Category: Human Development

Introduction

There are numerous inferences that can be drawn from Piaget and Maslow’s ideologies that they formulated, ratified, and presented to explain various aspects of human development and other considerable provisions. Human development is an elaborated process requiring various considerable factors in order to illuminate its diverse aspects.

Concurrently, it is crucial to consider such aspects in the context of human development. This paper endeavors to compare Piaget’s use of concrete and formal operations and Maslow’s use of concrete and abstract thoughts to establish and explain various human phenomena. Understanding this context in the realms of human development and other considerable features is important.

Concurrently, it is vital to incorporate human development theories into the drug abuse/addiction prevention theories in order to illuminate its various aspects. This is a considerable phenomenon despite the looming challenges. Piaget based his arguments on actual and formal operations.

Thus, he endeavored to explain his ideologies formally and considerably. He was able to relate the nature of knowledge itself and how people develop progressively to attain various behaviors. Addiction is relevant in this context due to its gradual development in the body system. Its acquisition occurs gradually regardless of the situation. Conversely, Maslow developed numerous ideologies meant to set various human principles and explain various phenomena.

He ratified credible and abstract thoughts in order to distinguish vast ideologies concerning human development. This is a crucial provision when considered in this framework. It is crucial to understand these provisions in the developmental context in order to comprehend the aspects of drug abuse and its characterizing addictions (Hogan, 2003).

How they are similar

The aspects of human development are critical in this context. Concurrently, it is important to incorporate human development theories into the prevention mechanisms (regarding addiction). These relate to the similarities drawn from ideologies presented by Piaget and Maslow.

Firstly, both theorists unveil the cognitive and physical development concerns. These factors are important in understanding various aspects of human development in the context of drug abuse and addiction. Piaget’s concrete and formal perceptions merge perfectly with Maslow’s actual and abstract thoughts meant to explain various aspects of the human development.

This is a considerable provision in the creation of relevant ideologies applicable in explaining and preventing addiction and its aspects. It is important to understand such provisions as demonstrated before. Precisely, both ideologies endeavor to explain various aspects of human development that can be used to understand numerous provisions in the context of drug abuse and addiction.

Additionally, both theories converge at a single point with regard to human development. For example, when Maslow’s formulated the hierarchy of human needs, physiological provision majored in the list. This indicates how the aspects of human development and other relevant factors must be fulfilled first (Hodson, 2001).

This is supported by Piaget in his actual and formalized ideologies. Addiction is a physiological provision, which must be addressed for an individual to operate normally. In this context, it is important to incorporate such provisions in the prevention mechanisms meant to alleviate the aspects of drug abuse and addiction. Treatment options recommended in this context are numerous. Nonetheless, they might possess some disparities in the realms of principles and other relevant factors.

It is imperative to understand such aspects before considering the ideologies presented by these theorists as futile and void. This is a crucial consideration when discerning the similarities that exists amidst the Piaget and Maslow’s ideologies and human developmental principles.

The developmental processes, genetic epistemologies, and other considerable life concerns are fronted by these theorists (Shaffer & Kipp, 2010). They endeavor to explain various principles applicable in the prevention factors regarding drug abuse and addiction. Understanding the provision of addiction in the context of human development is important as demonstrated by both ideologies.

How they are different

While comparing Piaget’s use of concrete and formal operations and Maslow’s use of material and abstract thoughts, numerous disparities are discernible despite the similarities indicated earlier. Both theorists based their ideologies on varying principles with regard to human development and other considerable factors.

It is crucial to understand these provisions in order to establish substantial disparities amidst the two ideologies (Hogan, 2003). Evidently, Piaget formalized his findings in order to discern critical aspects of human development, addiction processes, and other relevant provisions applicable in this context.

It is understandable to establish various components of human development in the realms of drug abuse, addiction, and other relevant provisions applicable in this context. Another disparity is that Maslow based his ideas on abstractions when making ultimate conclusions on critical matters (Hodson, 2001).

Ideally, it is important to draw critical life aspects of these ideologies. The ability to integrate the elements and effects of an activity/happening is an important concept in this case. Continuous application or use of something might trigger the aspects of addiction and other relevant provisions meant to explain this concept. It is evident that both Piaget and Maslow possess different opinions in this provision; nonetheless, there is a conventional consideration in this context.

Whether there are value judgments inherent in either view

Agreeably, there are value judgments inbuilt in either view. This is evident by the explanations and values possessed by both virtues. It is crucial to understand this phenomenon in various aspects. When Piaget presented his concrete and formal ideologies in order to explain the provisions of human development and other relevant aspects, several issues emerged so as to formulate addiction prevention mechanisms and other appropriate remedial factors worth consideration.

Understanding the biological, cognitive, and psychological aspects of addiction is critical in this note (Shaffer & Kipp, 2010). They constitute the value judgments embraced in the prevention programs meant to treat various components of addiction. Concurrently, the theories fronted by Maslow and Piaget constitute considerable and valuable provisions applicable vastly.

This is quite critical in the human contexts. Concurrently, Maslow’s theories on the provisions of human needs and other relevant ideologies tend to explain critical aspects of human development. Thus, it is important to agree that both views have inherent value judgments.

Conclusions

Conclusively, comparison of Piaget’s use of concrete and formal operations and Maslow’s use of concrete and abstract thoughts indicate critical provisions in the context of human development. It is possible to incorporate the aspects of human development in the prevention programs meant to curb drug abuse and addiction.

The arguments presented by Piaget in his works provide critical ideologies helpful in this context. Additionally, Maslow coined the hierarchy of human needs in order to categorize and illuminate various life provisions helpful in this context. The two ideologies presented by Piaget and Maslow contain varying similarities and other disparities. Nonetheless, both have inherent values applicable in discerning human developmental aspects.

References

Hodson, C. (2001). Psychology and Work. London: Routledge.

Hogan, J. (2003). Substance abuse prevention: The intersection of science and practice. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

Shaffer, D. & Kipp, K. (2010). Developmental psychology: Childhood and adolescence. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

The United Arab Emirates (U.A.E), bordered by Saudi Arabia and Oman and situated between the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, is a federation composed of seven states, termed emirates, which was established on December 2, 1971. Covering an estimated area of 82,880 sq. km, the current population of the largely desert country is about six million people.

The UAE has made remarkable progress in human development and now it is ranked at position 35 out of 182 in the Human Development Index. It is currently regarded as one of the richest and fastest growing countries in the world.

The UAE has an open economy that has led to the high level of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the country. This is mainly channeled to the real estate industry and development of trade imports and exports. Its GDP, growing at about ten percent per year, is ranked 38^th in the globe.

It has a high per capita income with a well-developed infrastructure. UAE has extensive petroleum reserves, which has enabled it to realize remarkable economic and social development; however, it is presently engaged in efforts to diversify into other areas of the economy. The country’s currency, referred to as dirhams, has increased in value relative to the dollar during this decade.

The politics of the country is based in a framework of federal, presidential, and elective monarchy and its constitution divides power between the federal government (headquartered in Abu Dhabi) and the seven absolute monarchies. The President of the UAE is the country’s head of state.

The Prime Minister of the UAE is in charge of all activities of the government. The country’s government is composed of three arms, which are the executive, legislature, and judiciary, and even though the constituent emirates still have substantial economy, each of them dedicates a significant portion of their revenues to the national budget of the united country.

In contrast to other Arab countries, the UAE has relatively very liberal regulations composing mainly of civil law and Shari’a is applied only in certain aspects.

The rich culture of the country is a major tourist attraction. Most of the people in the country follow the religion of Islam, which is also officially recognized as the religion of the state. However, the state does not impede on the activities of the other religions in the country. The non-Muslims in the country are mainly foreigners or expatriates.

It is estimated that seventy-six percent of its population follow Islamic teachings, nine percent Christian, and fifteen percent others. The country’s social order is family and kin-oriented in which ancestral affinity serve the important function of determining ones societal recognition and position in the community.

The majority of families have a preference of staying as close to their next of kin as possible. Most of the country’s national households live as nuclear families in their own homesteads and the government motivates them to have at least 6 to 8 kids.

The UAE has a diverse and multicultural society and the influence of Islam is evident in its development. Its citizens live a lucrative lifestyle with lots of money to buy material items.

Most Emirati men put on the traditional kandura dress and women the abaya, which are especially suited for the country’s hot and dry climate. Nevertheless, the wearing of western-style clothing is slowly increasing.

Besides the rich culture, other tourist excitements include the intriguing desert landscape in which tourists can enjoy desert safaris and camel rides, the marvel of the Dubai Creek, the spectacle of the Islamic architecture in the region, and the wonder of the two-century old Hatta Town.

