Life Span Perspective

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Life span Perspective The life span perspective of development The science of human development attempts to understand how and why an individual will change or remain the same over time (Berger, 2008). There are stages in life that begins with birth and infancy then continues to early childhood, middle childhood, adolescence, early adulthood, adulthood, late adulthood, and finally the end of one’s life (Berger, 2008). If an individual lives a full lifetime, the stages mark different developments including physical, emotional, and psychological. Currently, there are five characteristics of development. First, multidirectional is a characteristic suggesting change occurs in every direction (Berger, 2008). Another characteristic is multicontextual which suggests human lives are rooted in many contexts, such as historical and economic conditions, and family patterns (Berger, 2008). The third characteristic is multicultural which suggests many cultures are involved in how an individual develops (Berger, 2008). The fourth characteristic is multidisciplinary which illustrates multiple academic fields contributing his or her data and insights (Berger, 2008). However, no single stage controls all development because the fifth characteristic of development is plastic. The term “plastic” suggests development can go in many directions and can be influenced by events occurred in the past (Berger, 2008). The most important developmental study is science. Science depends on theories, data, analysis, critical thinking, and methodology making the study of human development multidisciplinary with the various medical and scientific fields. Also, science is contextual relating to how an individual responds to things or events within his or her environment and biology (Berger, 2008) Lifespan Development Theories Although there are many theories in psychology attempting to
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