Human Development Term Paper

Total Length: 1594 words ( 5 double-spaced pages)

Total Sources: 2

Page 1 of 5

Life Period

I have chosen midlife as my study since it is the period which is the most fascinating and on which too many conflicting and ambiguous statements are brought to bear. This may be due to the fact that the middle years contains too little regularity and too much diversity therefore many of the models that I have seen differ too in the age range given to the mid life years. To elaborate: Whilst most models define midlife as beginning at 40 and ending at 60, a ten-year range exists at either end with some theorists actually considering midlife as beginning at 30 and ending at 75 (Lachman, 2004). Given too the differences in people, magnified by socio-historical and geographical elements, people are bound to indicate differences in their mid -- life period. It is for this reason possibly that Erickson's findings sound so quaint to many western ears, particularly since we don't expect to find the empty nest syndrome in our 30s as Erickson mentioned and it was for this reason that Donald Levinson, an American developmental psychologist living in the 70s divided the middle years into various ranges.

Finally the midlife experience differs from individual to individual: whilst some bear at this age, others nurture their grandchildren, retire, seek employment, marry / bury or reject their parents; whilst others drive off to the Appalachian Mountains and live a monastic experience. All of this leads to different impact on the midlife years rendering theories based on these years approximate and rough at best.

Two major theories on mid life development are those of Erick Erickson and Carl Jung.

Erik Eriksson and Stage Theory

Erickson's (1963) stage theory posits that each epoch in life represents eight different stages that individuals navigate, either successfully or unsuccessfully, enabling them to transverse to the next. Each stage has its own theme, and the theme of mid life is generativity vs. self-absorption or stagnation, where ability to successfully deal with this transition. Middle adulthood ranges from 35 to 55 or to 65 and is the period where the healthy middle-aged adult absorbs himself in meaningful and creative work and her attention focuses, although not exclusively, on her family. She becomes more assertive and self-directed, and is increasingly driven to achieve her objective (or 'life's mission').

This is the stage, too, of production and accomplishment, where the adult seeks to transmit personal values to a future generation, and is intent on doing so particularly since life's passage makes him feel its preciousness. A mid-life crisis may occur during this stage, since some may find themselves facing an 'empty nest' syndrome with elderly parents to protect. Major life changes generally occur during this stage and if the individual is unable to navigate them, he may find himself stagnating and becoming self-absorbed. Significant relationships become the center of attention, before the adult transfers to the next stage: late adulthood.

Generativity involves a focus on nurturing and directing the coming generation, whether familiar or extra-familial, and on social contributions via talent and time. According to Erickson (1963), psychological well being at this stage of life consists in the ability to transmit one's achievements and life-leanings to others.

Social theorists who have adapted and modified Erickson's theory of middle-age, including the mid-life crisis, include McAdams (2001) who elaborated on generativity, Levinson et al. (1978) who demarcated stage theory as consisting of multiple transitions throughout adulthood, and Vaillant and Milofsky (1987) who categorized midlife into three stages rather than the one posited by Erickson. Eriksson posited that life is a process of preparation for the middle stage of adulthood and successful transition through earlier stages enables the individual to find contentment and satisfaction at her culminating phase. Having come to the end of a well-conducted and effectively- performed life, the individual can greet death with unconcern. Other adults, however, who may have stagnated at one or more stages, may reach their culminating phase with frustration and dissatisfaction feeling remorse and unable to attain closure.
It is to this end, therefore, that Eriksson, first of all stage psychologists, emphasized the importance of successfully completing each phase of life before and, in order, to passage through the next and to him the middle years were the most important areas of life in that they mediated the beginning and later years and, if transitioned effectively, would enable the individual to effectively 'commute' to the end.

Eriksson's model has to be seen within the context of his time and place. Much is not pertinent to Western (or, indeed global conditions today) as well as observation of the fact that individuals, being diverse and heterogeneous, cannot be 'shunted' into any specific mould.

