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First Birthday!!
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Infancy: Cognitve Development
Like most babies, I portrayed some of the reflexes we discussed with Piaget. I also used to crawl around everywhere and stuck any and everything into my mouth. I don't really have an exciting stories. There was one time I fell off of the sofa trying to get one of my sister's dolls to put in my mouth. These examples relate to Piaget's sensorimotor stage, where children gain knowledge from sensory experiences and physical actions. -
Infancy: Emotional Development
For the most part, I did have a secure attachment to my mother. As a baby, I would almost always sleep in the bed with her instead of a crib. However, I also see my grandma as sort of my other mom. We had a secure attachment as well, since she was the one that took care of me while my parents worked. -
Infancy: Physical Development
Well, according to my mom, I was a 'slow starter'. With that being said, I started walking around 14 months. I, probably like many other toddlers, had a walker I used to roam around in. In fact, the walker I used was recycled for 2 of my other siblings. -
Infancy: Emotional Development
As a baby, I was told I had a pretty slow to warm up temperament. I was told that when I saw my great grandma I would cry. That probably had to with the fact that she was covered in liver spots and I thought she looked different. However I could have an easy temperament in the sense that I could be friendly. When we visited our family friend, I would end up rubbing her nose until I feel asleep. I was seen giggling or playing with most people, after I had warmed up to them. -
Early Childhood: Cognitive Development
As I child, I loved playing board games (Monopoly, Chutes and Ladders, Sorry), Video games (Nintendo 64 and Mario were my favorite), and role playing games (teacher, Barbie dolls) with my older sisters. I also liked to draw, watch cartoons and go on vacation. In some ways, I can see a bit of a gender divide in what categories I was/ am interested in. I was more concerned with dolls than monster trucks I guess. But my circumstances don't really fit perfectly into the research. -
Early/ Middle and Late Childhood
Most of my physical activities during this period concerned my gross motor skills. I was a huge bike rider, had swim lessons, and was in cheerleading. I was also into video games, incorporating fine motor skills pertaining to finger dexterity. I drew a lot and played with Barbie dolls, which were activities that also concerned fine motor skills to some extent. -
Early Childhood: Emotional Development
According to my family and teachers, I was an easygoing child; however, I had a lot of energy, loved to talk, and always seemed to find my way into trouble. My teachers said I had a hard time staying focused and could be disruptive. I was a friendly child, always trying to make friends. I succeeded more or less, mostly because I could get annoying. I would say, for the most part, my easygoing temperament continued into my childhood. -
Moving to Atlanta
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Early Childhood
Growing up, I had a bookcase filled with books in my room I could read anytime I pleased. My mom used to take my siblings and me to the library all the time on the weekends and during Summer. She would let me pick out books and would read them to me all the time. When I was learning how to write, my mom would make me practice my letters in workbooks. All of these things helped me in my language acquisition. -
Early Childhood: Cognitive Development
I did experience some form of animism during what Piaget had deemed the Preoperational stage. For me, it occurred at night in the dark. One night, after watching a scary movie, I thought my dolls would attack me in my bed. It was thoughts like these that caused me to frequently sleep with my grandma. -
Early/ Middle and Late childhood: Physical Development
In elementary and middle school, P.E and recess were my main sources of exercise. When I was younger, my sisters and I would play around with the neighborhood kids; we would go to the playground and ride our bikes. I enjoyed this type of physical exercise because it was just about fun and games. However, I was a chubby kid who liked to eat (I still do). Because of this, my mom made me exercise around the house as well as eat healthier. I found these activities boring. -
Middle and Late Childhood: Cognitive Development
My mom told me I used to ask a bunch of random questions whenever we would watch tv together. This relates back to Piaget's intuitive thought and how curiosity and primitive reasoning begin to appear. I also demonstrated a lack of understanding concerning conservation. One time I got so mad at my sister because I thought she had gotten more juice than me. At the time, I didn't understand that our cups were different shapes. I demanded that another thing of juice be opened because of it. -
Moving back to Alabama
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Early/Middle and Late Childhood
