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Life-Span Perspective of Human Development: Essay
The study of how people change and develop can be defined as human development. Many researchers explain that human development has a strong theoretical foundation and research background. In my opinion, one theory cannot fully explain the development of an adult, so we need to look at it from the life-span perspective.
According to Kail and Cavanaugh (2017), development can only be fully understood when viewed as a life-long process and all factors are considered holistically. Louw and Louw (2019) write that a perspective that can help us understand the importance of taking a holistic approach to development is the life-span perspective. According to the life-span perspective, development is lifelong, multidirectional, multidimensional, plastic, contextual, and multidisciplinary.
Bates et al. (2006) explain that being multidirectional means that during every developmental stage of life a person develops and improves in certain areas while declining and losing in other areas. Louw and Louw (2019) write that development being multidimensional refers to the dynamic interaction of factors such as biological, socioemotional, and cognitive. Baltes et al., (2006) explain that development being multidimensional means that development occurs in many different dimensions, including physiological, cognitive, and emotional dimensions. They explain that the dynamic and complex interaction of each of these dimensions is what influences a person’s overall development. Louw and Louw (2019) write that plasticity refers to the ability to change. They explain that many aspects, characteristics, and skills of a person are malleable or changeable, and experiences at any stage of development can lead to a change in the person’s development. Kail and Cavanaugh (2017) explain that with training and practice, many skills and abilities of an individual can be improved, and thus one’s capacity to grow and develop is not predetermined. Baltes et al. (2006) write that development is influenced by contextual factors, which means that every person develops through experiencing a certain set of circumstances. Bronfenbrenner (1979) writes that a person’s development is influenced by biological, social, and environmental factors that intertwine and interact together to influence a person’s development. He explains that historical, economic, social, and cultural factors influence the individual’s microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, and macrosystem. How these factors interact with the individual is vital for understanding development. Louw and Louw (2019) write that in order to understand the development entirely it is vital to view it as multidisciplinary. They explain that this means that human development is influenced by various factors, disciplines, and forces. Kail and Cavanaugh (2017) explain that four different forces influence and play a role in a person’s development: biological, psychological, sociocultural, and life-cycle forces. Baltes et al. (2006) explain that biological forces include all biological, physical, and physiological factors that affect development. They explain that psychological forces include all the internal cognitive, perceptual, emotional, and personality factors that affect a person’s development. Sociocultural forces include all cultural, societal, interpersonal, and ethnic factors that affect an individual’s development. Louw and Louw (2019) write that life-cycle forces reflect how a specific event or the combination of biological, psychological, and sociocultural forces affect people at different stages of their lives. They explain that it is vital to understand that all four forces of development interact and influence development. Therefore it is essential to have a holistic approach to human development, as it can only be fully understood when viewing it as being life-long, multidimensional, multidirectional, plastic, contextual, and multidisciplined.
According to the life-span perspective, as we now know, development is influenced by our experiences, issues, and forces. During high school, I was a shy and quiet student with low self-esteem. Today though, I am a confident, outgoing, and talkative individual. When looking back at experiences that could have influenced this development, my year-long trip to Israel as a gap year stands out. Kail and Cavanaugh (2017) write that learning about yourself and your abilities and skills, as well as becoming independent, can significantly improve a person’s self-esteem and confidence. This can explain my developmental change and character change throughout the year. While in Israel, I introspected and did numerous self-growth activities. I also had to look after myself and be independent as I had no one looking after me throughout the year, which caused me to become confident in using my skills and strengths to look after myself. Throughout my year in Israel and when I became a student at SACAP, I was exposed to and introduced to many new people with diverse backgrounds and different ideas. I made a significant effort to meet as many people as possible and to engage actively in lectures. The result was that I learned to overcome my shyness and low self-esteem, which Shimizu, Nakashima, and Morinaga (2018) report as having adverse effects on building friendships and relationships. By overcoming these negative attributes, I have developed into a more confident and outgoing individual. I was born into a Jewish household which significantly influenced my development as being Jewish is considered a sociocultural and psychological force. I went to a Jewish school where I only met Jewish individuals, learned Jewish laws and texts, and kept all the Jewish festivals and events. As a result, my entire development was influenced by my religion and the Jewish cultural context as the way I think and behave are according to Jewish law and rulings.
Overall, this essay has shown that development needs to be viewed holistically as it is a lifelong process that is influenced by numerous factors and forces. Therefore, no single theory can be used in isolation to explain adult development fully. However, by taking all theories into account and looking at development as life-long, multidirectional, multidimensional, plastic, contextual, and multidisciplined like the life-span perspective does, one can have a better understanding of the development process.
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