MHS 555
A look at biological, cognitive, and
Socioemotional Development
Stages of Development
Birth to 24 months
Biological Processes
Developed physically
fastest growth spurt of my life
gained muscle control
Nativism says certain skills and abilities are innate in a
person.
My Biological development from Birth to 24 months
followed the typical course of any healthy infant
Cognitive Processes
Learned to sit, stand, roll crawl and walk.
Began to speak in 5 word sentences
Piaget’s cognitive developmental theory (pg. 22) says an infant gains
understanding of the world through coordinating sensory issues with
physical actions
By physically interacting with what I saw, heard, touched, tasted and
smelled I developed in accordance with his theory of a typical child
Socioemotional Processes
Recognized people and formed attachments.
Erickson's Psychosocial Theory (pg.21) says an infant decides whether the
world is a safe place by his ability to trust (Trust Vs Mistrust) and begin to
explore the self (autonomy Vs Shame/doubt) When the attachment to the
care giver is not based on trust and the development of self is discouraged
the infant is unsure of the relationship and himself. My father first spanked
me for crying at 18 months. I developed a fear of my father and did not
trust my mother completely from my first memories of them. I do not
remember the incident I was told about it by my mother.
Stages of
Development
2 – 5 years
Biological Process
Grew taller and heavier, gained control of
muscles for large and fine motor control,
gained control of bowel and bladder
functions.
Freud’s five stages of psychosexual development
Suggest that from about 18 months to 3 years children
are focused on an anal stage. This is during the time when
They develop control of their bowels and begin to be potty
trained. I followed the typical pattern of a healthy child and
Was potty trained between 18 months and 2 years of age
Cognitive Process
Language acquisition increased,
learned concepts like shape, color,
distance, and sizes, began to read.
First memories begin to emerge
According to Piaget’s Theory (pg. 22)
Children begin to represent the world with words
And images during the preoperational stage. I became very
Verbal and began to read by the age of five.
Socioemotional stage
Birth of my sister at 2 and my brother at 4.
Started kindergarten at early 5.
Family moved to a religious commune at age 4-and then left and moved to Illinois.
Erickson's stage (pg. 21) Initiative Vs guilt says
That as a child's world expands they face new
Challenges. If they are made to feel to anxious they
develop guilt. I never behaved in a manner that was
deemed acceptable and was highly criticized. I felt very guilty
From a young age about not being a “good enough” person
Stage of
Development
6-11 years
Biological Process
Walked “pigeon toed”
Spent six months in a body cast (corrective surgery both legs) at age 10
Recover from surgery painful
Very thin child
Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory (pg. 26) of development says
the chronosystem consists of the patterning of environmental events
And transitions over the course of a lifetime. Having to go through corrective
measures for being pigeon toed and being in a body cast for six months separated
me physically from my peers.
Cognitive Processes
Excelled in early learning
Developed trust issues due to abuse.
Wrote poetry and home bible study
Bandura social cognition theory (pg. 414)
Says moral development is a relationship between environment, cognition,
And behavior while Vygotski social constructive approach
(pg. 203) says learning and knowledge develop through social interaction
I developed a strong belief system and language skills but developed spiritually
Introverted to protect myself from abuse. My knowledge development came
from sharing time with my father writing poetry and reading the bible. These were
Our positive interactions
Socioemotional Processes
Began to develop an eating disorder (binging)
Corrective devises for being pigeon toed made me physically stand out 6-9.
Physical abuse age 6-10
Church summer camp/ personal private conversion to Christ in the woods age 9
Visiting tutor for 6 months while in body cast.
Moved to central WI three days after cast removal.
Started a new school with a cane at 11.
Erickson Industry vs inferiority (21) says children need to develop their energy
To mastering skills when they don’t feel competent they feel inferior. I began
To develop an eating disorder around the age of 11 because I felt unattractive
and clumsy due in large part to negative feedback at home.
