Age and Personal Development: Navigating Life's Stages
Improving one's self-awareness, -esteem, -skills, and -aspiration is the goal of personal development. Personal growth is like Inner Work in many respects. Introspection is the process of inquiring into one's own mind and heart with the aim of discovering one's true calling in life. The scope of personal development extends well beyond that of either professional or individual growth. It includes everything in which you'd like to develop as a person, and it doesn't pick and choose how or where that occurs.
Navigating the Life Stages
Consider a person's life span and jot down what you believe to be the key developmental stages.
The lifespan is typically divided into eight stages by developmentalists:
Furthermore, the subject of "Death and Dying" is typically discussed after late adulthood, as the probability of dying grows with age (though there are individual and group differences). Although death and dying are not always age-related, they will be the subject of our final module.
Prenatal Growth and Change
At this stage, when most of the body's major organs have already developed, the mother's wellbeing is of paramount importance. There are several ways to go about giving birth, and each has its pros and cons, from the dangers and difficulties associated with pregnancy and childbirth to those faced by the newborn and their parents. Nature (such as heredity) and nurture (such as diet and teratogens, environmental elements that can cause birth abnormalities during pregnancy) both play a role. Understanding the interaction of elements and the relative contributions of nature and nurture is made possible by evolutionary psychology, twin and adoption research.
Early Childhood Studies
Between the ages of one and a half and two, a person undergoes rapid development. In only a few short months, a baby with many reflexive reflexes, excellent hearing, but limited eyesight, develops into a walking, talking toddler. Like the children they care for, carers go from managing their eating and sleeping habits to becoming their constant mentors and safety monitors. The human brain develops, along with its body and its language, at a surprising rate. Infants are individuals with their own personalities and ways of playing. Possible separation anxiety and the development of attachment types have an impact on interactions with main carers (and others).
Primitive Ages
Those years between the ages of two and five or six are often considered part of early childhood, or the preschool years. The pre-schooler is amid a flurry of activity: he or she is acquiring language (with astounding vocab growth), developing a sense of self and increased independence, and understanding how the physical world functions. Pre-schoolers don't immediately grasp concepts like length, width, and depth, and they may have amusing early theories about how long something will take, for example, by stretching out their index fingers a few inches apart. A four-year-old may feel guilty for doing something that earns the disapproval of others, whereas a two-year-old may be fiercely determined to do it.
Early Adolescence
Much of what happens to children between the ages of 6 and 11 is tied to their participation in the early grades of school. The focus now shifts to academics, with students constantly developing and measuring their knowledge and abilities by benchmarking against peers. Schools contribute to this dynamic by publicly comparing and highlighting pupils' differences via team sports, standardised testing, and other forms of acknowledgement. By age seven, the brain has reached its full adult size, though it will continue to grow throughout life. At this age, children's growth rates level out, and they are in a prime position to hone their motor skills.
Adolescence
The onset of puberty, a period of rapid physical development and sexual maturation, often occurs during adolescence, however the precise timing of these events might vary by gender, generation, and culture. The adolescent's mind is also developing during this time; they are opening up to new ideas and beginning to grasp abstract notions like love, fear, and freedom. Teenagers may feel immune to harm, but this false sense of security actually makes them more vulnerable to things like fatal accidents and sexually transmitted diseases. Understanding teenage risk-taking and impulsive behaviour is made easier by research into brain development. Developing an individual sense of self is a key responsibility of adolescence. Developing greater autonomy from one's parents is a common challenge for adolescents. Teenagers place a greater emphasis on friendships with their peers as they search for approval and a sense of belonging.
Young Adulthood
The years between the ages of late teens and early adults are the twenties and thirties (a term that may come as a pleasant surprise to students in their mid- to late-thirties). We reach our physiological peak at this time, but we also face the greatest temptation to engage in destructive behaviours such as aggressive acts and substance addiction. At this stage of life, there is a strong emphasis on making decisions that would help one mature into a respected adult in the eyes of peers. At this juncture in life, love and career are top priorities. Young people's transition into adulthood may be influenced by elements such as age group, culture, historical period, economic climate, and social class.
Adolescence to Midlife
Middle age is defined as the years between the late thirties (or age 40) and the mid-sixties. While many people are at their romantic and professional best in their thirties, this is also the time when early signs of physiological ageing start to show. It could be a time of expanding one's knowledge and skill set to the point where one is better able to analyse a situation and arrive at a workable solution. It's also a period when you might start to see the world more clearly, separating the likely from the fanciful. Middle-aged people may find themselves caring for both their own children and their own ageing parents, a situation known as "being stuck in the sandwich." Middle-aged adults may be concerned about others and the future, but they may also be contemplating their own mortality, ambitions, and commitments, though this is not necessarily a "mid-life crisis."