Unit 4

Development through the Life Stages

P1- describe physical, intellectual, emotional and social development for each of the life stages of an individual

Infancy
Physically: at around nine months after A baby being conceived the child would be born. The child a new born baby wouldn’t have been able to digest food other then breast mill or a substitute. The child wouldn’t have been able to hear everything as a baby’s brain isn’t fully developed at this life stage. The child would have been able to tell the difference between the way things taste and the way their mother smelt. A baby is born with various temporary and primitives reflexes some of these are:

A new-born baby will turn their heads towards any touch on the cheek. This is called the rooting reflex and helps the baby to get the nipple or bottle into their mouth to feed.

If you place a finger in a baby palm, they will grasp your finger tightly. This reflex is called the grasp reflex.
If a baby is startled, this could be by a loud noise, they will throw their hands and arms outwards, arching the back and straightening their back this is called the startle reflex.

If a new-born baby is held upright with their feet touching the ground, they will make movements as if their attempting to walk. This is called the walking reflex.

A child would have the physical ability to recognise and interact with people. The child would have preferred to listen to other peoples voices; this would have been a good thing as they learn to listen to their mother’s voice.

Intellectual: A baby should be able to recognise sounds as the brains grown fast. They are also able to make variations of sounds due to increased vocabulary.

Babies are born with the ability to sense objects. They are also born with a range of reflexes such as sucking this will allow them to feed, these action lead to motor actions which control the bodies muscles. The sensor motor stage is when the mind is limited to thinking about sensing objects and performing motor actions.

Emotional: Gradual development of emotions e.g. happiness/enjoyment (perhaps of baths). They may show some preferences towards food and games towards the end of infancy.

Emotionally a child would have become aware of those who are around her most (mother, father, grandparents and aunts/uncles) this means that she would have started bonding and creating relationships. She would have also developed other emotions, a few could have been developed whilst in hospital e.g. nerves and afraid feelings and thoughts.

Social: An infant will begin to enjoy routines (bath time, feeding and sleeping). They will also discover sensor motor at the end of infancy e.g. waves, cries when left on their own, copies actions of adults.

Socially A child would be around a lot of different people because familys tend to try to socialise children at early ages. This could make it difficult to form bonds with family members as they will likely be unsure of whom the person was which would make their bond with her mother even closer. As they was the only person she could be sure of.

Childhood 4-10

Physical: children begin to grow more gradually than they do during infancy. However when in the childhood life stage they have a growth spurt between 5-7. They also begin to develop fine motor skills e.g. writing. Children also begin to develop sense of balance making it less likely to fall over when doing activities. Children usually gain around 3kg and 5.8cm per year.

Intellectual: a child should have gained vocabulary which can allow them to have a conversation with people. At this life stage they are also aware of simple right and wrongs; they are also no longer egocentric. At this stage their brains are also developing at a much faster speed.

Emotional: At this life stage they are able to develop a wider range of emotions (happiness, nerves, frustration, and negativity). Children will also develop how to express emotion in different situations. Relationships with other family members may influence how a child feels valued, a sense of worth and self-esteem. This can also be influenced by teachers and friends this could cause positive or negative situations.

Social: children usually learn to share because of friends and siblings. The number of people that children know will begin to expand because of the friends that they will make during school. They also begin to compare themselves to other people when they reach this life stage.

Adolescence 11-18.

Adolescence is when a person’s personality develops and if parents and family are not very understanding then the adolescence may become insecure.

Physical: When you reach adolescence men a women develop different physical attributes.

Women: period starts, breasts develop and hips widen
.
Male: voice breaks, chest broadens, possibility of wet dreams, testes and penis grows.

Intellectual: When you reach adolescence you gain more connections because you start secondary school. You also start to use abstract thinking which leads to arguments with authoritative figures. You also start to think independently this can be due to hormones rising.

Emotional: When in adolescence your mood is continuously changing due to hormones. You are also more likely to experience worry and stress this could be linked to your exams. Teenagers begin to make opinions on other people this could be linked to the way they have been treated by them, or they feel threatened or even because it makes them feel better about themselves.

Socially:

Socially during adolescence you begin to become more independent staying out overnight by themselves, attending parties. Becoming more experimental (trying out drugs, alcohol, sex and different friendship groups). They also develop the skills to negotiate this can be with friends, parents and teachers. Teenagers can also develop insecurity attachments meaning that they may get jealous and clingy towards others.

Adulthood 19-65.

During adulthood, promotion is often sought and most people find a partner, leave home and start their own families.

Physical: Young adults are often at the peak of their physical performance between the ages of 18-28. Older adults usually lose some strength and speed when they reach the end of this life stage. There are a number of age related changes the come apparent as you get older (glasses, loss of hearing and thinning of hair).

Intellectual: When you reach adulthood you’re more likely to develop new skills (budgeting, skills at work). You will also move out and experience living alone at this age or even living with a partner. Most people also experience raising children. People that want a better degree may also go on to further education, they will think about what goals and aspiration they want to reach at this life stage. At the end of adulthood their reaction times will get slower and they will begin to forget things (memories). Adults are better at make big decisions as they have more experience dealing with the consequences.

Emotional: During adulthood you will be able to behave more maturely (being able to share, respond and listen). You also begin to control emotions and empathy. At this life stage you also begin to lose people that you are close to (people leave and people die).