Damon (416) says emotions such as empathy, shame, guilt, and anxiety
produce a basis for moral development. I experienced a spiritual realization
When I expressed my emotions to God at age 9 which has shaped my moral
development throughout my life.
Stage of Development
12-15
Biological Process
Puberty at age 13
Under 100 pounds in high school
According to Belsky (pg.94) Weight, Nutrition, Health and Stress play a role
In the timing and makeup of puberty. I was very underweight and I started
Signs of puberty at 12 menses at 13. Most of the girls my age started before me
Cognitive Processes
Continued reading writing poetry, loved algebra early on age 12
Began to be interested in relationships with boys
Vygotski social constructive approach(pg. 203) says a student needs
many opportunities to learn with teachers and peers.
At this age my understanding matured some and I began to stop playing
Children's games and started trying higher level skills
Socioemotional processes
Bullied in Jr High
Very isolated
Continued Binge eating
Father had me smoke marijuana at age 12
No church involvement in this time period.
Made a “best” friend at age 13
First experiences with boys (kissing) age 13
Parents bought first home age 14.
Started stealing marijuana from parents to make friends
Erickson Identity vs identity confusion(21) says if an adolescent
Explores roles in a healthy manner they achieve a positive identity.
If not they become confused. Being bullied and introduced to
drugs at a young age led me away from the things I believed in
Order to feel accepted.
Stage of Development 16-19
Biological process
Stopped getting taller age 16
Metabolism slowed but still underweight
Candow and Chilibeck (pg. 96) say early adulthood seems uneventful
For development changes are subtle and height remains constant
Cognitive Processes
Stopped participating in school age 16
Began to take ownership of my cognitive growth through decision making
(albeit poor decisions often)
Decided I wanted to graduate my senior year and
did so at alternative high school age 17
Went to college in Ladysmith WI age 18
Marcia- Identity moratorium (pg. 355)
Is a stage of identity where an individual is in crisis but commitments
are vague. I had no idea where I was going at this age. I fluctuated between
wanting to succeed intellectually and not wanting to care about any thing or at least
To appear as if I didn’t care.
Self esteem and depression Baumeister (345) says self esteem is highly related
to happiness. High self esteem happiness, depression lowers it.
I did not have high self esteem as a late teen and struggled with depression
especially around the age of 19. Not having close family ties left me feeling
As if I could disappear and not be noticed or missed.
Socioemotional Processes
Parents divorced age 16
Siblings stayed with father and did not see them for a year in the same town.
I started Heavy drug and alcohol use 16-19
Spiritually bankrupt
Sexually promiscuous age 17-19
Lived with mother who was very promiscuous at the time 16-17
Mother became pregnant 17. Reunited with my sister 17.
Bulimia began age 18
Depression/anxiety age 19
Erickson Identity vs identity confusion (353)
says during this time adolescents are face with who they are going to be
What they are about and where they are going. I had no clear direction
and went from extreme parental control to no parental
involvement from the age of 16. This was a very confusing time for me.
Stage of
Development 20’s
Biological Process
Metabolism slower began to gain weight.
Four full term pregnancies between age 23-28
Cognitive Process
Started to explore spirituality again.
Learned how to focus on parenting
Socioemotional process
Father was murdered in unsolved homicide age 20
Left school age 20
Met my future husband and moved in together age 21
Moved to Upper Michigan with future husband age 22
Had first child age 23
Married age 23
Began to worship in church age 23
Had three more children 18 months apart.
Moved back to Wausau with family age 25.
Realized my husband had serious AODA issues
Engaged in drug use with spouse as a last ditch effort to save marriage age 25
Separated from husband age 26
Discovered I was pregnant with fourth child age 26
Reconciled with husband age 26
Seriously began to seek God age 27
Divorced age 29
Husband disappeared after divorce went to work to support family age 29
Erickson Intimacy vs isolation(Page 22)
According to this developmental stage adults develop
intimate relationships or face isolation. The loss of my father
and the difficulty of our relationship was confusing for me and the
Trials and failure of my marriage has kept me from trying to develop
An intimate relationship since.
