Life Span Perspective of Human Development

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Life Span Perspective of Human Development PSY280 January 6, 2014 Norma Turner Life Span Perspective of Human Development The development and life span of the human body and brain is an amazing journey. There are many theories about the life span of the human body and brain. This paper will summarize the psychoanalytic theory, cognitive theory and social learning theory. The aspects of the life span perspective will be identified, as well as explain how heredity and the environment influence human development. A theory is a general but comprehensive and organized explanation of many phenomena. A developmental scientist uses theories to sharpen their perceptions and to organize the thousands of behaviors they observe every day. Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) was an Austrian physician that treated patients suffering from mental illness. He was the world’s first’s psychoanalyst and helped make the psycho-analytic perspective a dominant force for much of the twentieth century. Inner drives and motives are the foundation of Freud’s psychoanalytic theory. These basic underlying forces are thought to influence every aspect of thinking and behavior, from the smallest details of daily life to the crucial choices of a lifetime (Dijksteruis & Nordgren, 2006). According to Freud the first six years of develpoment occur in three stages, each centered on a particular part of the body and characterized by sexual pleasure. Infants experience the oral stage, early childhood experiences the anal stage and in the preschool years the phallic stage. Each of these stages is linked to developmental needs, challenges and conflicts. These early stages provid the foundation for adult behavior. Social leaning theory notes that because humans are social beings, they learn from observing others. An extensionof behaviorism that emphasizes the influence that other people have over a

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