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Approximate Date of Conception
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Period: to
Pre-natal Development
From conception to birth. -
B: Age of Viability reached
Biosocial development: At 22 weeks I became a fully viable fetus, but remained safely in the womb until term. -
C: Auditory communication begins
Cognitive development: At 28 weeks, fetal hearing has developed and I can hear my mother's voice and heartbeat. -
Cesarean Section Birth
I was born at 2:54 in the afternoon on August 22, 1985, by Cesarian section, because my brother was born 2.5 years before me via C-section due to his size. I was mildly jaundiced at birth. -
Period: to
First Two Years of Development
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B: Learn to crawl
Biosocial development: I began to crawl at age 10.5 months. -
C: First words
Cognitive development: I spoke my first intelligible words around 11 months ("mama"). -
B: Learn to walk
Biosocial development: at 13 months of age, I began to walk. -
P: Stranger wariness
Psychosocial development: Started to show signs of stranger wariness around 15 months by hiding when introduced to new people. Also showed signs of separation anxiety. -
C: Two word phrases
Cognitive development: At 18 months, I could speak two word phrases. -
C: Singing songs
Cognitive development: At 2 years of age, I could sing songs with my brothers. -
Period: to
The Play Years / Early Childhood Development
Ages 2-6 years. -
C: Simple reading
Cognitive development: Learned to read easy books at age 4. -
B: Gymnastics class
Biosocial development: motor coordination had developed enough that I could enroll in a gymnastics class and even walk a balance beam at age 4. -
P: Pretend to be like mom
Psychosocial development: When I was five years old, I identified with my same sex parent: I declared that I wanted to be just like my mother when I grew up, and even got a fake doctor set so I could pretend to listen to babies' hearts with a stethoscope. -
Period: to
The School Years / Middle Childhood Development
Ages 6-11 years. -
Reading children's novels
I started to read the Boxcar Children and Babysitter's Club books obsessively when I started second grade, going to the library every weekend to borrow new volumes. -
B: Finally learned to ride a bike
Biosocial development: I finally learned to ride a two-wheel bike by myself, something I had struggled with for years. -
C: Learned to write in cursive
Cognitive development: I learned to write in cursive in school, and showed a decent, legible usage of it in my diary. -
P: Signs of self-concept related to opinions of others
Psychosocial development: This specific date, I wrote in my diary, "I also made a decision to be as independent as I can. That way I won't have to be put down and have my feelings hurt everyday." How sad! -
B: Learned to knit
Biosocial development: I learned to knit during breaks at school, because I tested out of math class the entire year. My teacher suggested I learn to knit when I sat in the hallway, so I did. Knitting takes hand-eye coordination and consistency. -
P: Signs of low self-esteem
Psychosocial development: I wrote in my diary, "I wish I am as smart, brave, and beautiful as I pretended I was.... If I were like I pretended to be, everyone would like me." I was definitely one of the less popular children, in my own mind. I would categorize myself as withdrawn-rejected among my peers. -
Period: to
Adolescence
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P: First suicidal ideation
Psychosocial development: This was the first time I confessed to my best friend that I had thoughts of self-harm. I was confused by the feelings, which were non-violent, but which manifested as a feeling that I would rather just cease existing. -
C: Took early SAT, scored 1110
Cognitive development: When I was in 7th grade, I took the SAT through the Midest Talent Organization and scored a 1110. I qualified to attend an academic camp at Northwestern University, which I did. -
P: First strong romantic infatuation
Psychosocial development: Throughout the next few months, I confessed by nearly obsessive feelings for a boy at my school who did not like me back. I even called it "love." Either way, it was my first powerful romantic attachment, a hallmark of adolescence and sexual maturation. -
B: Menarche
Biosocial development: The onset of puberty for females is marked by the first menstrual period. I was 13 when menarche occured, which is normal for Asian females. -
C: Retook SAT, scored 1260
Cognitive development: in 8th grade, I accepted an offer to take the exam again to see if I had improved. I scored a 1260. -
B: First sexual activity
Biosocial development: I became sexually active at the age of 16. -
C: Took ACT and SAT for college entrance
Cognitive development: I took my standardized exams for college entrance, scoring a 34 on the ACT and a 1500 on the SAT. These scores show my further cognitive development from the 1260 I received three and a half years previous. -
Period: to
Emerging Adulthood
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P: Settled on Asian American identity