Human Development

Discuss the roles of Nature(genetics)and Nurture(environment) in human development. Define what nature is and give examples. Define what nurture is and give examples. Which from your perspective is more important? Support your opinion with concrete examples.

According to Benelli (1995), a child’s physical and motor development is influenced by other areas of development. Like his social surroundings, his emotional, cognitive, and language development influences his motor development. The assumption that motor development occurs on its own is not true. Hence, special motor skills development programs are needed for kids to enhance their motor skills. Benelli (1995) stresses in her article the importance of motor skills development and draws specific guidelines for educators and teachers to help kids improve their motor skill development.

As the brain develops from infancy to adolescence there is a marked increase in cognitive, motor, and perceptual abilities (Johnson, 2001). Johnson (2001) specifically focuses on inanimate (non-social) objects and animate (social) objects of developing infants.

Myers (1991) suggested ways to invest and foster child development and its importance. He stresses that neglect of child care and development in the early years may distort his mental development along with other areas of development. If c at this age it may have bad consequences in future.

For a long time, the motor activity in a child has been only stitched with physical growth. While Wade (2004) is of the view that motor activities are much more than just an indication or display of physical development. The motor activities of a child also represent his mental growth and development. The child used his physical activity of movement to display his thinking i.e. by moving towards what makes him curious or getting away from what scares him. The movement experiences and play of the child is a screen through which his cognitive or intellectual development can be monitored. Therefore, movement activities and play should be a part and a source of studying and analyzing the intellectual development of the child.

“New research on early brain development provides a wonderful opportunity to examine how nature and nurture work together to shape human development. Through the use of sophisticated technology, scientists have discovered how early brain development and caregiver-child relationships interact to create a foundation for future growing and learning.” (Gable, 2001)

The other important element to know is the factors affecting the development- the environment of the child. The child needs to be assisted in his development stages by carefully choosing the environment that suits him. Size and attractiveness play an important role in the case. And the size of the objects and their physical lookup needs to be carefully chosen for the fluent running of the acquisition-of-skills-process of the child.

As suggested by Benelli (1995) visual assistance is an important motor skill activity. During infancy and childhood, their optic nerve is under development so the color of the ball and its speed and height must be considered while throwing and catching game. “Using a bright, colorful ball will help a child track its flight. Yarn balls, balloons, scarves, and beach balls are ideal for beginning catching activities because they are soft and easily caught. Additionally, a throw consistent in speed and height will increase the children’s chances for a successful catch, which is important for their continued interest in the activity. Teaching children the proper way to catch is important.” (Benelli, 1995) In such kinds of throwing and striking activities visual aids can help a lot child understand their position. “Success, rather than accuracy, is more important at the beginning stages. Verbal cues are important, as well. Tell the child to stop, turn towards the target and throw hard.” (Benelli, 1995)

In addition, other activities like jumping, hopping, spatial awareness, balance activities can improve their motor skills. Physical fitness is of utmost importance for child development. An integrated program is developed to attain full developmental advantages. Meyers (2001) suggests that the delays in a child’s mental development can be detected by primary health activities. Enhancement of motor skills will improve their attention at studies and home. When motor development programs are implemented in addition to other programs their synergistic advantages are much better. Improving their motor skills will enhance their learning process. They are better prepared physically, emotionally, and mentally. As schools outcome is child’s education and his understanding, the more we’ll put our efforts to improve their skills the more it will improve the quality of education.

Research Methods

Describe nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio scale variables? What are the strengths and weaknesses of each? Describe reliability and validity including the importance of each? Explain why a researcher should be concerned about reliability and validity. Describe two types of reliability and validity.

The terms, nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio were first coined by S. S. Stevens, a Harvard psychologist. He used these terms to specifically define measurement scales in psychophysics and statistical procedures. However, these terms have very limited use and the inferences drawn from these can be wrong. These terms were coined as early as 1940s, however today with artificial intelligence computer programs statistical analysis can be automated. Computer statistical analysis has shown that the terms coined by Stevens are not correct for statistical analysis. These do not define the actual attributes of the real data and nor do they give the correct classification required for modern methods of statistical analysis.

Theoretical concepts are tested with reliability and validity tests to determine their practical implications. Reliability measures the consistency of the results in the same procedure in repeated trials. If a certain procedure or test produces the same and consistent results when performed repeatedly under the same circumstances then it means results are consistent and reliable. Validity will measure the credibility of a test or instrument. It will determine the instrument is measuring what it intends to measure and with accuracy. Validity will measure the purpose for which an instrument is created and whether it is accomplishing that function.

Social Psychology

Love is a splendor thing- or is it? Love is a common emotion, often sought by people. Many believe love is the most important attribute to a healthy marriage. Define love; give at least one example of a theory of love. Describe types of love, and address the positive and negative effects of love. Give great details in your responses.

Love is an emotion. It’s a feeling of attraction and attachment between the two.

A very loving and happy relationship must exist between the husband and the wife. According to the author, a husband and wife should live in such a close relationship to each other that they could be considered as one. He points out very clearly that if the husband loves his wife then she should also love him and be very fond of him. The author also mentions that for many women their husbands’ love is the most important thing in their life. A woman’s love should be so strong that even rivers would be unable to put out. Even if the husband is given characteristics of a very loving, caring, and honorable person, he still needs attention from his wife. But his wife does not love him as he loves her then of course the relationship cannot last. If she is careless and does not take interest in her husband then most probably their relation will break. It depicts a wife should not be like this to her husband. Therefore, it is important to create an atmosphere of love and compassion that should be between a husband and wife.

Additionally, to make the love between the two, many authors expressed how a woman wants to be loved even if she’s not there to love her husband. Therefore, this presents an individual that is very different from the rest of us since mostly no one in this society would choose to be a faithful wife if they could be rich and live in luxury. The author writes how today’s wife has become very careless about their husbands. They want to live a free life and be daring whatever they want to do. They would not care for their husband’s love, even if he were dying for her.

Abnormal/Personality

Personality assessments can be categorized as “objective” and ‘projective”. Name the characteristics which place a test in each of these categories and a particular test that meets these criteria. Describe each test in the terms of means of administration and uses.

In personality assessment two tests are important: Objective and projective.

Objective: Objective tests have just allowed true and false answers hence produce results only in a restricted response format with rating using an ordinal scale.

Examples of objective personality tests are:

1. Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory,
2. Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III,
3. Child Behavior Checklist, and the
4. Beck Depression Inventory.

Projective test: Projective tests allow the free type of response it’s not restricted like the objective test. An example of a projective test is the Rorschach test.

Various personality tests have been initiated to determine an individual’s behavior, in response to certain conditions and how they may be affected by the environment surrounding them, or the circumstance they go through. These tests may distinguish between the values and attitudes of individuals. The tests that are carried out may be either objective or projective. The projective tests are taken to determine personality traits and cause an individual to project to the various methods employed in the testing, like drawing or completing a sentence.

The projective test uses the inkblot method that dates back to 1921. Also named the Rorschach, this is the most efficient way of studying the behavior of an individual, by showing him images and making them say aloud the first word that comes to the mind upon viewing the inkblots. Such methods of personality testing help individuals in their daily lives, and also make a difference in the careers that are being built (Kaplan & Saccuzzo, 2009).

The objective personality test that can be employed in many cases, apart from the many others available, is the California Psychological Inventory, or CPI. This test claims to be more ‘positive’ than the other tests such as the MMPI or 16 PF. It is used specifically for behavioral tendencies such as self-control and self-acceptance, in education, vocation, or counseling (Objective Personality Tests).

The tests proposed for conduction are highly commendable, reliable, and have popularly been in use to assess the behavior differences of individuals. The Rorschach is known to be the best projective test, and the MMPI is the best objective test to study personality traits. However, the CPI used in objective testing gives better results at times.

The Rorschach test is used for the behavior disorders schizophrenic patients go through. The main aim of this test is to get into account what the subconscious of the individual possesses. Objective tests like the CPI, tend to be economical compared to the projective ones and can be carried out individually by patients themselves (Lain, 2007).

One of the main ethical issues that may arise while taking the personality tests could be the ill-feeling of the suspect when he sees he is being tested for his mental capacity, which may cause an inferiority complex in him. It may be made clear at the time of the testing that due to the auditory hallucinations that Mr. H was experiencing, it had become necessary to undertake such tests because he had committed an unforgivable crime. Thus it was necessary to evaluate his mental conditions thoroughly.

We can understand a person in that mind and self with relation to the body makes a physical person. In these terms a person is indeed irreducible and true, this view, however, can be made acquiescent with the idea of persons as physical beings. Therefore, mental properties are not only thought of as physical properties but the ‘self’ is also termed as the physical brain. The notion is based on the fact that mental properties give a transcendent view of self. Mental properties being considered as the only content of virtual objects, but since such objects do not exist, they do not pose any threat to physicalism. However, the self is a theoretical entity, which is a real sense represents a person’s identity and coalesce his mind. Consequently, self, being theoretical can be recognized with the brain. This clearly emphasizes that a person is an irreducible entity. Because self and mind cannot be destroyed, a person cannot be reduced in the image of self.

