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Life span Development

In their definition, Sigelman and Rider (2006) posit that life span development can be considered as “a systematic change and continuities in the individual that occur between conception and death or from ‘womb to tomb’” (p. 2). Studies in life span development therefore tend to focus on personality as well as both the individual’s behavior and his/her behavior in relation to other individuals and phenomena within the society. These are generally narrowed down to personality, cognition, intra and interpersonal relations.

The life span development perspective or approach operates within six major principles and they include the assumptions; that human developmental activities and process is a lifelong and continuous activity, that within development of human, there is gaining and loosing as well, that there is joint and relative influence of both nurture and nature, that in development, there is a shift in resource allocation, and that both culture and history have contextual influence in development (Sigelman and Rider 2006).

The procedural development in the individual’s life course in life span development is categorized into various characteristics and domains of development. These domains include Physical and motor development, social and behavioral development, cognitive and sensory development, development of communication systems and acquisition of self help and environmental adaptive skills (Sigelman and Rider 2006).

The three most consolidated periods in the life span perspective however include the psychosocial, cognitive and biological domain which all interact together to ensure complete development of any individual according to this theory (Magnusson,1997, p. 208-213).

Biological domain explains the changes that take place within the individual as growth and development takes place, the psychosocial domain is concerned with social interactions and emotional personality whereas the domain that is cognitive is composed of reasoning activities, problem solving strategies and perception; generally graded as mental processes (Magnusson,1997, p. 208-213).

There are eight distinctive periods of human development in life span development intertwined within the developmental domains. These include infancy, toddler, and then childhood: further divided into; early (ages 2-5

or 6), middle childhood (ages 6-about 12) and adolescent, and adulthood: divided into early (ages 20-40), middle (ages 40-65) and late adulthood (ages 65 and older) (Myers, 2007). These stages transitionally occur in an individual following an almost relatively defined path except for a few whose cases are specific and special.

According to Boyd and Bee (2006, p. 7), Continuity and discontinuity as well as nature versus nurture are some of the concerns that relate to the development perspective of lifespan. In terms of nurture vs. nature, some people believe that a developed individual is a product of congenital characteristics that are genetic and innate. This is nature. On the other hand, others are driven by the belief that the developed personality is a result of environmental interaction and socialization of the individual by the environment. This is the nurture side of this controversial concern. A person is a product of both the genetic makeup and the environment. The environment shapes the behavior of a person in the sense that they tend to learn and express what they see others doing. According to the learning theorists, personality is as a result of interaction to the environment. They talk about the models from whom a person gets to copy behavior. This is however controlled by whether the behavior is rewarded or if it attracts sanctions.

On the other hand, the genetic makeup inherited from the parents determines the personality that is exhibited by an individual. For instance, a person could be tall since they have inherited that kind of gene from their biological parents.

Whichever way, both nature and nurture contribute extensively to the personal development of an individual.

Considering the side of discontinuity and continuity; degree or amount is considered in the changes that take place within an individual, especially those that are related to the person’s age. These changes can then be categorized as individual or universal or specific to a certain group (Boyd & Bee, 2006, pp, 9-11).

References

David Magnusson. (1997).The lifespan development of individuals: behavioral,

neurobiological, and psychological perspectives. New York: Paperback

Denise Boyd & Helen Bee. (2006). The Developing Child. Allyn & Bacon 11th ed.

Myers, D.G. (2007). Psychology, eighth edition in modules. New York:

Worth.Sigelman, C.K. & Rider, E.A. (2006). Life-span human development.

Belmont, CA:Thomson Wadsworth.