Life Span Development Reflective Paper

Kraus, K. L. (2008). Lenses: Applying Lifespan Development Theories in Counseling. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

In this discussion, the primary caregiver will be the mother. Attachment is considered vital for later life in terms of social development. Evidence for this was provided by Waters et al. (1979); children who were securely attached in their infancy years were prone to be more popular and sociable in nursery at the age of 3.5 years. In comparison, Erickson et al. (1985) found that insecurely attached children had more difficulty in being sociable in later life, displaying hostility, withdrawn and lacked social skills. If a child is in non-maternal care, this

The relationship between security of attachment and cognitive development creates the underlying foundation from which individual’s operate throughout the lifespan (Carruth, 2006). The security of attachment between an infant and their primary caregiver can have profound consequences for the developing brain, impacting an infant’s future relationships, self-esteem, and ability to self-regulate emotions (Carruth, 2006). Attachment theory, first theorized by John Bowlby (1988), stresses the significance of secure attachments in relation to cognitive development. Secure attachment is correlated with a decrease in high risk behaviors, fewer mental health issues, positive coping strategies, and healthy social skills (Burkett & Young, 2012

Development encompasses more than just the changes the body and mind goes through, and many psychologists study the relationship between physical, cognitive, and social development. Physical development begins at conception, whereas cognitive development does not begin until the fetal stage. During this time, the brain becomes much more sophisticated, the hemispheres grow rapidly and the interconnections between

As mentioned during the literature review section, it appears that researchers acknowledge a diverse range of early traumatic events that have a longitudinal impact on a child’s development. This section will primarily focus on what characteristics each researcher uses to conceptualize early attachment. Here, researchers acknowledge how they define early childhood trauma and its significance in development. Note that for each research study discussed, the researchers imply the importance of attachment in their conceptualization of early trauma but don’t explicitly state it (Ansbro, 2008; Barnett, Ganiban, & Cicchetti, 1999;

Life Span Development involves a process of age-related changes that individuals go through beginning from birth though old age. Individuals can undergo physical, psychological, behavioral, and social changes that can impact the development of personality. According to Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory personality evolves through several stages of development (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman, 2015). One of the benefits of having a cross-cultural perspective in regards to life span development is that it allows practitioners to see the “various cultural values, beliefs, and practices” of clients, that can change during the course of a person’s life (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman, 2015). For practitioners, it is crucial to stay updated with relevant cultural information about the populations that they serve. Pepitone (2000) found that, in studies, comparisons that aim to support hypothesis use “convenient national samples” that do not reflect or take into account the diversity of populations, which is a limitation. Using a cross-cultural approach in human development and research can increase the representation of a population’s diversity.

Secure attachment can support the child in developing and reaching their milestones in terms of their positive behaviour adjustment to adulthood, emotional, cognitive and biological development. (Granot and Mayseless, 2001).This can be difficult for mothers if there experiencing symptoms of PND which in turns leads to insecure attachments. Insecure attachment can lead to biochemical consequences in the developing brain and also social and emotional problems for the child (Levy and Orlans, 2014). Lack of love and security due to high level stress hormone can result in babies having impaired of body and brain (Van der Kolk, 2003). This highlights the importance role attachment plays in childhood development.

This discontinuity of attachment classifications has been attributed to individuals that have experienced high levels of life stress after one year of age, such as parental divorce, parental depression/hospitalization, death of a parent, abuse by a family member, etc. These variables are especially prevalent among disadvantaged groups living in poverty, who experiences greater life stress consistently. Hence, negative life events can cause changes in the quality of caregiving and alter the dynamics of the family, which impacts the stability of attachment relationship from infancy onwards. Therefore, it is the caregiver’s behaviour and the environmental factors surrounding the individual that shapes the stability and change in attachment styles rather than age such as one year. This also supports Bowlby’s attachment theory which highlights both stability and change, hence, it can be concluded infant attachment styles (as measured by the Ainsworth Strange Situation Task) isn’t permanent and can change even after the first year of life.

Adults’ close personal relationships share important emotional and behavioral similarities with the bonds that form between infants and caregivers. Research confirms that babies who are ignored or mistreated rather than being cuddled and protected do not develop as quickly as well-nurtured children and have difficulty bonding with others (Sunshine). “Attachment to a parent is part of ‘I’m held, I’m rocked and nurtured, and my brain develops in certain ways”, said Purvis. “If they’ve been in an orphanage crib for the first 18 months, they can’t process touch” ' and many other complex behavioral and mental health problems can develop from there (Sunshine).

Erikson's psychosocial theory, Vygoskys cognitive theory and Brofenbronner's Ecological theory play an important role in the development of children, adolescence and adulthood . The main reason behind this theories is to explain the different stages that the typical human goes through, beginning from conception through the human life span. Psychoanalytic theories believe that the early experience of life with parents is responsible for the path that a child's development follows. Cognitive theories focus on the importance of conscious thoughts, and behavioral cognitive theories state that development is affected by behavior and the environment (Santrock, 2014 p. 23 ). All of this and more are all theories that many theorist believe describe

It begins at a very early age: an infant crying because they are only comfortable with their mother holding them, a two year old sucking his thumb and carrying around his favorite blanket, and a 4 year old begging and pleading their father to stay with them during parent drop-off at school. This is known as attachment and is a very critical part of child development. Attachment is a strong emotional bond that forms between infant and caregiver in the second half of the child’s first year. (Parke 201) Although attachment is developed within the first year of a child’s life, it is measurable way beyond that time-frame.

While there are subtle similarities between the school-age system and the infancy and preschool systems, as attachment.This is consistent with Crittenden (1997) claims that attachments can be viewed as interpersonal defence mechanisms designed to activate protection from emotionally compromised care-givers, but often it at the expense of

Attachment is having a strong bond with one or two people in their life. These individuals mean everything to them. They are the person they find consolation when they feel down. In addition, they feel secure, safe and excited to be around these individuals. For example, a mother is the first person that comes in contact with her child. According to Freud as cited in Berk (2012) the child’s emotional tie to the mother is the “foundation” for relationship later on in life. Therefore, the findings on early infant attachment and subsequent developments depends on the consistency of care and affection given to the infant determines the behavior of the child. For the past several years, the focus has been on the interaction between the parent and the infant and the effect it has on the developmental processes such as attachment, emotional regulation, temperament, and many more (Evans & Porter, 2009). According to Erikson’s theory as mentioned in Gross (2011) that if care has been under constant nurture and sensitivity the child will develop a sense of hope and trust around his environment. Erikson’s psychosocial theory- basic trust versus mistrust can be linked to parent-child attachment (Berk 2012). For example, newborn to one year old establishes trust if nurture is properly provided by the primary caretaker. Otherwise, feelings of doubtfulness happens if affection is not provided. Furthermore, Pasco & Belsky (2011) refers to attachment as a special bond between the child and

From the time one is born, the infant begins to constantly change throughout his or her’s life. Human development occurs at different stages, throughout the life span. A child will experience many milestones from birth to toddlerhood, throughout early and middle childhood, and several theories for these milestones. Sigmund Freud, Jean Piaget, and Erik Erikson classify their different theories of the stages of life in three unique domains: physical, cognitive, and psychosocial/emotional.

The attachment theory by John Bowlby (1970) described explains that it is a ‘lasting psychological connectedness between human beings’. In his theory, he further explains that it is important for infant to learn establish and develop a secure attachment with a main caregiver. Bowlby’s attachment theories explain that the secure attachment develops between infant and their caregivers would be the foundation for the later development. Subsequently the theory evolved and come to expert agreed that early years experiences may have an impact on the multiple attachments that is bond with other adults throughout