For example, in everyday speech, we identify particular things. According to Strawson, the Spatio-temporal framework is mandatory for the re-identification of mental states, this indicates that persons are recognized and defined in space and time, they are irreducible unitary particulars.

Every person is identifiable with certain characteristics which belong to him or her. Every person is just more that his/her gender, race, religion, and age group. He is a unique, irreducible human being and goes beyond any type of classification.

Everyone, who is sent to this world is unique, however, we are shaped by the environment in which we live, at all levels of our being. The environment around us has very deep effects on our personality; therefore, it has become a major source in which consciousness is defined. The environment constantly interacts with our beings and determines our nature.

However, one would think that knowing our-self is a simple matter. Everyone knows himself. A person refers to himself first by his name, features, character, height, weight, width, then his designation, and social relations. However, this is not essentiality, nor it defines the philosophy of self-nature. Man as other objects do, acquires space and time. Therefore, his usual view of himself as a human, as the man or a woman, as a friend and relative of different people, and other physical dimensions, etc., is to know himself as he knows any others in the world (Krishnananda, The Nature of The Self). Man is considered as an object rather than a subject. As he can perceive others in nature, he could be seen by others in space, as an object with physical dimensions. Therefore, because of sensual perception, he is not different from other objects of sense. However, the perception of oneself through the sense organs is not meant in the philosophy of “the nature of the self”. Because in that case, knowledge is limited to the sense organs. Here philosophers mean knowing one’s inner-self that cannot be viewed by others.

References

Benelli, Cecelia. (1995) Supporting young children’s motor skill development. Childhood Education. Web.

F. Philip Rice. Human Development: A Life-Span Approach (4th Edition):

Krishnananda, Swami. The Nature of The Self (Chapter VI).The Philosophy of Religion.

Mill, JS. ‘On Liberty’ and ‘Utilitarianism’.

Johnson, M.H. (2001) Functional Brain Development in Humans. Nature Reviews. Neuroscience. Vol 2 July 2001. Macmillan Magazines Ltd.

Myers, R. G. (1991) The Development Of Young Children: Why We Should Invest and Some Suggestions about What Can Be Done. A Discussion Paper was prepared for The Agency for International Development.

Report on Motor Skill Development. Center for Early Education and Development.

Wade, M.G. (2004) Motor Skills, Play and Child Development: An Introduction. Web.

Gable, S. & Hunting, M. (2001) Nature, Nurture and Early Brain Development. GH6115, Web.

Objective Personality Tests. 2009. Web.

Lain. The Advantages and Disadvantages of Objective Personality Tests 2007. Web.

Projective Personality Tests Measure Your Sub-consciousness 2008. Web.

Kaplan, R. and Saccuzzo, D (2009) Psychological Testing: Principles, Application, and Issues. Belmont, CA. Wadsworth. Personality Description, Dynamics and Development. ISBN:0-7167-2825-7

Life Span Human Development 5th edition. ISBN: 0-534-55381-8

Social Psychology 8th edition. ISBN: 0-07-291694-x

Understanding Abnormal Behavior 6th edition.ISBN:0-395-95943-8

The nature vs. nurture debate has continued for many years. Analysts strongly believe that nature and nurture play different roles towards the development of many people. However, it is agreeable that the surrounding environment plays a major role towards determining the behavioral developments of many people. To begin with, nurture theory explains how the natural environment dictates the lives of more people.

The environmental experiences, observations, and influences will determine how a person develops new behaviors. Rewards can be used to motivate different individuals (Brown 12). Advocates of the nurture concept believe strongly that the natural environment reshapes the behaviors of many people. Experts have also observed that many identical twins brought up in different environments will exhibit different behaviors.

The nature theory supports the ultimate goal played by a person’s genetic makeup towards dictating his or her behaviors. Some psychologists have indicated that “a person’s genetic constitution will contribute a lot to his or her sexual orientation, dislikes, behaviors, and personality” (Brown 12). Some abusive behaviors and criminal acts are also associated with people’s genetic compositions. The best approach to resolve this controversy is to identify specific behaviors portrayed by different individuals. Such observations should also be analyzed depending on the person’s genetic composition (Strang and Kuhnert 3).

That being the case, people should consider the role played by the environment towards reshaping their experiences and behaviors. The undeniable fact is that many people develop specific behaviors based on their immediate environments. This knowledge will encourage more people to embrace the nurture theory.

Works Cited

Brown, Lillas. “Leading Leadership Development in Universities: A Personal Story.” Journal of Management Inquiry 1.1 (2001): 1-19. Print.

Strang, Sarah and Karl Kuhnert. “Personality and Leadership Developmental Levels as predictors of leader performance.” The Leadership Quarterly 1.1 (2009): 1-13. Print.

Introduction

Naturally, the entire human development must go through a series of steps, which have specific characteristics that define human beings. This makes it necessary for individuals to understand the human development process, a function that they can achieve using the human lifespan perspective. The human development perspective provides a method of understanding the primary changes undergone by normal human beings procedurally.

The understanding of such stages must take into consideration the effects of culture and other factors associated with the transformations. Lifespan development includes the entire processes that humans must go through, commencing immediately after fertilization of the female egg ending at death (WGBH Educational Foundation, 2001, p.1).

The process takes into consideration different characteristics occurring as a fetus progresses through different ages; such characteristics being the primary determinant of individuals’ levels of functioning.

Characteristics of Lifespan Development

The entire process involves three main stages namely: childhood, adolescence, adulthood. All these stages have different characteristics whereby, in normal development, they occur within specific periods (Smith, 2009, p.1).

One primary characteristic of the lifespan perspective is its multidimensional nature. That is, it has three main domains, namely the social, physical, and cognitive domains. To ensure there is a decrease and increase in developmental features, the perspective has multidirectional properties, which define developmental features at different ages. The second main characteristic of the lifelong perspective is plasticity.

This characteristic defines individuals ability to respond to different stimuli changes in their immediate surroundings. The lifelong perspective is never an age-stagnant process, but rather it is a continuous, accompanied by the development of different features in each stage. Another characteristic that makes the lifespan perspective unique is its multidisciplinary nature.

This makes it possible for individuals in different fields, for example, anthropology, science, and psychology to develop empirical studies, for, its better understanding. Because of the importance of all developmental stages, past occurrences are very crucial in understanding the process of human development hence, making the perspective to be a historical endeavor. Finally, because the context of occurrence of different activities is important in the human development process, the process is contextual.

That is, many characteristics such as an individual’s historical, cultural, social, and physical environment circumstances and specific physiological characteristics determine how individuals will react to different stimuli in their immediate environments (Rider & Sigelman, 2009, pp. 9-20 and Boyd & Bee, 2006, p.6).

Developmental Domains

To understand fully the human development process, researchers use three main domains, namely: the social, physical, and cognitive domain. The social domain primarily centers on the nature of relationships that exist between human beings as they interact daily, their personalities, and interaction capabilities. The second domain is the physical domain, which primarily centers on individuals physical developments that include their size, height, and general body physique.

To understand such features, research in this area must endeavor to understand these changes on an age basis, and the nature of perceptions developed by different individuals as their body make physiques change. In, addition to understand individuals thinking mechanisms, memorizing abilities, and their overall decision-making process at different ages, researchers use a third domain called the cognitive domain. This domain primarily centers on the functioning of the human brain (Rider & Sigelman, 2009, pp.140-212).

Human Development Periods

Because of the continuous nature of the human development process, all human beings must go through a series of eight stages, which include prenatal, early, middle, and late childhood. After going through these childhood stages, individuals move to another level of development, with four more stages, namely adolescence, early, middle, and late adulthood. In the prenatal stage, children undergo changes, which define their trust or mistrust, determined by the presence or absence of caretakers or specific experiences.

Completion of this stage ushers the second stage, which occurs in children of ages 1-3 (early childhood), defined by children’s ability to develop autonomy or uncertainty characteristics. Also, in this stage, children will acquire specific physical potentialities. In the middle childhood stage (between age three and six), children will develop goal-directed behaviors; hence, initiative versus guilt.

Such goal-directed behaviors lead to the late adulthood stage, defined by learning more knowledge from cultural and educational perspectives. Age 12 marks the onset of adolescence, a stage defined by the development of a sense of worth and improved decision-making abilities; hence, changes in individuals’ views on life occurrences. Such changes lead to another stage; intimacy versus isolation (early adulthood), a stage marked by the development of intimate affairs.