Jung's midlife theory

Jung's (1971) midlife theory, on the other hand, typically represented his general philosophy in that he saw middle age representing individuation or integration of the feminine (anima) with the masculine (animus) aspects of the psyche. Men, in other words, become more feminine, whilst women, according to Jung (1971), become more masculine. Transition to midlife is difficult, and commonly to Erickson, Jung (1971) asserts that failure to deal with this stage could result in some crisis later on. Little evidence supports Jung's (1971) individuation (male/female) contention, although it is possible that whilst traditional sex characteristics stay, supplementation of opposite sex characteristics may be acquired.

Jung claims that we need to let go of many of the values that shaped the first part of our life and look deep into our unconscious in order to successfully navigate the midlife crisis and beyond. In common with Erickson, he too sees the midlife years as crucial to shaping the remainder of one's life. In fact, they may be the most crucial years of all. On the toehr hand, Jung differs from Eriksson in his mystical and tone that centers on the unconscious, whilst Erickson is thoroughly pragmatic and rational.

Confronting the unconscious, according to Jung, is obtained by paying heed to our dreams and by absorbing ourselves in creative activities such as writing and painting. Messages of the unconscious, when allowed and closely listened to, should then be absorbed into the conscious way of life in order to better influence the responsibility of our midlife years and beyond.

Jung himself was practitioner of his midlife theory as described in his autobiography, "Memories, Dreams, reflections (1961) where he identified some of the major contributions that occurred and that he performed in his middle years and beyond as a result of tuning in to his unconsciousness.

Jung's midlife crisis has evolved into the popular, but erroneous conception of the indefatigable 'midlife crisis' that converts otherwise rational beings into potentially irrational humans, but when more diversified cohorts were studied, it was found that only approximately 26% of studied participants over age 40 actually experienced some sort of midlife crisis (Wethingon et al., 2004). Many, on the contrary, report peak functioning and experiences (Lachman, 2004). It is more likely that peak and crisis represent extreme positions commonly experienced by people in their middle years, with the norm along the continuum experiencing neither peak nor crisis. Alternately, peak and crisis may simply characterize different situations experienced by different people according to particular personality and particular situation: whilst some experience midlife as crisis, for others it may be liberation and the peak of their lives. (And the crisis may be a peak as per Erickson's (1963) intentions when he posited that crisis is necessary for development and growth.) In yet another manner, these contradictory opinions may be justified by positing that whilst one or more areas of life may resemble peak functioning, other areas of life may be undergoing a crisis.

Jung's model, just as Erickson's model, has to be seen within the context of his time and place. Jung, for instance, posited that we lose our….....

Show More ⇣


     Open the full completed essay and source list


OR

     Order a one-of-a-kind custom essay on this topic


Related Essays

Human Development

Human development refers to the psychological and biological growth of a human being throughout life. It starts from infancy all the way to adulthood. The scientific study of the development of a human being, psychologically, is referred to as Developmental psychology. According to Erik Erikson, there are eight critical stages in the development of a human being in order to become socially and psychologically well adjusted. This renowned psychologist is also credited with the expression identity crisis used to refer, not to the possibility of a catastrophic occurrence but to… Continue Reading...

Adolescent Development

complete with this analysis, adolescence is not the end of human development given that many suggest that development extends into the 20's and 30's. Even so, the adolescent years of development are hailed by many as being the most pivotal, at least in some regards. While many would debate the above, it is clear that the adolescent years are among the most important. Analysis Regardless of the development or life stage that is in question, there are many developments and changes that occur during the adolescent years and they come in many forms. These forms include physical, cognitive, emotional, social… Continue Reading...

Cognitive Development in Early Childhood

the most important stages of human development. It is the period which all components of human nature and abilities are formed, and, therefore, has a direct influence on personality formation. The intricacies of this crucial stage of human development have been a major interest to scientists and psychologists in different fields of human studies. There have been many studies conducted to help proffer clear understanding of children’s cognitive development. Some of the most prominent amongst the theories in this regard are by the two psychologists whose findings have been center of reference in academic discourses… Continue Reading...

