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Birth
I was born to Alison and Brian Murray, and became the younger sister of Lauren. My mother received adequate prenatal care and I was born on my due date at an adequate weight of 7 lbs, 11oz. -
Early Childhood Biosocial Development (0-2): Walking and my (Destructive) Curiosity
I started walking fairly young, around 9 months according to my parents, and explored the house with curiosity. As evidence of my active sensorimotor stage, I broke a few things during this stage. -
Early Childhood Cognitive Development (0-2): Language
I exhibited holophrases around 8 months and had a naming exlposion around 14 months that my parents kept track of. My parents were believers in social learning becaue they read to my sister and I to facilitate language devleopment. -
Early Childhood Psychosocial Development (0-2): Attachment
I developed a strong attachment to my mother and exhibited stranger wariness when other caregivers such as babysitters emerged. Evidently, this attachment continued later on in early childhood, as I've heard many stories of my resistance to new people and situations. Now, I enjoy the new experiences I have while away at college and on my own. -
Early Childhood Biosocial Development (2-6): Sports, Swim lessons, and Activities
My parents started me in swm class early because we had access to a pool, and they were advocates of making my sister and I proficient swimers at an early age. This set the stage for my future as a lifeguard and swim teacher, and I taught kids the very same age. Among swim lessons, I tried many other sports and acitivities during this time period to stay active including T-ball, dance, and gymnastics. -
Early Childhood Cognitive Development (2-6): Modeling
I often modeled the abilities of my sister, who is five years older than me. She served as a mentor for activities such as rules of games, reading, and crafts. However, due to our age difference, she became frustrated while teaching me something outside of my zone of proximal development. -
Early Childhood Psychosocial Development (2-6): Starting Kindergarten
Starting kindergarten brought a year of psychosocial changes and development. I experienced the death of my grandmother at the age of 5 and at the beginning of this school year, an event many of my peers couldn't relate to. I learned to process death and understand the emotional toll on my family. This year meant meeting a new best friend as well as other friends with shared interests. We were especially adept at socio-dramatic play. -
Middle Childhood Biosocial Development (6-11): A few trips to the doctor...
I was overall a healthy kid and stayed active with dance lessons throughout most of this period. However, I struggled to keep off strep throat infections, resulting in a tonsillectomy. I also challenged myself to a high jump off the swing, which resulted in a broken collarbone in the same year. -
Middle Childhood Cognitive Development (6-11): Developing Concrete Operational Thought
As I got farther in elementary school, I developed personal academic interests, including science, creative writing, and history, for which I began developing a knowledge-base. I created a series of short-stories about tooth fairies, wrote plays for my friends and I, produced multiple projects for the school learning fair, and had an insatiable interest in genetics (from Jurassic Park) and U.S. history (from our family trip to Washington D.C.). -
Middle Childhood Psychosocial Development (6-11): Adapting to change, developing moral reasoning, and cultivating a peer group
My grandfather, who I was very close to, passed away when I was 10, which marked a period of emotional development, understanding of the permanence of death, and shock at observing the emotional vulnerability of my parents for the first time. I would say that my moral reasoning developed to the conventional stage for the most part because I was very concerned with rule-following. Lastly, as I was part of many organizations for kids, I learned how the culture changes between each group. -
Adolescent Biosocial Developement: Physical Activity, Nutrition, Health, and Body Image
Beginning in my early teens as a middle school student, I developed an interest in maintaining my health, staying physically active, and eating well because I became an avid and competitive cross country runner in addition to a member of the colorguard and winterguard in high school. Staying healthy and fit, and achieving physical goals impoved my body image. However, I had to always make sure that I was aware of my needs nutritionally to combat the temptations for unhealthy dieting practices. -
Adolescent Cognitive Development: High School and Preparation for College
Most of my cognitive development through my adolescent years was focused on heading towards college. I took classes and participated in activities that would help me get into college, as well help me discover what I would like to study. The Advanced Placement Classes I took made me competent at hypothetical-deductive reasoning, as well as putting these thoughts in writing. Aside from traditional college-preparatory education, music education was also very important to my development. -
Adolescent Psychosocial Development: Finding Identity and Supportive Friend Groups
While I questioned my identity and explored the role of religion, family tradition, and occupational expectations in my life, I was fortunate not to have a great deal of turmoil over my identity in adolescence. I had multiple stable groups of friends and a very good relationship with my parents. They were mentors and supporters in my life. Occasionally I had the notion to do something I knew they would not approve of, but their presence kept me pretty grounded. -
Emerging Adulthood Cognitive Devleopment: The College Years
This picture was taken during the first Bronco football game I attended as a freshman at Western Michigan University. I can definitely attest to the changes that Berger (2011) highlights in cognitive development throughout a typical undergraduate career. As I advance in my program, I not only become a more critical thinker but I refine my path toward the career I want.