At age 30 (middle adulthood), individuals’ lives undergo a rapid transformation because most individuals will have ventured into raising families. In addition to raising families, individuals will become serious in their careers as they endeavor to see their families succeed. Late adulthood is characterized by wisdom, misery, or self-acceptance, depending on an individual’s achievements; hence, defining individuals’ level of satisfaction (Hernandez, 2008, p.3).

Contemporary Concerns

The lifespan perspective has many associated concerns some of which include the biological standpoint, continuity versus discontinuity, and behavior genetics. Behavior genetics goes hand in hand with nurture versus nurture and it primarily centers on the roles played by hereditary differences, as children inherit their parent’s characteristics. Also, it helps to understand the role played by an individual’s surrounding in shaping personal traits (Boyd & Bee, 2006, p.8).

Continuity versus discontinuity tries to understand the role played by relationship development (in terms of age) on trait development. On the other hand, biological standpoints are of two forms, namely ethology and ecology. The former emphasizes the importance of natural selection in trait evolution, whereas the latter emphasizes the importance of encoding of behaviors in individuals, as one of the main survival techniques (p.39).

Conclusion

In conclusion, change in many aspects of human development is inevitable; hence, it is important for all individuals to understand the human development process. Such understanding is important in encoding and decoding occurrences in one’s environments; hence, guaranteeing the development of good relationships.

Reference List

Boyd, D., & Bee, H. (2006). Lifespan development (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Hernandez, C. (2008). Lifespan perspective on human development. Associated Content. Web.

Rider, E. A., & Sigelman, C. K. (2009). Lifespan development. Belmont: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Web.

Smith, M. (2009). Life span development and lifelong learning. Web.

WGBH Educational Foundation. (2001). Lifespan development. WGBH. Web.

Introduction

There are four main systems that promote human development and influence human possibilities and awareness of the world around. Each variable in the system affects a child’s life and development of values and beliefs. My life is the combination of four main elements: my family, the interactions with people around, the surroundings, and cultural values developed by people.

Microsystem

The microsystem has a positive influence on a person because it creates the required number of opportunities, social support, and examples that help to become a personality. I was born in one of the most beautiful places in the world, the coastal province of China, Guangdong. I have a good family including my grandparents, parents, and three brothers. Though I spent the most of my life in boarding schools, my caregivers provided me with the required portion of support and understanding. My friends helped to realize and develop my passion to soccer and books. Besides, I find it interesting to watch movies and make photographs and discuss others’ opinions. The main influences of this system vary considerably. I realize that, being a part of the microsystem, a child learns how to develop appropriate

1. social relations,
2. participate in activities,
3. improve and recognize cognitive skills,
4. develop physical skills,
5. understand personal success and failure,
6. create a number of values,
7. observe the examples of other people,
8. classify treatments,
9. make conclusions,
10. realize what steps should be taken at the moment.

Mesosystem

The mesosystem includes the interactions between people in my life. Indirect influences could be observed: the creation of opportunities, social support, examples, success and failures of other people, and the events that change human lives.

Exosystem

The exosystem is the combination of all settings and places a person could exist in. A boarding kindergarten and schools have a significant impact on me. I learned how to

1. survive under certain conditions,
2. co-exist with different people,
3. use my skills and knowledge,
4. share and prove my opinion,
5. make friends,
6. treat enemies,
7. choose phrases,
8. organize personal time,
9. deal with social isolation,
10. neglect the threats of social interactions with the help of hobbies and personal interests.

I like the way I was educated and treated by parents. I think that children have to be put in certain surrounding and learn how to deal with all types of situations regarding personal abilities and the possibilities to ask for help or some piece of advice.

Macrosystem

Finally, there is the macrosystem that defines the cultural environment a person has to live in and deal with its influences. Though this system is abstract, its influences cannot be neglected because they touch upon the development of

1. personal values,
2. explanation of beliefs and expectations,
3. understanding of religion,
4. following the governmental rules and standards,
5. combination of education and income,
6. spiritual development,
7. socio-economic status,
8. evaluation of past and present issues,
9. importance of future achievements,
10. clarification of the goals that make a life complete.

Interactions between Systems

Each system of this impressive chronosystem has its role on a person. The interrelations between these systems provide a person with a chance to understand how to organize personal thoughts, create goals, and take the steps that correspond to the social standards and expectations. As soon as a person understands the peculiarities of one system, it is easy to cope with the challenges of another system and achieve success as the part of the chronosystem.

Patient X is a 66-year-old male adult who resides in Dublin. He divorced his wife five years ago and is currently living alone. Mr. X is also a father of two children – a boy and a girl. Both of his children are married and currently reside away from home. Mr. X is a farmer dealing in rearing beef cattle. He is also a former military personnel who fought in many battles during his younger years. Mr. X suffers from hypertension and diabetes mellitus and receives treatment from a local hospital.

The data collection method that would be used to gather the relevant information is interviewing patient X utilizing a prepared questionnaire. It is essential that the survey is analyzed using clear and straightforward language since it will ensure that the patient has a clear comprehension of the questions for accurate responses.

Psychological Needs of the Elderly

Individuals at the old age stage of life have several needs concerning their deteriorating health and mental concerns. According to the developmental stages by Erik Erikson, the elderly phase in life is linked with crises over integrity vs. despair (Antypas and Kirkevold, 2020). A sense of fulfillment and accomplishment is felt by those people who believe that they had a significant positive impact on the world. On the other hand, people who feel that they did not realize their potential tend to have despair. Erickson argued that the less desirable goals during the developmental stages manifest themselves in people who do not feel a sense of accomplishment (Antypas and Kirkevold, 2020).

For instance, geriatrics may have a mistrust of their judgment (trust vs. mistrust) or have self-doubt about their abilities compared to others (industry vs. inferiority) (Antypas and Kirkevold, 2020). Therefore, the needs among older adults emerge from the unaccomplished goals during development phases and may include a requirement for intimacy and support in meeting their physiological needs.

Furthermore, aging adults require a sense of love and belonging. Most individuals have experienced losing their close people at this stage of life through deaths and separation or divorce. Therefore, the elderly are in need of a sense of love and belonging from their friends and family members. Moreover, according to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, senior adults want to feel respected by their peers, have self-confidence, and be accepted by others. Old age is when the elderly tend to feel accomplished to achieve their self-esteem needs (Gudynas, 2019). Finally, the fulfillment of the geriatrics’ self-actualization needs relates to having a satisfactory feeling. Old age is the pinnacle of life, the elderly look back on their lives and assess whether they have accomplished their goals to achieve personal fulfillment.

Strategies for Meeting the Needs of the Elderly

Family Support

Various stakeholders in society have essential roles in ensuring that older adults attain their needs. First, family members should help the aged meet their physiological needs including food, shelter, and clothing. The elderly may have special nutritional requirements due to their deteriorating health; therefore, family members must ensure that the aged receive nutritious meals. The community and the church have a role in providing older adults with avenues to meet and interact (Antypas and Kirkevold, 2020). These interactions will develop a sense of belonging among the aged individuals. Engagement in meaningful interactions enables the elderly to remain active to sustain healthy mental and physical well-being.

Government Support

Government and public health nurses can provide additional social support to older adults. The government needs to implement affordable insurance packages for the aged. These guarantees would help the elderly meet their physiological needs for sufficient functioning. The government of Ireland also provides the aged with employment opportunities that fit their lifestyle and teaches them new skills. Through working or volunteering, the seniors can also meet their financial needs.

The government provides social security funds to the elderly to alleviate the risks of insufficient finances. On the other hand, nurses must help the aged during daily activities such as eating, bathing, repositioning from the bed, visiting the restroom, and getting adequate rest (Noltemeyer et al., 2020). Nurses also have a role in promoting the seniors’ safety by providing assistive devices for walking, raising side rails of the bed to prevent falls, and offering psychological support to the elderly.

Competencies for Working with the Elderly

Working with the aged is challenging, and it requires a particular skill set to function effectively. Communication techniques required in working with the aged include giving instructions slowly and repeating them frequently because older adults might have memory disruptions. Caregivers should make sure that they articulate their words well to be understood clearly. They should also learn body language techniques to convey messages. Communication with the aged involves actively listening to understand their desires. Comprehending the needs of the elderly is the first step towards effective management.

Empathy skills are necessary to enable the caregiver to understand the problems of older adults better (Antypas and Kirkevold, 2020). Other essential abilities are a keen sense of observation to capture the medical needs of the patient and mindfulness to analyze the interventions.

Maslow’s Hierarchy

Unmet developmental needs have profound mental and physical consequences to the client. According to Maslow, unrealized desires at any stage of development may result in anxiety and personality disorders that may manifest later in life. When basic physiological needs are not met, an individual may become sick or even face lethal consequences. Such patterns also impact their health promotion and health-seeking behaviors.

