Flourish or Fail; Sink or Sail

“The need for growth, for development, for change, is fundamental to life.”

- John Dewey (American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer)

It is a common understanding that humans experience different stages of growth, as well as decline throughout their lives. Although at times there appears to be a lack of organization and understanding of these stages, each stage actually contains specific physical, emotional, and mental changes which are often considered generic to the human condition. The summation of the developments found within these stages combine into a sequential pattern throughout an individual’s life span.

The study of these developments is considered a scientific practice which is continuously discovering new and useful information about how human beings grow; these discoveries become the valuable tools utilized by scientists and medical personnel in order to heal wounds and prolong life.

Categories of Growth

The study of human development and growth takes into account all phases of life, not just childhood or adulthood, and categorizes them as (1) multidirectional, (2) multicontextual, (3) multicultural, (4) multidisciplinary, and (5) plastic; each category describes the developments found within each stage of life.

Multidirectional refers to various increases, decreases, and times of stabilization during each stage of life; thus, a multidirectional perspective enables researchers to recognize that gains and losses often occur simultaneously: Losses can lead to gains and vice versa.

Multicontextual refers to various physical and social environmental factors, such as climate, noise, population type and density, as well as family influence, which may have significant impact on life-span developments.

Multicultural developments refer to those which are influenced by the cultural surroundings of the individual; cultural aspects of a particular group of people may include specific belief systems, traditional practices, methods of meeting basic needs, ideals of the constitution of happiness and well-being, and the contemplations of the meaning of life.

Multidisciplinary refers to organizing developmental information into three disciplinary categories: biological, cognitive, and social. Furthermore, developments are grouped into particular age brackets of childhood, adolescent, and adulthood with corresponding age ranges. The disciplinary categories, as well as the age bracket groupings may also become divided within themselves in order to provide accurate and detailed developmental data.

Lastly, the concept that human development denotes a ‘plastic’ type quality refers to the idea that human traits can be molded (as plastic can be), yet people maintain a certain durability of identity (as plastic does); this concept depicts the belief that humans are able to change, as well as maintain a level of stabilization, both providing a futuristic premonition of survival of the human species for generations to come.

“Growing old is mandatory. Growing up is optional.” — Walt Disney

Cause and Means

In addition to the categories of growth, there are also theoretical explanations of the cause and the means by which development takes place. The 2 most popular theories include:

(1) the Psychoanalytic Theory (popular among Freudian followers) and

(2) the Learning Theory.

The Psychoanalytic Theory was based upon the idea that behavior and thought was produced from internal motives of the irrational unconscious, beginning in childhood stages of development. This theory is said to have originated through the works of the well-known Austrian physician Sigmund Freud and became quite popular among his followers including the theorist, Erik Erikson. Freud’s theory depicts an early development of a lifelong pursuit of pleasure with a sexual indication which is often identified with a fixation of a particular body part. This pursuit of pleasure is often an unconscious desire which may be fulfilled through sexual techniques or the decrease in tension associated with the body part.

“There are no great limits to growth because there are no limits of human intelligence, imagination, and wonder.” - Ronald Reagan

Unlike the psychoanalytic theory, which was based upon invisible internal abstract motives, the Learning Theory was founded on the observable and visibly notable behaviors demonstrated by individuals; thus, describing how behavior can be the resultant of a learning process.

The learning theory incorporates both classical and operant conditioning methods in order to observe learned behavior and developmental patterns. The learning theory demonstrates how developments beginning in early childhood often stem from a child watching and then mimicking the parents, as well as other children around them.

You can become more familiar with Classical and Operant Conditioning Methods by reading my article entitled: ‘What’s Your Preferred Conditioning Method?’

Environment and Heredity Theories

As previously stated, physical and social environmental factors, such as climate, noise, population type and density, as well as family influence, may have significant impact on life-span developments.

The Sociocultural Theory describes how human development results from the dynamic interaction between people and their surrounding society. In other words, cultural aspects of a particular group of people, which may include specific beliefs, traditions, survival, happiness and well-being, and the meaning of life, can have a significant impact upon life-span development.

While the surrounding external environment, including cultural influences, can affect development, so can an individual’s internal environment. The inherited traits which individuals receive from their parents and previous generations can also become influential upon the developmental patterns and tendencies throughout their life-span.

For example, the Evolutionary Theory developed by Charles Darwin contains intriguing explanations for many issues in human development, including women’s nausea in early pregnancy, a young child’s attachment to their parents, and the onset of puberty in young adolescents.

Furthermore, a process found within the Evolutionary Theory known as Selective Adaptation helps to explain the interaction between hereditary and the environment.

Selective adaptation explains the methods utilized by all living creatures in order to adapt to their environment with the ability to modify as the environment changes. They contain the ability to alter their internal genetic make-up in order to survive with the ever-changing surroundings.

For example, a genetically based reasoning gave rise to the explanation that because women are biologically formed as the child-bearer of the human species, it was essentially concluded that the male’s role was to provide his seed in many women in order to promote the continuation of mankind.

This is just biologically speaking, not to be taken as a societal designation or obligation.

However, with the vast population of people nowadays and the current discoveries of alternative methods of procreation, the role of the male has changed; thus, altering the social identification and biological make-up of a large majority of men. This can be considered a type of Selective Adaptation.

“Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.” - Benjamin Franklin

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, life-span developments found within the many stages of human life are influenced by a multitude of sources. The theoretical explanations provided by scientists allow for expansion on the insight into the cause and means by which these developments stem from. While these developments demonstrate similarities among all human beings, the environment, inherited traits, learning conditions, and internal desires provide the aspect of change and differentiation among the human species.

We Are All Different & We Are All the Same. Simultaneously.

Something To Keep in Mind.

References

Berger, K. S. (2011). The developing person through the life span (8th ed.). New York: Worth Publishers.

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