Berger, K. S. (2011). Developing person through the lifespan (8th ed.). New York, NY: Worth. -
Emerging Adulthood Biosocial Development
I try to take advantage of peak physical performance and not develop any bad health or other habits that I will carry into adulthood. To advance the physical performance I began in adolescence, I made a personal goal to run a half marathon when I was 20. It went well and I look forward to more someday! College is such a difficult time to stay healthy because of all the stress but I try to surround myself around people that will help me stay physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy! -
Emerging Adulthood Psychosocial Development
Stronger relationships are definitely a component of my life in emerging adulthood. My college friendships are strong because they are based on strong common interests such as career paths and fields of study. In addition, romantic relationships are longer. My current boyfriend and I have been dating for nearly a year and are a source of stability and support in the stress of college. -
Adulthood Biosocial Development
As someone who works in the health field with an exclusively adult population, I listen to patients lamenting their senescence all the time. I see the results of lifestyle disease and strive to combat preventable age related problems. I also envision giving birth in adulthood, but like many in my cohort, I hope to postpone childbirth until school is finished and I have an established career. -
Adulthood Cognitive Development
My career goal is to be a Physician Assistant, a goal I will take one step closer to reaching by applying to PA graduate programs next Spring. This is a career that I feel will challenge me, and improve my fluid and crystallized intelligence throughout adulthood. Medical professional need a wealth of memorized information to draw upon, but also an immense amount of creativiy to communicate, develop treatment plans, and work on complex cases. -
Adulthood Psychosocial Development
While I hope to find the best job in whatever area of the country that may be in, the importance of my family in my adult development has a much stronger pull on my choices in living. I hope to be close to my parents, because I know that my parents would want an active role in their grandchildren's lives. In addition, my hopeful career would allow the flexibility of a part-time schedule to have a family and care for children, another very important part of my envisioned development. -
Late Adulthood Biosocial Development:
When I reach senior citizen status, I hope to resist ageism and stay active. I do not believe in unreasonable measures to stay phycially young. Not knowing what kinds of disease processes I may face, I intend to do what I can now to promote natural, primary aging. This especially means protecting my bones through diet and exercise such as running. -
Late Adulthood Cognitive Development: Continuing Education
My grandfather has kept up his medical license to the age of 81, long after retirement, by going to continuing medical education conferences. He is an incredible source of medical information for our family not only from experience but because he is up to date on current information. I hope to follow his lead by seeking out learning opportunities throughout older adulthood. I recognize the natural slowdown in neural processing, but that does not mean I cannot challenge myself. -
Late Adulthood Psychosocial Development
I imagine that work will still be a part of my life in late adulthood. I do not anticipating retiring relatively young because I feel that I should contribute to my field as long as I can, but perhaps scale back in work. This is the ideal situation, but I realize issues such as illness in a long-term partner, my own condition, or a change of perspective could alter these plans. I imagine that when work no longer takes up my time, volunteer work will, hopefully in a medical setting. -
Death
My predicted age of death is 102. I hope to be a centenarian, but only if my quality of life is adequate. I hope to be surrounded by positive relationships and a strong support system, hopefully of children, that may help me to make medical decisions when I may no longer be able to. I will be prepared with an advanced directive and durable power of attorney when this time comes. I may or may not be preceded by a partner in death.