Individuals whose safety needs are not met may have post-traumatic stress disorder in cases of engagement in traumatizing activities such as warfare (Gudynas, 2019). Difficulties in securing companions or a sense of belonging may lead to depression resulting in withdrawal from society. Vast differences between how a person perceives himself or herself and how others view them may result in anxiety. The resolution of the unmet needs will allow for a better rehabilitation process.

Psychological Models as a Method for Meeting Needs of the Elderly

Old age is characterized by several mental problems which may require interventions through psychological models. Some of the emotional needs during old age include the desire to be loved, relief of unpleasant insomnia, and an urge to be respected. A community health worker is to adopt sympathetic, caring, and supportive beliefs and attitudes to identify the needs of the elderly. Compelling listening skills and communication values are also relevant in addressing the needs of older adults.

These problems require prompt interventions from psychologists and other healthcare personnel due to the detrimental health implications that may accompany them, including the risk of suicide. One of the successful solutions for these disorders among the elderly is the implementation of the cognitive model. This framework emphasizes addressing the deficiencies in memory, perception, attention, and decision-making in solving psychological problems (Biering, 2019).

However, other psychological models such as the biological framework focus on the treatment of mental issues with drugs which may result in the reoccurrence of the problem once the patient completes the pharmacotherapy. Hence, the biological model may be an unsuccessful framework for solving old age issues. The appropriate time to address the needs of the elderly is when the problem manifests, then there is a high chance to cope with it. I would seek an appointment with the appropriate person to present the patient’s needs.

Reference List

Antypas, K. and Kirkevold, M. (2020) ‘Structure evaluation of the implementation of geriatric models in primary care: a multiple-case study of models involving advanced geriatric nurses in five municipalities in Norway’, BMC Health Services Research, 20(749), pp. 1-16. Web.

Biering, P. (2019) ‘Helpful approaches to older people experiencing mental health problems: a critical review of models of mental health care’. European Journal of Ageing, 16(2), pp. 215-225. Web.

Gudynas, E. (2019) ‘Value, growth, development: South American lessons for a new ecopolitics’, Capitalism Nature Socialism, 30(2), pp. 234-243. Web.

Noltemeyer, A., James, A.G., Bush, K., Bergen, D., Barrios, V. and Patton, J. (2012) ‘The relationship between deficiency needs and growth needs: The continuing investigation of Maslow’s theory’, Child & Youth Services, 34(9), pp. 1-19. Web.

Questionnaire

• What is your age? (in years) …………………………………….
• Do you have a spouse?
  • Yes
  • No
• How many children do you have?
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4 or more
• Where do you stay?
  • Home
  • Nursing home
  • Other
• Do you have any pre-existing health conditions?
  • Yes
  • No
  • If yes, state the disease……………….
• Do you feel like you have accomplished all your life goals?
  • Yes
  • No
• Which one of the following is the most essential need according to you?
  • Physiological needs, e.g., hunger, thirst, sleep;
  • Realization of your desires;
  • Need for love, affection, family, friends, and sense of belonging;
  • Respect and approval from other persons.

Introduction

The study examines sexual behaviors among adolescents as an important aspect of human development. The nature of sexual behaviors that adolescents exhibit has great importance to psychology because they shape the lifespan development of people. In the adolescence period, children transition from childhood into adulthood for the adolescence enables them to understand sex and sexuality as an integral component of human development. During adolescence, parents face enormous challenges as children acquire sexual information from different people and social environments, thus predisposing them to sexual activities that threaten their lives.

According to Crockett, Raffaelli, and Moilanen (2003), adolescents face challenges such as “adjusting to the altered appearance and functioning of the sexually maturing body, learning to deal with sexual desires, confronting sexual attitudes and values, experimenting with sexual behaviors, and integrating these feelings, attitudes, and experiences into a developing sense of self” (p. 371). Given these numerous challenges, it is necessary to learn where adolescents derive sexual information during adolescence. Therefore, this research proposal seeks to determine various social environments where children derive sexual information as they grow during adolescence.

Statement of the Problem

Children experience great challenges during adolescence regarding their sexuality. During adolescence, children exhibit sexual behaviors such as erotic fantasy, masturbation, girl-boy relationships, experimental sex, and sexual intercourse (Crockett, Raffaelli, & Moilanen, 2008). How children understand their sexuality influences their sexual behavior and human development. Since parents have the responsibility of guiding their children to undergo adolescence and understand their sexuality, various social environments also influence how children undergo adolescence period. Hence, understanding of various social environments where children obtain their sexual information is imperative because social environments have a profound influence on their sexual development.

Methodology

The study proposes to use a case study research design by researching about the sexual behaviors of adolescent children in a given school. A case study of sexual behaviors of adolescent children in a given school is appropriate because the school provides different social environments that influence sexual development among children. The independent variable of the research is the age of the participants, while the dependent variables are different social environments that children derive sexual information that influences their sexual development.

Social environments include parents, siblings, peers, teachers, relatives, and strangers. The case study of where children obtain their sexual information under these social environments will indicate what people have a significant influence on sexual development among children. The advantage of the case study research design is that it allows both inductive and reductive approaches in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data (Lloyd-Jones, 2003). In this view, the study of the sexual behaviors among adolescents requires deductive and inductive reasoning for the researchers to derive relevant information from the participants.

Population

The study will perform research on children in a given school who have the ages of 12 to 18 years. Children under this age bracket are suitable participants of the study because they are within the adolescence period. Since children under the adolescence period derive sexual information from different social backgrounds, the school provides a social environment where children can freely share information about their sexual experiences.

Sampling Technique

In the sampling of participants, the study will target children who are in the adolescence. The study will select 100 pupils from a given school using a simple random sampling technique. Simple random sampling is advantageous because it reduces the business of selection and enhances the external validity of the data generated (Levy & Lemeshow, 2011). For the sake of gender balance, the study will select 50 male and 50 female pupils who will participate in the study.

Research Instruments

In the case study, the research will utilize questionnaires to collect information from the participants. The questionnaires will have questions regarding how participants have gained sexual information or experienced sexual activities, which have shaped their understanding of sexuality and the development of certain sexual behaviors. To derive relevant information, the questionnaires will contain both closed and open-ended questions that the participants can easily understand and answer appropriately.

Data Collection Procedure

The researchers will administer questionnaires to the participants in their classrooms. Prior to the administration of questionnaires, researchers will discuss with the participants concerning sexual behaviors and the essence of the research. Moreover, the researchers will dispel reservations that participants may have regarding the use of data in other purposes apart from research purposes and provide assurance of confidentiality.

Time Frame

Conclusion

Sexual behaviors among adolescents have a significant impact on their sexual development. Since social environments influence how adolescents develop, the study seeks to establish if parents, siblings, peers, teachers, relatives, and strangers have a significant influence on sexual behavior. A case study of a certain school and the use of questionnaires as research instruments are central in the study. Moreover, the researchers will adhere to ethical principles of research as well as perform the study within a period of two months.

References

Crockett, J., Raffaelli, M., & Moilanen, L. (2003). Adolescent Sexuality: Behavior and Meaning. In G. R. Adams & M. D. Berzonsky (Eds.), Blackwell Handbook of Adolescence (pp. 371-392). Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Levy, P., & Lemeshow, S. (2011). Sampling of Populations: Methods and Applications. New York: John Wiley & Sons.

Lloyd-Jones, G. (2003). Design and Control Issues in Qualitative Case Study Research. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 2(2), 1-19.

Introduction

Though human health is critical in societal growth, human development has been facing insistent challenges for a long time. For instance, HDR (2015) accentuates that unending poverty, inequalities, climate change, and challenges resulting from the lack of environmental sustainability significantly hamper human development. Eventually, employees fail to give their best in their workplaces, thus leaving their potentials unutilized. Many youths, women, and persons living with mental disorders are disadvantaged, consequently turning out to be an eminent setback in human development. If all human potential is fully tapped and earnestly utilized using efficient approaches and procedures, human life would be bettered and eventually heighten the fight against human development challenges. WHOQOL-BREF, McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire-Expanded, Mental Status Examinations, and Clinical Interviews effectively assess the mental health status. Judiciary, government, medical and religious institutions play a significant role in assisting people living with mental disorders.

The working environment plays a significant role in the improvement of human life. For instance, workers in risky workplaces are susceptible to being abused, losing their lives, losing identity and autonomy (HDR, 2015). Though technological advancement has brought about various achievements in society, it has attracted an equal measure of disadvantages such as reduction of workers, short-term contracts, thus adversely affecting the mental development of human beings. According to WHO (2013), mental health is a crucial part of the healthy development of a human being. Health encompasses the mental, social and physical status of a human being and does not necessarily focus on the absence of diseases. Mental health is highly affected by different socioeconomic aspects that need concentration for improvement, prevention, treatment, and healing. It is worth noting that human development cannot isolate the mental well-being of human beings since the former plays a significant role and needs adequate attention.

