Scribd
Upload
122 views4 pages

Milestone

Human development involves both quantitative and qualitative changes over time. The document summarizes physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development across three life stages: early adulthood, middle adulthood, and late adulthood. In early adulthood, people are at their physical peak but experience new patterns of thinking. They focus on intimacy versus isolation. In middle adulthood, physical and cognitive abilities gradually decline while generativity versus stagnation becomes a focus. Late adulthood involves further physical and cognitive changes along with a focus on integrity versus despair.

Uploaded by

Abby Fernandez
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
122 views4 pages

Milestone

Human development involves both quantitative and qualitative changes over time. The document summarizes physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development across three life stages: early adulthood, middle adulthood, and late adulthood. In early adulthood, people are at their physical peak but experience new patterns of thinking. They focus on intimacy versus isolation. In middle adulthood, physical and cognitive abilities gradually decline while generativity versus stagnation becomes a focus. Late adulthood involves further physical and cognitive changes along with a focus on integrity versus despair.

Uploaded by

Abby Fernandez
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 4

1

Human development is the scientific study of quantitative and qualitative ways

people change and do not change over time. Qualitative change is marked by appearance

of new phenomena that cannot be predicted from earlier functioning. Developmental

change is systematic and adaptive. The various aspects of development (physical,

emotional, psychosocial) do not occur in isolation. Each affects each other.

EARLY ADULTHOOD

The years of infancy, childhood, and adolescence are all preparation for entry in

adulthood.

Physical Development

Physiologically, young adults are at their peek; strength, endurance, reaction time,

perceptual abilities, and sexual responsiveness are all optimal, even though the the aging

process is taking slight and usually not even noticeable, tolls on the body.

Cognitive Development

Early adulthood is the prime of cognitive thinking. (Hughes, 1990) New

experiences may evoke new, distinctively adult thinking patterns as young adults question

long-held assumptions and values. College students tend to develop from rigid to relativist

thinking, sometimes called post-formal thought. The experiential (insightful) and

contextual (practical) aspects become particularly important during adulthood (Papalia,

1998).

Psychosocial Development
2

Early adults are likely to be working on through Eriksons intimacy vs isolation. If

all goes well, this would result to committing themselves with a partner. They are changed

by marriage, parenthood, and other normal events of family life cycle.

MIDDLE AGED ADULTHOOD

Physical Development

Gradual declines in body and physical activities become noticeable. Women

experience the changes of menopause around the age of 50. Most of the physical

changes occur slowly.

Cognitive Development

They gradually gain some intellectual capacity and lose others. They reach perks

of creative achievement in their careers. Toward the end of middle adulthood, some

individuals may feel that their memories are slipping a bit, but most intellectual skills hold

up to middle aged. (Paplia, 1998)

Psychosocial Development

According to Erikson, middle aged adults successfully resolve conflict of

generativity vs stagnation if they can invest their energies in nurturing the younger

generation or in producing something of lasting value, but they experience a sense of

stagnation if they feel they have failed their children, or are preoccupied with their own

needs. (Hughes, 1990)


3

MATRIX

Figure 1. Summary of Physical, Cognitive, Personal and Social Human Developments

Physical development Cognitive development


Period

Sophisticated cognitive skills,


time of peak functioning, but especially in areas of
gradual declines in physical expertise. Possibility of
Young Adult (20-39)
and perceptual capacities growth beyond formal
begin thought and gains in
knowledge

Period Emotional Development Social development


Social networks continue
to expand. Romantic
Continues work on identity.
relationships form. Most
Some shift from conventional to
establish families and
post-conventional moral
take on roles as spouses
reasoning. Increased
Young Adult (20-39) and parents. Careers are
confidence. Divergence of roles
launched; job switching is
in family according to sex.
common. Period of much
Personality fairly stable. Conflict
life change; high risk of
of intimacy vs isolation
divorce and psychological
problems
4

REFERENCE

Hughes, F., & Noppe, L. (1990).Human development across the life span.

Kail, R., & Cavanaugh, J. (2000). Human Development. California: Brooks/Cole

Papalia, D., Wendoks, S., & Fieldman, R. D. (1998). Human Development.

Adolescence - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.).Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Life Span Development by Santrock

You might also like