The Stages of Childhood Development Physical Cognitive

144). Research in biology and human development shows that infants are developing their sensorimotor skills by engaging with objects, particularly by reaching and grabbing (Rochat, 2003). Also evident at the sensorimotor stage is the infant’s ability to learn via both classical and operant conditioning, such as with the introduction of stimuli to induce specific behavioral responses (Lightfoot, Cole & Cole, 2009). Infants demonstrate the ability to form social attachments and exhibit individualized emotional responses, too, with differences depending on environmental factors like parental behavior and culture (Lightfoot, Cole & Cole, 2009. While their ability to… Continue Reading...

Issues in Developmental Psychology

.....theoretical perspectives to understand human development is stage theories, which postulate that human development takes place in different stages and change throughout the life span (Lerner et al., 2013, p.466). Erikson's Psychosocial Theory is an example of a theory under this perspective, which state that there are eight stages of psychosocial development that are biologically developed to manifest in a pre-determined, sequential way. Through this theory, Erikson effectively demonstrates that lifelong development involves integration of internal forces and external situations that influence development of ego. Borzumato-Gainey et al. (2009) conducted a study on life… Continue Reading...

Classroom Observation

them in a learning group for further instruction. That is what the teacher did in the end. 4. Theories and principles of human development; motivation and learning as shown by learners and teachers Teaching as an Intellectual Engagement It is apparent that the most conspicuous and significant points about these ideas is that influence knowledge acquisition and the learning process is that teachers are thoughtful professionals who have both the learner and the content matter on their mind. The teacher seeks to construct a formidable link between content and the learner. It was observed many years back by reformers that curriculum is not immune to manipulation by the teacher. Teachers shape and… Continue Reading...

Intelligence Learning Memory Cognition

Built on the premises of both cognitive psychology and the study of human development, these findings have tremendous implications for creating new pedagogies of diversity. In terms of how these findings influence my past or current beliefs about knowledge development, I believe that the study simply substantiates what I already intuited. There are a number of different variables that impact learning, among them the social environment and norms in the classroom, the methods used by the teacher to communicate not just knowledge but modes of thinking and approaching problem solving, and also self-directed learning, motivation, and interest. References Zhang, L.F. & Sternberg,… Continue Reading...

Parent and Child Communication Article Review

role in the article that has been that of a professional development psychologist. The professional studies human development of an individual, which encompasses the mental, social and physiological development that comes about at every stage of life. The professional developmental psychologist has studied the genetic effects experienced by the adolescent in such a phase, in addition to different environmental aspects like parental methods, which fashion how such adolescents evolve. The article does not refer to the interaction between psychology professional and professionals in other fields. Instead, the article explores the phenomenon of adolescent behavior in this phase in terms of hiding information from their parents and… Continue Reading...

Nature Vs Nurture Essay

human development such as intelligence and personality are determined by genetic make-up. Empiricists however, believe that there are acquired.” (Conkbayir 186) Notable Empiricists like John Lock made popular the Latin phrase: tabula rasa. This phrase means ‘black slate’. The child’s mind serves as a blank slate from which learned experiences and interactions can form a child’s personality later and into adulthood. When Empiricists examine child development, they aim to look for how the child was raised, who they interacted with, what traumatic experiences they endured. They then base their conclusions… Continue Reading...

Nature Vs Nurture Vs Free Will

responsible for human development. Whatever skills and attributes people acquire over time is done so because of a need to adapt in order to survive. Individual human beings receive genetic coding from their parents that enables them to carry on these adaptive skills throughout their lifetime and pass them on to the next generation. Galton viewed this idea as the most likely explanation for human behavior. This concept was popular in the late 19th and early 20th century, as the eugenics movement got underway. Scientists and researchers were interested in controlling the… Continue Reading...

Dreams the Unconscious Mind and Defense Mechanisms

Psychodynamic and Psychoanalytic theory suggest that early stages of human development have a significant impact on our relationships and our ego throughout the life span. According to Freudian theories, manifested behavior is based on latent problems of the past. The therapeutic process of psychoanalysis is designed to help the client become aware of past problems or latent desires that have been suppressed during the process of psychological development. Key themes that emerge in the literature on psychoanalytic theory include the role of the unconscious mind in shaping self-concept and behavior, dreams as the language of the unconscious mind, and… Continue Reading...