Consequently, the aspects and parameters entailing the patient’s mental status in San Antonio, TX, are considered. Different evaluations to determine the risk and severity the patient has on mental disorders are carried out. Telemedical services were done using Zoom and psychiatric services provided by Doxy healthcare. The whole exercise calls for direct, indirect, and observable approaches that amount to more effective mental health development and recommendation to the client.

Summary of Experience

The patient participated in the assessment voluntarily. The evaluation of the patient entailed the use of WHOQOL-BREF, which involved the subjective examination based on the cultural, environmental, and social perspectives. The WHOQOL-BREF was applicable since it gives an exhaustive review of a patient’s quality of life. However, the approach can occasionally be tedious owing to its practicability due to its length. The tool was effective since it could help provide comprehensive results based on the patient’s domain levels. The questions remained in the order they appeared in the original WHOQOL-BREF. Instructions and headers were to remain unaltered too. The WHOQOL-BREF yearns to help medical practitioners to make the right judgments on the aspects of the disease.

The Wesley was requested to fill in a McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire-Expanded (MQOL-Expanded), which had eight items that were significant in giving more information about the patient for better assessment. The response of the patient was anchored on an 11-point scale that ranged from 0 to 10. The MQOL-Expanded was admissible since it could also give a holistic identification of the quality of life of a patient who has a mental disorder. The assessment also evaluated primary life domains (feelings such as the burden, healthcare, cognition, and environment) and their relationship with the commonly considered ones (spiritual or existential, social, psychological, and physical).

The patient was also subjected to a mental status exam by Doxy healthcare. During the assessment, focused questions and observations were used to establish the health status of the patient. Though the results could have occurred in the context of a mental status examination, the whole process was such that it painted a clear picture of the patient based on appearance, cognition, thinking, and emotions. Indeed, information from a mental status exam can be combined with that of family and individual historical background help in the establishment of timely assistance to be accorded to the patient.

Mental Health Action Plan

Principles Guiding the implementation of Health Action Plan

People with mental disorders deserve medical attention regardless of their social status. According to WHO (2013), persons with mental challenges deserve essential medical and social services. The services offered to these people must not be based on their race, ethnicity, age, gender, or status in society but must be in line with the principles of equity. People with disabilities must be allowed to access medical services without being exploited. Still, the community must give them opportunities to recuperate and attain the highest possible levels of health improvement. Wesley, who happens to be grappling with a mental disorder, needs to be given access to medical and social attention without looking at his daunting background.

Furthermore, Wesley feels worthless because he has nobody to call a parent and only depends on a meagre salary from his accounting job. Services accorded to Wesley must not be based on his financial status since his salary cannot sustain him and still cater for his medical services. Social services rendered to him must not be dependent on his racial group bearing in mind that he is of an African American race. Wesley, a divorcee, has the right to access medical services now that he is still trying to come to terms with his broken marriage. The church leaders are doing their best to ensure that Wesley feels well accommodated among the church members and workplace and is under continuous monitoring by the church pastor and manager. The psychiatrist, from Doxy Medicare, offering services to Wesley, is conscious that medical services rendered to the patient are not supposed to be based on the patient’s socioeconomic status but with equity. The church, workplace, and psychiatrist are doing their due diligence in ensuring that Wesley gets the necessary support regardless of his daunting background.

Human Rights

As a person with a mental disorder, Wesley must access all human rights under the dictates of the laws protecting people with disabilities. The medical and social interventions accorded to Wesley must be as per the Conventions on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (WHO, 2013). Wesley is in dilapidated health status and is unconscious of his rights as a patient with a mental disorder. Wesley must be given medical attention without being discriminated against based on his medical situation. The patient must get the necessary assistance to help him live independently in society by offering necessary help without discrimination. Wesley has a right to an inclusive education system to improve his life by furthering his studies. The rights for people with mental disorders are congruent to those living with disabilities. Thus, Wesley must have access to rights safeguarding people with mental illnesses to help him have an independent life while accessing an inclusive education system.

Additionally, Wesley needs protection against all forms of mistreatment. Wesley must be protected against exploiters since he has a mental disorder and lacks sufficient reasoning capabilities to discerning any hazardous ploy meant to exploit him. The patient needs protection from scammers who might lure him and defraud him his few resources. He also needs shielding from exploitation at his workplace and in his community. It is imperative to inform those around Wesley to protect him from abuse and violence. Since he suffers from mental challenges, some of his decisions and actions might be irrational and agitate those around him. Thus, he needs protection from being assaulted. Since Wesley has a mental disorder, he must be protected from being attacked, abused, and exploited.

Evidence-Based Practice

The medical support offered to Wesley must be in line with scientific backing and cultural considerations. According to WHO (2013), mental health approaches and interventions, when offering treatment and prevention services to a patient, must have scientific research backing. For a practice to be deemed ethical, it is imperative to have it having a basis on relevant research data (Cook et al., 2017). The medical attention offered to Wesley must not be dependent on the personal opinion of the service provider but the strict guidance of the research-driven evidence. The psychiatrist from Doxy telecare must use evidence-based psychotherapy when treating Wesley and reduce the opinion-based prejudice of only revisiting the “success.” Evidence-based mental services will help the psychiatrist identify the appropriate decisions and medical tools when making critical medical decisions, especially in a societal-based setting. Evidence-based therapy will significantly help in administering ethical assistance to Wesley and minimize opinion-based biasedness in medication.

Additionally, applying evidence-based strategies in mental therapy is reasonable since it makes medications critically appraised before use. When offering treatment to a patient, applying an evidence-based framework makes it possible for the psychiatrist to critically analyze relevant, accessible data and make its appropriate application to the individual patient (Cook et al., 2017). Evidence that has been well censored and fully comprehended can help relevant service providers understand how to serve their patients better. The evidence-based approach applies to medical practitioners and cuts across all the stakeholders who can help improve the living standards of Wesley. Therefore, an evidence-based strategy from all stakeholders, notwithstanding the society and church at large, will help in offering ethical attention to Wesley and alleviate his dilapidated state.

Life Course Approach

The support offered to people suffering from mental disorders must consider the patients’ medical and social needs. The services provided to patients suffering from mental disorders must focus on their medical and social development (WHO, 2013). Wesley was advised to resume attending church services as a way to help him augment his social development. At the church, Wesley has been able to meet and make new friends who prove to be of great significance in making him feel valued in society. The church pastor has also decided to host him for close monitoring, and spiritual guidance to better prepare him to face life. The youth programs in the church will help Wesley develop an optimistic perspective towards his life and eventually recuperate. Consequently, the church offers spiritual guidance and a socialization platform paramount to Wesley’s health improvement.

Mental health services offered to Wesley must be sustainable throughout his life. The psychiatrist assigned to providing medical attention to Wesley has vast experience in handling mental health issues. The psychiatrist is also helping the patient improve his health status for a bright future. The patient is offered therapy that will help him deal with future uncertainties. Wesley has also been encouraged to join an undergraduate course in accounting to help him bolster his career. During the medical therapy, the patient is served with a suitable dosage that will fasten his recuperation without necessarily using a lot of money. Therefore, the medical attention offered to Wesley is meant to help him improve his health currently and in the future.

Multisectoral Approach

The mental assistance offered to Wesley must be well-coordinated by involving relevant organizations and partners. According to WHO (2013), all policies or strategies must be a concerted effort between all relevant bodies such as judicial, housing, medical, social, and employment sectors. For instance, housing, employment, and judicial sectors will provide the patient with contacts to greener areas, healthy life, and better living conditions that will help in the improvement of his mental health. Education, government, and medical sectors will offer evidence-based strategies that will help improve the patient’s socio-emotional intelligence. The latter will help create awareness on the need to fight stigmatization on patients suffering from mental disorders through mental health literacy programs while guiding society about the valuable efforts that need implementation. Therefore, the government, medical, judiciary, employment, and housing sectors play a significant role in administering medical attention to Wesley.

Judicial and social welfare sectors offer protection to patients suffering from mental disorders. Social welfare and judiciary sectors assist people suffering from mental illnesses by giving them legal protection and social support (in cases of financial difficulties). The abovementioned organizations will shield Wesley from being mistreated or discriminated against at his workplace or in the community since he will have legal service catered for by the organizations. In case of financial difficulties, the social welfare sector will help Wesley access financial assistance for his medical and other expenses. Judiciary, social welfare, and medical sectors will help formulate policies and legislation to help patients suffering from mental disorders. The abovementioned guidelines adhere to the United Nations Convention about the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and different organizations that advocate for human rights. Indeed, the judiciary, medical, and social welfare will play a significant role by offering legal assistance and financial support to Wesley.

