatever types of problems they may be facing at that time of their lives, through delving into his own experiences when he was growing up. There are several persons who opt for not having children or caring for other people, and it is these people who most often become extremely self-centered adults, who cannot think of helping others. Such people also become totally isolated and alone in their lives, as they do not care for any body, and likewise, nobody cares for them. (Erikson's eight stages of human development)

The eighth and the last stage of the development of a human being is the stage that lasts form the ages 65 up to death. This is when….....

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