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Prenatal Development
Germinal period: The first two weeks of development with fast cell division and cell differentiation.
Embryonic period: Weeks three through eight in which the body takes form and organs develop.
Fetal period: Weeks nine through birth when the organs increase in size and function. -
Birth
Mucus removed from throat, umbilical cord cut, crying, color change from bluish to pink, and movement of limbs. -
First Two Years: Cognitive
Sensorimotor intelligence develops in three pairs with each having two stages. Reflexes give the intelligence foundation and understanding of objects increase. Information processing occurs with input and output. Babbling increases to 50 words and then two words are then used together. -
First Two Years: Psychosocial
Emotions develop in differing stages and become selective to differing social interactions. Increasing responsiveness and social interaction occurs. Attachment develops and caregivers become social references. -
First Two Years: Biosocial
Quadrupling of weight, height increase to 32-36", decreasing sleep time. Brain grows to 75% of adult size, dendrites grow, synapses form, experience-expectant and experience-dependent experiences help form brain. Vision improves, gross motor skills develop with fine motor skills being difficult. Immunization is important and breast feeding is best. -
Play Years: Biosocial
Continued height and weight gain with family culture and income affecting growth. Picky eating begins. Brain continues to grow and strengthen with better thought and responses with left and right specialization becoming clear. Gross motor skills continue to grow as do fine motor skills. Prevention of injury is important. -
Play Years: Cognitive
Preoperational thought develops. Egocentrism develops and learning in the zone of proximal development is important. Theories develop to explain themselves and the world. Language comes rapidly and basic grammar is great. Education is important with low adult-child ratios being best. -
Play Years: Psychosocial
Learning of emotional control occurs with family experience contributing to its development. Gender differences develop and an awareness to gender. -
School Years: Biosocial
Growth continues, independence grows, brain development includes incresed myelination. -
School Years: Cognitive
Concrete operational thought begins with logic taking hold. Control and direction of thought improves. -
School Years: Psychosocial
Peer groups exert influence as does family culture, income, and structure. Interest in right and wrong develops. Bullying is common and hard to prevent. -
Adolescence: Cognitive
Self centered thinking creates the invincibility fable and imaginary audience. Begin to think about the possible instead of only the real using deductive reasoning; some think logically and some use intuitive emotional thinking. -
Adolescence: Psychosocial
Seek identity through self-discovery but identity diffusion and foreclosure usually occurs. More rebellion while seeking individuality but the parents are still needed. Sexual identity is shaped by friends. Depression increases as does the risk for suicide. Breaking the law is also the norm. -
Adolescence: Biosocial
Onset of puberty causes bodily changes producing stess for changing individuals. Sex is a product of culture rather than physiology. Food is consumed in larger quantities as well as the body entering a growth spurt. The emotional arousal area of the brain matures before the area that rationalizes it. Drug use is common. -
Emerging Adulthood: Biosocial
At the peak of physical health and sexual desire. Reproduction is most successful and sexual relationships are common. Exercise is normal and unhealthy dieting can emerge with women. Men increase their risky behaviors, but social norms are also powerful which help regulate some of the behavior. -
Emerging Adulthood: Cognitive
Postformal thought occurs with anticipation and deflection of problems. Combinations of emotional with rational thought happens. Recognition of situational and change shows dialectical thinking. Moral opinions are shaped by culture and religion moves us toward universal principals rather than culture-bound ones. College sharpens advanced thinking and the ability to create our own decisions. -
Emerging Adulthood: Psychosocial
Identity crisis continues with ethnic and vocational identity in conflict. Close friendships occur as does complex romantic love resulting in cohabitation with postponement of marriage. Marriage works best with good communication and sharing of responsibilities. Family support is still needed. The emergence of psychopathology rises during this time. -
Adulthood: Biosocial
Senescence becomes more apparent mostly in the sense organs. Physical apperance is gradually changed. The brain slows, fertility problems increase with fertility procedures becoming common. Homone levels decline and women contend with menopause. Women tend to live longer, but with more chronic health problems. Good health habits are important. -
Adulthood: Cognitive
Vocabulary and general knowlegde increase over time along with crystallized intelligence, but fluid intelligence decreases. Culture has influenced one best developed intelligence out of Gardners 8. Expertise is also apparent especially in the workforce with thought being almost automatic. -
Adulthood: Psychosocial
Intimacy and generativity is sought. The social clock has some influene on behavior. The midlife crisis does not usually occur. Openness, conscientiousness, agreeableness, extroversion, and neuroticism become more stable. Selection of an ecological niche of partner and career happens and reinforces patterns of personality. Good relationships with friends, partners, kids, and parents are well established, but can be problematic. Work creates a good feeling, but also adds stress. -
Late Adulthood: Cognitive Development
Thinking becomes slower and duller. Senses also become dulled. Memory is in decline and we are less able to retrieve memories, but we develop strategies to offset them. There is the possibility of dementia with the most common cause being Alzheimers, but dementia is at times misdiagnosed due to a reversible problem. -
Late Adulthood: Psychosocial Development
Maintence of a sense of self and being a part of community have grown. Social forces limit choices, but activity leads to a happier life. Need to keep strong family and religious connections. Retirement is a welcome event and better to retire with a spouse. Continuing education or volunteering contribute to health. Wives lose spouses more than ment and still cope with it. Relationships with kids and grandkids are supportive. Nursing homes, assisted living, and home care help with frail. -
Late Adulthood: Biosocial
Older folks are happy, healthy, and active contrarty to beliefs. Most older persons are not dependent on younger people. Senescence continues with physical changes especially vision problems and hearing. Technology can offset these deficiencies. Aging therories range from calorie restriction, to wear and tear, on why the body fails. -
Death
According to the life expectancy calendar, I die at 75. I will enter five stages of dying: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and finally acceptance. Care can be palliative, hospice, passive or active euthanasia. Living wills and proxy's can help navigate medical needs.