Empowerment of Patients Suffering from Mental Disorders

People with mental disorders, just like others, need empowerment and incorporation in various activities within society. According to WHO (2013), a person with a mental illness, like the case of Wesley, needs to be accorded opportunities that will make him empowered and self-reliant. Persons living with mental disorders usually have low self-esteem, and for that matter, Wesley needs empowerment to help him believe in himself. Physical activities such as gym, soccer, and running can serve better in helping him divert attention from his agonies. There is a need to incorporate the disabled people’s groups to plan and implement all laws and policies that affect people with mental disorders. By doing so, Wesley and other people with such a disability will be empowered, making them more productive in the long run. Policies must be set to offer empowerment to people living with mental challenges to help the likes of Wesley be motivated in whatever they do for their living.

There is a need to encourage Wesley to be informed of all legal rights enshrined to people living with mental problems. By being familiar with all the laws about his mental health status, Wesley will know when to seek legal redress should his rights be infringed. Empowerment also entails recognition and enforcement of rights associated with people with mental disorders in helping them lead independent lives and look for better ways of assimilating Wesley into the community. The church is a better way of incorporating Wesley into a community that will always yearn to help him improve his health status. Wesley and other people suffering from mental disorders must be allowed to access better jobs and competitive remuneration. Social security policies will help to safeguard Wesley’s income by helping him manage his finances wisely. There is also a need to allow Wesley to have access to higher education, such as an undergraduate degree in accounting, to help him be more empowered for better job opportunities. Better structures need to be set aside to help Wesley access educational support, legal security, financial guidance, and assimilation into society.

Verification

Wesley’s self-report shows that he is feeling better after being embraced by the church fraternity. He is actively involved in youth ministry activities, enabling him to meet and make new friends that encourage him. The church pastor, where the patient fellowships, confirms that they have rolled out a plan to offer relevant assistance to Wesley and other people who have a mental illness to help them recover and start a new life. The patient has received three emails from the Doxy healthcare facilities indicating the progress of the psychiatrist treatment. He has another appointment with the psychiatrist after three days.

Summary of the Options and Actions for the Execution of Mental Health Plan

Human health is worth augmenting in the quest for improved human development. Socio-economical inequalities, climatic change, and environmental unsustainability in society hamper human growth. The abovementioned challenges make people develop psychological challenges, and if care is not taken in advance, these people get depressed, thus facing mental disorders. This study shows that people suffering from mental illnesses are unproductive at work and need speedy medical attention. In the case study, Wesley was significantly depressed and always felt that his life was worthless. Clinical interview, mental status examination, McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire-Expanded, WHOQOL-BREF are admissible in establishing patients’ mental health status.

Exclusionary and Intercultural Barriers

Based on his current level of study, Wesley does not have the edge over others when looking for a better job. Wesley’s salary is not sufficient to allow him further his accounting course. The patient also states that his lack of finances incapacitates him from accessing some medical prescriptions. Wesley is also skeptical about his integration into the community, fearing that he will be racially discriminated against now that he is an African American.

Cognitive Reaction

From Wesley’s scenario, it is clear that many people have mental illness and are not aware of where to seek help in society. Such patients suffer physically, financially, and psychologically in isolation and, to the extremes, commit suicide. Wesley only knew that the best solution was relocating to his friend’s house for consolation. There is a need for health service providers to make their services more affordable by looking for financiers that can help offset some of their patients’ bills. Healthcare service providers must dedicate their time to improve patients’ physical health and give them suitable referrals where necessary. During the assessment, I was interested to know what caused Wesley to have a low score in WHOQOL-BREF. He stated that his place of residence was not conducive to him since he is an introvert. He said that he struggled to cope with the new environment at his friend’s house, thus the low score.

Emotional Reaction

During the assessment, I felt empathy for Wesley as he narrated all he had been undergoing. I wondered how many such unreported cases are in society and how many lives of young people have been lost due to lack of access to counseling services. Patients suffering from mental disorders must have access to health care without any exploitation regardless of their socioeconomic status. The patients must be protected by law against victimization. The church has a significant role in uplifting an individual’s spiritual needs and emotional intelligence, as in Wesley’s case. People should seek assistance when emotionally distressed as a way to reduce such detrimental cases of mental sickness. Society has a cardinal obligation of identifying people suffering emotionally and link them to the appropriate assistance.

References

Cook, S. C., Schwartz, A. C., & Kaslow, N. J. (2017). Evidence-based psychotherapy: Advantages and challenges. Neurotherapeutics, 14, 537-547. Web.

HDR. Human development report 2015. United Nations Development Programme. Web.

WHO. Mental health action plan 2013-2020. World Health Organization. Web.

Statement for the reviewed book: “Human Development and Faith” helps combine two fields of knowledge — theology, and psychology. The authors explore how faith and social environment can contribute to the individual’s sense of meaning at each stage of development.

Introduction

This book review’s focus is a work by Felicity Kelcourse, a book titled “Human Development and Faith.” This work’s central theme is the inspection of the interdisciplinary field of pastoral psychology, which is helpful since this domain does not yet have an established theory or methodology for how pastors should approach counseling of their congregations. As a result, this book is a combination of the author’s own experience as a pastoral counselor and some underlying theories of human development and the contribution that families and communities make towards it. Kelcouse is qualified to write on this subject because of her academic and pastoral background. The authors who provided their essays to this editor also have a religious or psychology work background. “Human Development and Faith” by Kelcourse help one explore the context of human development, the specifics of each stage from the perspective of social psychology and development theories, and how faith can contribute to one’s life.

Author’s Qualifications

“Human Development and Faith” is a book about developing a person considered through varied perspectives. It incorporates the development of body, mind, and soul as well as the impact that family and community have on an individual, making it an interdisciplinary work that requires exploration by professionals who have academic and practical experience of working in these fields. Although Kelcouse is mentioned as the main contributor to the “Human Development and Faith,” she is not a sole writer, hence, both her qualifications and those of other contributors must be considered when evaluating the content of this book. Felicity Kelcource is an academic, working as a director of a Pastoral Program at Indiana University (Kelcource, 1). As mentioned in the first paragraph of this book, the author aids people by offering pastoral psychotherapy consultations, which implies that she has a background not only in religious studies by in psychotherapy as well.

Practical work as a pastor, professor, and counselor is a central element of Kelcourse’s qualifications. As a Quaker minister, she has severed in multiple ministries in the United States abroad (Kelcourse, 1). Finally, another factor that proves that this author is qualified to provide advice in this book is that she co-wrote and co-edited several other publications on human psychology and faith. This shows that Kelcourse knows the theories of human development, Jungian psychology, Freud’s theory, Erikson’s stages of development, and other theories that help explain how people go through different stages of life. Therefore, the author and editor of this book is an academic with experience in teaching and providing counseling and writing other publications on similar topics. This means that the material in this book was prepared and reviewed by a professional with a theoretical background and practical experience.

Apart from Kelcource, this bok features excerpts from multiple works by other authors, all of which are unified by a single purpose — to integrate faith into the understanding of human development. This means that the content was reviewed by peers, further proving its validity. Hence, this book is a good source of information on human development, with the main focus on spiritual growth and how it impacts individuals. In total, sixteen authors were included in this book (Kelcouse, XVII). Wimberly, who is a Pastoral Professor at the Interdenominational Theological Centre in Atlanta, Senter, who is a licensed clinician with over 25 years of practical experience or Gibson, who is a pastoral psychotherapist and has a diploma in Jungian psychotherapy. The other authors have similar qualifications, they work as either advisors, ministers, clinical specialists, or any adjacent fields of ministry or psychotherapy. Their experience and academic credentials contribute to the author’s belief that these individuals are qualified to write on the topic of pastoral psychology and human development. Therefore, the writers are eligible to write on this subject because they have practical experience in exploring human development in both theory and practice and experience contributing to their communities by working as pastors.

The premise for Writing this Book

The authors and the editor communicated the premise for writing this book in the Introduction section. When outlining the goal of the work, Kelcourse noted that “if human development describes the normative and hoped-for passages of life, then faith provides the necessary component of meaning, the foundational structures of experience and belief that allow us to weather the storms of change with fortitude and grace” (2). This means that the author aims to combine the theory of human development by exploring the most favorable conditions for it, with faith, as a way of finding meaning in life. As the author notes in the first part of the book, there are two central questions that will be answered (Kelcourse, 2). The first one is the sufficient conditions that aid in normal human development. The second question is the meaning of life in the context of its continuity, or what provides sense to people at different stages of development. Further, in this paragraph, Kelcourse outlines the fundamental concepts that are based on this work, such as human development as a process of unfolding one’s potential throughout the different stages of the lifespan (Kelcourse, 2). Therefore, Kelcourse explains the goal and premise of “Human Development and Faith” in the book’s introductory paragraph.

