Personal Development Worksheet
Throughout the course, use may use the table below to capture informal notes about the stages of your personal development (past, present, and future).



Week 1: Record any major developments and life events to date (e.g., parents divorced at age 10 as a socioemotional process).
Weeks 2-6: Throughout the course revisit the table and update it with insights about your development based on each week’s content and discussion (e.g., apply the
week’s new theories/terminology to the major life developments previously recorded).
Week 6-7: Use your accumulated notes from the table to inform the content and structure of your Final Project PowerPoint presentation.
Developmental Processes by Stage
Stage of
Development
Birth to 24 months
Biological Processes
Born Sunday, 8-14-1988, at 3:09am
weighing 7lbs. 4.5 oz. and 19 in. long,
with dark slate blue eyes and medium
brown hair. Breast fed for only 2 months.
First words “ma-ma-ma” at 6 mos.
Rolled around room, stood up and
crawled at 10 mos. First steps at 1 yr.
(Locomotion p.318)
Learning to balance and be coordinated
because of horseback riding.
Cognitive Processes
Played “peek a boo” at 8 mos. (Face-to-face
play p.318) Recognize self in mirror (Selfrecognition p.340)
Put different shaped blocks through matching
holes at 13 mos. Build with blocks at 15 mos.
(Information processing/joint attention p.318)
Use writing utensils (ex.crayons) at 18 mos.
(Piaget’s Cognitive Theory preoperational
stage- p. 22)
Sang “Rain, rain, go away” and “Happy
Birthday” at 2 yrs.
Started horseback riding lessons and showing
at 5 yrs. (Niche-picking p.61) (Active genotypeenvironment correlations p.60)
Asked Mom about heaven and God.
(Labeling p.293)- identifying names of objects
2 – 5 years
6 – 11 years
Played Tee-ball and won 1st place overall
for the skills competition.
Started to ride in a Mounted Drill Team at
11 yrs.
Learned to swim.
Learned to play violin in 5th grade. (Passive
genotype-environment correlation p.60)
Asked Mom where babies came from.
Learning and memorizing drills for Mounted
Drill Team at 11 yrs. Know the lingo and jargon
in equestrian team (Dialect p.289)
1
Socioemotional Processes
Reached for people at 7 mos.
Develop bond with parents. (Attachment
with parents p.317)
Basic cry, anger cry, pain cry (Primary
emotions p.304-305)
Had similar friends with my sister, playing
with neighborhood kids. (Shared
environment experience p.61) Made friends
playing with neighborhood and daycare
kids. (Social referencing p.319)
Recognize differences in skin colors of
people of other ethnicities. (Ethnic identity
p.357)
Homesick when leave home or when
parents leave me (Separation protest
p.306)
Generally recognized for meekness as a
positive character trait by my teachers in
elementary school.
Was sad when my best friend left my
school after 5th grade going into middle
school; had to make new friends to hang
out with.
Grieved for death of grandfather.
(Contemporary life-events approach p.361)
Developmental Processes by Stage
Stage of
Development
12 – 15 years
16 – 19 years
20s
30s
40s
Biological Processes
Reached puberty. (Menarche-Biological
influences p.92)
More active in fitness and strength
training.
Started wearing concealer makeup to
hide acne spots.
Seriously injured my back by
slipping/falling at my restaurant job.
Had X-rays on my back and doctor says I
have Spina Bifida Occulta. (Gene-linked
abnormality p.57-58;67)
Starting to notice grey hairs and began
dying hair.
Treatments for my back pain include
massage and physical therapy.
I’m having to exercise more in order to
maintain fitness or lose weight and also
watching my diet-got gym membership.
(Caloric restriction)
Less sleep than I used to get when I was
younger.
Hopefully will have had one or two kids
and live with my future husband.
My body not able to get back to the way it
was before kids even with workouts.
Join ballroom dance club.
50s
60s
Cognitive Processes
Socioemotional Processes
Understood Christianity and what it means to
be a Christian.
Discovered that flashcards are useful for
studying and maintaining knowledge for
exams. Not sure of future occupation. (Identity
diffusion p.354)
Started working at restaurant and as a
caregiver.
Learned first aid and CPR for caregiving job.
Take Spanish language in highschool.
Graduated highschool as a Valedictorian.
Started thinking about college and major
goals. (Possible self p.344) (Piaget’s Cognitive
Developmental Theory-formal operational
stage p.23)
Made new friends at church; joined youth
groups at church when I first attended in 8th
grade. (Hang out with heterosexual groups
p.329)
I’m more conscious of my appearance
(ex.weight and fashion). (Self-awareness)
I’m thinking about my future career and goals
in life: marriage, family
Earned my Bachelors degree at age 24 and
plan to have my Master’s degree at age 26.
(Identity achievement p.355)
Hopefully comfortable and satisfied with
meeting my goals of having a career and
starting my own family. (Life review p.344Erickson’s Theory Integrity vs. despair p.22)
First “boyfriend” in junior/senior years of
highschool. (Attachment with romantic
partner) (Dating in groups p.329)
Made friends with coworkers at restaurant
job.Developed passion for caring for elderly
when got job as a caregiver. (Emotional
competence p.303)
First semester of junior college was socially
awkward because I did not know anyone so
I kept mainly to myself except for group
work.
Began drinking alcohol socially at 21 yrs
but in controlled settings (Self-regulation
p.314; 348).
I feel comfortable with who I am and selfconfident. (Self-esteem p.345)
Grieved at grandmother’s funeral.
Have had numerous dates with different
guys with few serious relationships.
(Infatuation p.333)
Current relationship is very serious.
(Consummate love: romantic, affectionate,
committed p.333)
Hopefully have a few close friends who
share the same stage in life and be happily
married with kids. (Socioemotional
selectivity theory p.310)
Advance in my career.
Develop more relationships with clients and
colleagues.
Find new hobbies to keep my mind and body
active.
Trying to cope with the gap between the past
and the future, that threatens life’s continuity
(Midlife crisis p.360)
Prefer more quiet time for prayer and reading
Attend my grown children’s weddings.
Join kids for their firstborn children.
2
Retire from career and enjoyed retirement
Developmental Processes by Stage
Stage of
Development
Biological Processes
Make more doctor appointments.
Required to take all kinds of medications.
70s
80s and beyond
Cognitive Processes
Socioemotional Processes
for entertainment.
with my husband as we bond together
again.
Create a will for my family someday when I
die. May become more forgetful (Tip-of-thetongue phenomenon p.289)
Pray to God more and ask for forgiveness and
thank Him for everything He’s done in my life,
for anything I’ve ever achieved, and for things
given to me.
Make sure I’m right with God before I die.
Enjoy family gatherings with my children
and my grandkids someday.
May have cancer of some sort.
Inevitable mortality.
3
Have closure and make peace with family
members.