In 4th-5th grade, I was demoted to a lower math class because I couldn't understand the higher-level coursework. It made me feel stupid, even though they never explicitly said it. In middle school, my teachers felt like I wasn't smart enough for Algebra. I of course worked to prove them wrong. This relates to Gardner's differing intelligences. On one hand, I had high verbal intelligence; on the other, I was told I had lower mathematical intelligence. -
Adolescence: Physical Development
My focus turned towards technology and books. Because of this, I stopped doing a lot of extracurricular physical activities. In late middle school and high school, P.E was pretty much my only source of exercise; I sometimes hated it, especially running and workout routines. However, I thought the games and sports we played, like dodgeball and floor hockey, were pretty fun. -
Adolescence: Emotional Attachment
I've never been an any real romantic relationship, so I'll try to base this off of a crush. I was never really obsessed with boys, so I use the term 'crush' lightly. I would say that Sternberg would classify it as fatuous love, since it was like worshipping someone from a distance. The feelings I had were more from peer pressure and trying to fit in than anything else. -
Adolescence: Physcial Development
In comparison to my peers, puberty came a little late for me. I started noticing bodily changes among my peers and realized the same wasn't really happening to me. However, I wouldn't say that this had any negative life-long effects on me. That isn't to say I didn't have my moments of doubt, insecurity, and sadness. I struggle with body image like anyone else, but even this was mostly moderate. I feel like starting late protected me from some social problems for a while. -
Adolescence: Physical Development
I really started focusing more on my fine motor skills, especially concerning writing. I was still using my gross motor skills in P.E, but less than I had been doing previously. -
Adolesence: Cognitive Development
Around my last two years of middle school, I took the Global Scholars test for reading and was told I read on a college-level. In 9th grade I decided to take some advance courses. After making a high grade on my English exam, my teacher informed me that I was "the smartest dumb person" they had ever meet. These events relate to Sternberg's theory of intelligence. I thought I had good analytical and practical intelligence. I actually felt like I was smart, but now I am much more humble. -
Adolescence: Cognitive Development
I definitely had an issues with adolescent egocentrism. Most of my insecurities were caused by a prevailing sense of imaginary audience. Once at school I ripped my pants in the crotch area because I had fallen into a split position. I walked around thinking people were looking and tried to hide it with my jacket. I would always get paranoid whenever I did something embarrassing. And this is still a problem for me now. -
Adulthood: Cognitive Development
I don't think am fully within the formal operational stage. I still struggle with even recognizing when I am using hypothetical-deductive reasoning. Moreover, I'm still under the delusion of personal fable. I'm moving away from this conceptualization, but I see how it affects my perspective of things. During the exam week of my 11th grade year, I was overwhelmed with school and had fought with me mom. This led me to feel alone and sad, like no one understood. So I am not quite there yet. -
Adulthood: Physical Development
I haven't had P.E in years. I have spontaneous spurts of physical activity. What this means is that I will get a strong desire to exercise, will go out and do something like run, but then give up. I do like biking and swimming still; I haven't found any time in my schedule. I want to exercise, but right now I am a little unmotivated and overwhelmed with other things in my life. With that being said, I do plan on starting back up some kind of activity. Right now all I am doing is walking. -
Adulthood: Physical Development
With less physical activity/exercising, my gross motor skills aren't really the focus. For me, it is writing, typing, and my fine motor skills (finger dexterity) that I am most involved with. -
GRADUATION
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Early Adulthood: Emotional Development
I have close relationships with a few of my friends. Some of them I've known for years. At first, I was more anxiously attached. I would get offended when they did things without me. When I felt like I wasn't getting enough attention, I would complain. And, whenever they had other friends, I felt that our relationship was threatened. Since then, I think our connection has become more secure. I hangout with them, but am fine when I don't. Insecurities really clouded my judgement. -
Early Adulthood: Emotional Development
In terms of my recent 'relationships', I think Sternberg would classify them as infatuation. There isn't any real sense of commitment or intimacy. But again, I use the term 'relationship' lightly.