Proof of Premise

For an author, one way to prove the premise of their work is through the structure by organizing the material following the thesis statement for the book. In “Human Development and Faith,” Kelcouse proves the premise in the introductory Chapter titled “Overview of Chapters” (14). There, she explains the different sections of this book and the rationale for such division. In the Introduction, Kelcouse explains the human development lifecycle (14). Additionally, she includes a description of different dimensions of faith. The central idea here is that although people are born with innate characteristics, their environment, such as family and community, also shape their development. From a psychological perspective, three primary theories are applied: “depth psychology, cognitive-structural-constructive development theory, and family systems theory” (Kelcouse, 15). The author links each of the three theories to faith development, which proves the essential premise of this book — the connection between psychological and spiritual.

In the following chapters, the focus is on the family as a place where a person’s “self” is formed. For example, clinical psychology, Cooper-White explores the idea of culture affecting a person’s development, while acknowledging that with time, faith can reshape the individual’s beliefs and personal traits (Kelcouse, 20). Further proving the premise of this book, Kelcouse continues to briefly outline the subsequent chapters, including the ones that focus on the Freud’s stages of development and finishing with the exploration of an idea that “death is a loss of self” (Kelcouse, 19). This is notable since, ultimately, death is the final stage in human development, and the exploration of it and ways of integrating faith into one’s spirituality to overcome the fear of death is an important topic.

Some evidence proving that the authors were thorough in their research is the number of theories that Kelcouse and other authors present, apart from outlining their own experiences. For example, Chapters 5 to 13 cover the different stages of human development from infancy to adulthood. The authors present the material as ten stages of human development, based on Erick Eriksson’s theory of eight stages (Kelcourse, 15). Each chapter is accompanied by commentary that linked the religious experiences of the author and some advice on addressing each stage with faith in mind. Moreover, these chapters explore human development from different perspectives. For example, moral development is viewed through the superego, development of consciousness, faith, ethical discernment, and other integral parts of spiritual growth. Physical changes of one’s body are examined from the perspective of how biological evolution impacts the view of self, for example, the differences in the physical capacities of children and adults (Kelcourse, 16). The psychological changes, mainly the sense of psychological dependence and independence from one’s family and community, help explore one of the core questions of this book, which is the impact of others, as well as one’s setting in life from the perspective of time and culture.

Therefore, the author was thorough in her research because she collaborated with fifteen other academics and practitioners, explored the biological and psychological theories of human development, the theological premise of development, and the issue of faith development, as well as a critique of these theories. Moreover, the contributors to this book cite a variety of developmental and psychological theories, which means that their ideas are not based merely on their experience, but rather that they have managed to explore what has been found on this topic previously and how it can be combined with their knowledge of working as clinical specialists or pastors. Therefore, the authors covered a sufficient number of themes, demonstrating a thorough exploration of the topic.

New Truths and Conclusions

With this book, the author was able to expose me to new truths and cause me to rethink several conclusions that I had drawn previously. From the first section, Kelcouse exposes the reader that life implies continuous change, not only for an individual but also for a community. Previously, I believed that communities or environmental conditions have little effect on a person. Their desire to change and the ability to do so result from their efforts and commitment only. However, as Kelcouse notes, there are the “good enough” conditions, or the necessities for children, such as loving families and communities that enable their adequate development. Since human development is a complicated matter that implies not only the physical development of an individual but their moral, psychological and spiritual growth, it is essential to create an environment where these basic conditions are present, and one way to do this is for a pastor to guide their congregations and communities.

As the central premise is to teach people how to lead a more meaningful life, this book proved to me that faith is the central element of this journey. Kelcouse offers an explicit explanation of how life meaning is affected by faith by stating that it is “an attitude of trust and a way of finding meaning in life” (1). Additionally, I was able to educate myself better on the underlying theories. Some psychological theories have become well known to the general public. However, in this book, theories that are less popular were explored as well, for example, Kohlberg’s theory of moral reasoning. According to this framework, there are three distinct ways that people use to reason their choices: the pre-conventional, conventional, and post-conventional (Kellcourse, 43). These stages outline instances when a person does not distinguish right from wrong when they use the fear of punishment or an expectation of a reward based on their choice and the application of broad justice principles. This helps one understand that people may differ significantly in the way they perceive information and make choices because their reasoning strategies differ as well.

Therefore, this book uncovered some theories that I was unfamiliar with before, mainly some of the theories that guide modern-day psychology theory and practice. This helped me integrate my understanding of religious principles with the way different people view the world and make judgments regarding the morality of their actions. Moreover, it convinced me that religious texts contain the essential truths and moral principles that can help one live a better and more fulfilled life. For a pastoral counselor, this is a fundamental discovery because it helps explain certain events or actions by using scientific theory combined with religious texts.

A vital element of this book is the critique of theories, their justification, and some conclusions arising from these controversies that the authors present. For example, returning to Kohlberg’s theory of moral reasoning, not all of his assumptions were proven to be true by further research. This is connected to the initial design of the study that Goldberg used to make his assumptions, which was an interview with middle-class boys and men only (Kellcourse, 43). Moreover, there is an essential consideration in relation to culture since this study, similarly to many others that become the basis of the psychological theory, is based in western counties and therefore explores Western culture only, making it challenging to apply this theory in different contexts. However, as Kellcouse notes, this does not mean that Kohlberg’s approach is not correct. Instead, one should keep in mind the limitations and be open-minded when applying the theory in practice to ensure that some critical factors are not omitted due to blind adherence to theories and ignorance towards the practical implications. Therefore, this book opened some truths about the way different theories were developed and how one should use them with caution when counseling individuals because each idea has its set of limitations and assumptions that were proven to be untrue in research studies.

Controversial Statements

Although this book is of immense value, the author has made some controversial statements in it. As Kelcourse mentioned in the introduction to the book, “not all developmental theories attend to the inner lives of persons” (2). However, the psychological theories that the author explores, such as the one by Jung, aim to highlight the inner development and how the integration of the different elements of self is essential for a person. As such, the book puts forward the idea that faith is the quality that allows one to live to the full extent since it will enable people to find wisdom and meaning. However, the book does not address faith development for people who do not adhere to a particular religion. Spiritual people who are not religious also search for meaning, but they choose to avoid certain religions’ attributes.

Conclusion

Overall, this book review focuses on the book by Felicity Kelcourse. In it, the author explores human development at different stages of life, both physically and spiritually, the necessary conditions for development and the purpose of life. I would recommend this book to others since it is a valuable source of information that connects human development theories and different stages of it with faith and explains how the latter can guide the former. However, I would recond this book to people interested in various theories of human development in connection to their faith, since the materials that Kelcourse and other authors explore are complex and may be challenging to comprehend for someone without a background in psychology in pastoral studies. For people who intend to become pastors and work as counselors to help their communities, this book presents an immense value because the authors holistically combine major theories of Freud, Jung, Piaget, and Erikson with the questions of faith.

This book helped me understand the class content since it provided an in-depth exploration of the complex multidisciplinary field of pastoral counseling. Moreover, this book focused not only on the issue of faith and how it aids people in different stages of their life, but it also addressed the developmental theories, using Erikson’s strategy as the basis. Moreover, exploring the cognitive-structural-constructive developmental approach developed by Piaget helped comprehend how people use different mental constructs to make sense of the world around them. Piaget’s theory is significant in particular because it focuses on how people perceive information and how they make decisions based on these perceptions. People develop logic in their early childhood, and the stages of development under Piaget’s theory are sequential, invariant, and irreversible. The integration of this theory with the exploration of how people learn to articulate their faith.

More specifically, the concluding chapter that focuses on the Jungian perspectives of death and dying is an excellent finale for this book because it addresses the concern that any advisor for older adults may face and have difficulty in handling. Here, death is viewed as a mystery, and faith to make sense of this process. Instead of viewing it as a catastrophe, the author of the chapter offers to look at death as something that can be transformed by love, God’s love in particular. As Barbe states, “the fulfillment of this healing completion when we experience a greater love that brings us to the mystery of who we must ultimately become” (Kellcource, 303). Overall, this book connects different theories of development, including phycological development, adjustment to social and cultural conditions, and development of one’s morality and reasoning, helping understand how faith can be applied to find meaning.

Work Cited

Kelcourse , Felicity. editor. Human Development and Faith: Life Cycle Stages of Body, Mind, and Soul. 2nd ed. Charlice Press, 2015.