Stages of Development 30’s
Biological processes
Weight fluctuated up and down
Degenerative arthritis caused a disc to blow in my back age 30
Laminectomy age 35
Cognitive process
Began to set boundaries with others
Stopped letting others manipulate my feelings
Harriet Lerner (pg. 383) says It is important for a women to be
Strong, assertive, independent and authentic in relationships.
I needed to set boundaries in order to achieve this
Socioemotional Process
Began to work full time and gained experience as well as advancements.
Age 30
Raised children alone age 30
Finished my degree age 38
Took in my young nieces and nephew through kinship care age 38
Concerned about the directions my teens were going age 39.
Decided to move them away from their friends to a town hours away.
Erickson stage 7 Generativity versus stagnation speaks to middle adulthood
Helping the younger generation develop and live meaningful lives. As my children
grew it became apparent to me that I needed to do whatever I could to keep them
From going down the wrong path. I went to the extreme of starting over when I felt
I could no longer be effective in the situation I found as they approached teen years.
I did everything I knew to affect the people they would become in a positive way.
Stages of
Development
40’s
Biological Processes
Continued to gain weight
Started menopause
Began to eat and exercise for health
Lerner-Geva (pg. 97) Talk about the wide variation in the menopause
Experience. It is difficult to talk about menopause in a linear way because it
Is a long process which began for me at about 40 and is still occurring
at nearly 46
Cognitive process
Spiritual growth
Settled into adulthood with less restlessness of my 20s and 30s
Myers (pg. 434) The influence of religion in peoples lives may change as
They develop.
The older I get the more I want to find Gods design for my life.
Socioemotional process
Moved my family to Kenosha WI age 40
Switched my career from developmentally disabled adults
to adults with mental illness. Age 41
Children grew to adulthood starting at age 41
First grandchild born age 43
Decided to get my master’s degree age 44
Had my 45th birthday in April this year
Second grandson born age 45
Trying to explore subconscious issues that contribute
to bulimia and get in the way of spiritual growth age 45.
Gatz and Karel suggest that self control increases from early adulthood
Through middle age. This is relevant for me as I am not as elastic
as I was when I was younger. My ability to bounce back being less efficient
Means I need to become more disciplined in my lifestyle choices
Stages of Development
50-65
Biological process for the future
Take serious steps to improve my physical health.
Bring my weight down to a manageable level.
Menec pg. 505 says the more active, energetic and productive
A person is the happier and more successful the age
Cognitive processes
Bring more spirituality into my work.
Become part of a mission
Retire from full time working mid sixties,
begin to focus on volunteer social opportunities.
Moen (pg. 555) says retirement is a process not an event.
I will need to be diligent to prepare myself for retirement so I can
Meet my goals in my later years
Socioemotional process
Watch my kids start their own families
Spend time with my grandchildren and find great joy with them.
Begin to explore hobbies that bring me happiness.
Spend time with my sister who moved to Kenosha.
Selective optimization with compensation theory Baltes(350)
says successful aging is linked to three main factors. Selection of activities
We are capable of doing, optimization by continual practice and using
new technology and compensation by accepting help where needed
Stages
Of Development
65+
Biological Process
Try to maintain health
Dupree (pg. 98) says various drugs, a healthy diet, and exercise
Can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in older adults
Cognitive process
Remain as active as I am able
Activity theory (pg 504) says the more active and involved older adults
the more likely they are to be satisfied with their lives
Socioemotional Process
Spent a good deal of time in worship and
fellowship with friends,
spent time with family
The social Convoy Model (pg.505) says individuals go through life
Embedded in relationship in which they give and receive
Social support helps individuals of all ages cope better
Bibliography
Santock, J. W. (2012). A topical approach to Life-Span Development sixth edition.
New York: McGraw-Hill.