Domestic Violence and the Effect on Children

essentially devoid of the most basic human elements needed for proper human development to transpire. Maslow defined this development based upon the Hierarchy of Needs. Before an individual can grow to be self-actualizing, he must first obtain the basic necessities of life—food, shelter, and love. In a family where domestic violence is a quality of life, children are the unnoticed victims, whose lives are shaped and sometimes altered for the worse. This paper will discuss how domestic violence impacts children and what effects that has on the criminal justice system. Freeman (2015) shows through case study what can happen to a… Continue Reading...

Annotated Bibliography on Neo Freudianism

Freud’s research on the subconscious and unconscious, as well as human development. Instead of focusing on psychosexual stages or sexual hang-ups, these theorists stressed other psychological issues including interpersonal relationships, attachment styles, and coping mechanisms. Jung added to the discussion a deeper investigation of dreams, focusing on the concept of the collective consciousness as a repository of cultural symbols. However, Hall & Lindzey (1957) also stress Jung’s contributions to personality theory. Not an experimental study, Hall & Lindzey’s (1957) work is meaningful in that it encapsulates the major issues that emerged in the post-Freudian era. This source acknowledges Freud’s contributions… Continue Reading...

Psy600 Week 2 Assignment

other fields, if any The main role in the article that has been that of a professional development psychologist. The professional studies human development of an individual, which encompasses the mental, social and physiological development that comes about at every stage of life. The professional developmental psychologist has studied the genetic effects experienced by the adolescent in such a phase, in addition to different environmental aspects like parental methods, which fashion how such adolescents become. The article does not refer to the interaction between psychology professional and professionals in other fields. Instead, the article explores the phenomenon of adolescent behavior in this phase in terms of hiding information from their parents; and… Continue Reading...

The Impact of Social Media on Teenage Girls

social constructivism stance. This type of design refers to a sociological theory of understanding and perspective where human development is based and connected via engagement with other humans, as noted by Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann. The specific research design will be an interview format, with each participant being interviewed on camera in a one-on-one format. This method of data collection will go hand in hand with the grounded theory that the research is centered in. Grounded theory will ensure that all interpretations emerge from the exact data collected. The interview process will help refine the data, and hopefully a common theme will emerge from the data… Continue Reading...

Supreme Court Sodomy Cases Rulings

for others. This stunted mentality of human development, justice and tolerance, poisoned Hardwick’s case when it was brought before the Supreme Court, were it was not presented in terms of privacy or other indelible civil rights. Justice Byron White asserted, “The issue presented is whether the Federal Constitution confers a fundamental right upon homosexuals to engage in sodomy” (Bazelon, 2012). The answer turned out to be one of the Supreme Court’s most shameful decisions, and a clear representation that justice had not been served. The Court essentially ruled that homosexuals did not have a fundamental right… Continue Reading...

Infancy and Toddlerhood S Developmental Stage Age Group

Developmental Stages Developmental Stage/Age Group: Infancy and toddlerhood (0 - 3 years) Erickson maintains that the first human developmental stage involves an individual’s interactions with his/her surroundings, normally the baby’s immediate social and physical environment, which is made up of home and family (Levinson, 1986). Especially important at this point (i.e. infancy) is the mother- baby relationship – the very first social bond one forms. Receptive mothers sensitive to the distinctive requirements of their baby will help cultivate a sound sense of self- worth within the baby, facilitating the development of a sound, all- round physical, emotional and psychological constitution, which happens between 0 and 18 months… Continue Reading...

sample essay writing service

Cite This Resource:

Latest APA Format (6th edition)

Copy Reference
"Human Development" (2011, November 01) Retrieved May 1, 2024, from
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/human-development-47031

Latest MLA Format (8th edition)

Copy Reference
"Human Development" 01 November 2011. Web.1 May. 2024. <
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/human-development-47031>

Latest Chicago Format (16th edition)

Copy Reference
"Human Development", 01 November 2011, Accessed.1 May. 2024,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/human-development-47031