Psychosocial development: When I started college, I thirsted for the opportunity to establish myself as an Asian American by joining Asian fashion, recreational, and political organizations. I found myself frequently ostracized for not speaking an Asian language fluently. A year and a half later, I realized that I was just as American as I was anything else, and stopped feeling bound to assert that I was Asian publicly, and started spending time on what I cared about personally, instead. -
C: MCAT
Cognitive Development: I took the MCAT after my sophomore year at college, and scored a 37, a 98%tile score. I was very proud! -
B: BMI of 19.5, body image still poor
Biosocial development: When I was a junior in college, I weighed a mere 102 lbs, but I constantly thought I should lose more weight. I would constantly stare at my belly in the mirror, thinking it was too big. -
B: Psychopathology: major depressive disorder
Biosocial development: After I finished my last full semester of college, I was diagnosed with a mood disorder, which had begun to manifest itself three years before with spontaneous, unwarranted suicidal thoughts and an excessive need for sleep. -
C: Undergraduate college graduation
Cognitive development: graduated from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, with a dual B.S. in Biochemistry and Asian Studies. -
P: Cohabitation with partner
Psychosocial development: Like many young people, I cohabitated with a romantic partner in order to assess our future marriage prospects. We later moved apart due to circumstances, but are currently still dating. -
Period: to
Adulthood
Ages 25-65. -
C: Was first decribed as "good with kids"
Cognitive development: These days, being "good with children" is no longer being taken for granted. As described on page 600 of the textbook, family skills are their own set of expertise, and my brother and his wife honored me by telling me how good I am at managing their young children. -
*C: Begins career track toward expertise
Cognitive development: This fall semester, I will formally begin training as a nurse, gaining expertise in the field of health care over the next 16 months. If all goes well, I will also pursue a PhD in clinical research. -
*P: Marriage
Psychosocial development: With a long term partner already obtained, I imagine that I will be married around this time. -
*C: Receives PhD in nursing and clinical research
Cognitive development: If my plans work out, I will graduate with my PhD in nursing, solidifying my area of expertise even as my general capacity to learn new things wanes. -
*B: Birth of first child
Biosocial development: I imagine that my first child might be born during my early thirties, as I finish my higher education. -
*B: Menopause
Biosocial development: Based on my mother's example, I imagine that I will experience the cessation of my menstrual periods around the age of 53. -
*P: Empty nest
Psychosocial development: If my timing for my children works out as I imagine it would, I would have my youngest moving out to college around this time. At that point, I might have to learn to deal with an empty nest, though hopefully not in the way my own parents did. -
Period: to
Late Adulthood
From age 65 until death. -
*B: Diagnosed with heart disease
Biosocial development: Heart disease is one of the most common chronic illnesses in the elderly, and the #1 cause of death in America. I was diagnosed in my 20s with a chronic dyslipidemia, so it is likely that by even with a moderately watchful diet, I will develop some heart disease in late adulthood. -
*P: Death of a spouse
Psychosocial development: According to the national statistics, the average life expectancy for a while male was 75.3 in 2003; assuming I marry the young man that I am dating at current, he will be 75 in 2057. That would be a decent projection of his death year, though hopefully we will have many more happy years together. -
*P: Retirement
Psychosocial development: I expect that around the age of 72, I will be ready to retire. I will probably want to work until all of my children are out of college and ready to fend for themselves, and until my physical or emotional well-being demands otherwise. -
*C: New creative project
Cognitive development: Late adulthood can also be a time of strong creative influence, and with the family grown, there can finally be the time to harvest it. I expect that I will begin a new writing or art project in my later life. -
*B: Stopped driving due to diminished capacity
Biosocial development: My eyesight has never been perfect, and I expect that around the age of 80, I will decide to completely hang-up my car keys and leave the driving to others. -
*C: Signs of dementia
Cognitive development: 25% of people in their 80s have some form of dementia. My grandmothers both developed dementia in their late 80s and early 90s. Around the age of 85, if I experience a fall or an emotional trauma, I expect I may begin to see signs of dementia. -
*Death
The lifespan calculator from Module 14 said I would live to the age of 92. Thus, I predict my death to occur sometime around August 22, 2077.