Social: Socially during adulthood taking responsibility for others as well as themselves is a main part of them developing socially. Developing relationships both formal and informal are a part of adulthood too this could be in-laws etc. during adulthood, friendship networks continue to be very important. For most people adulthood is dominated by the formation of adult sexual partnerships and by the need to find employment/establish a career. For many people marriage and marriage and parenthood represents major social developments in their life. Many adults in their forties and fifties experience time pressures that may limit their social activity. Mature adults may have to spilt their time between work, care of parents, other family committees and wider social activities. Some mature adults report a reduction in the amount of a social activity due to these pressures.

P2- explain the potential effects of five different life factors on the development of an individual

1: Genetic – Psoriasis.
My sister inherited Psoriasis from her mother.

What is Psoriasis?
Psoriasis is a common skin problem affecting about 2% of the population. It occurs equally in men and women, at any age, and tends to come and go unpredictably. It is not infectious, and does not scar the skin.

There is more likely to be a family history of psoriasis in people who get it when they are young than in those who develop it when they are old. A child with one parent with psoriasis has roughly a 1 in 4 chance of developing psoriasis too. If one of a pair of twins has psoriasis, the other twin has a 70% chance of having it too if the twins are identical, but only a 20% chance if the twins are not identical.
Treatments fall into three categories:

• topical – creams and ointments that are applied to your skin • phototherapy – your skin is exposed to certain types of ultraviolet light • systemic - oral and injected medications that work throughout the entire body

2: Biological – Smoking during pregnancy.
Babies born to mothers who smoke:

• are more likely to be born prematurely and with a low birth weight (below 2.5kg or 5lb 8oz). • have a birth weight on average 200g (7oz) less than those born to non-smokers. This effect increases proportionally – the more the mother smokes, the less the child weighs. • have organs that are smaller on average than babies born to non-smokers. • have poorer lung function. • are twice as likely to die from cot death. There seems to be a direct link between cot death and parents smoking. • are ill more frequently. Babies born to women who smoked 15 cigarettes or more a day during pregnancy are taken into hospital twice as often during the first eight months of life. • get painful diseases such as inflammation of the middle ear and asthmatic bronchitis more frequently in early childhood. • are more likely to become smokers themselves in later years.
In addition, pregnant women who smoke increase their risk of early miscarriage.
In later pregnancy, smoking mothers are at increased risk of the baby’s placenta coming away from the womb before the baby is born (placental abruption). This may cause the baby to be born prematurely, starve of oxygen, or even to die in the womb (stillborn).

3: environmental – family dysfunctional. potential problems. • Social problems including withdrawal, loneliness, loss of confidence, school problems, learning disorders, anxiety and depression, alcohol and drug abuse (particularly associated with mental illness), suicide or self-harming, theft and criminal behaviour. • Discipline problems including selfishness, defiance, unstable behaviour, recklessness, deceitfulness, violent behaviour and disruptive behaviour. • Educational problems including disruptive behaviour, bullying, decreased learning ability and academic achievements.
Parent conditions. • Family conflict and discord: lack of structure and discipline, disagreement about child rearing. • Parental control that is too tight. • Overprotection is a risk factor for childhood anxiety. • Marital conflict, divorce or separation: most of the negative effects are caused by disruption of parenting. The parents’ ability to cope with the changes may be reflected in the child’s ability to cope. • Involvement of the father; the emotional and social outcomes are significantly improved for children whose fathers play a visible and nurturing role in their upbringing. Father involvement is associated with positive cognitive, developmental and socio-behavioural child outcomes, such as improved weight gain in preterm infants, improved breast-feeding rates, higher receptive language skills and higher academic achievement. • Maternal depression, including postpartum depression. Young children of depressed mothers have an elevated risk of behavioural, developmental and emotional problems. • One study found that depressed individuals who are offspring of depressed parents may be at particular risk for the secondary deficits of depression. Such deficits may include physical dysfunction, pain and disability; anxiety, smoking, drinking-related problems and poorer social resources. • Parental mental illness. • Parental physical illness. • Parental alcohol and substance abuse. • Re-marriage/step families.
My mother was bought up in a lone parent family. She was bought up by her mother who was very different before she got re-married, her mother was her rock and tried to be both a mother and father. As my mother got older she began to resent her mother and her step father they never excepted her for who she was. Her step father tried to compete with my mother and her mother chose him rather than her daughter, that’s how the resent began to grow. Due to my mother being pushed aside she found refuge with food and began to gain weight which lead to her obesity at this point in her life. My mother also become rebellious during her adolescence and began to take drugs and drink a lot of alcohol to escape her troubles that she had left at home.

4: social-economic – peer groups.
A group of individuals or entities who share similar characteristics and interests. Peer groups, in the case of people, have characteristics which include similarities such as socio-economic status, level of education, and ethnic background and so on amongst its individual members.
In the context of financial markets, peer group usually refers to companies that operate in the same industry sector and are of similar size.

As a child you will have learned a lot about social relationships when you played with other children. During adolescence we are very influenced by people of their own age group (peer groups).

5: lifestyle – dietary choices.
Some people may choose to eat a diet that includes unhealthy fatty, salty or sugary foods. But some people may unhealthy because of the convince and cost. some people argue that convince food that has high fat, salt or sugar content is often cheaper than healthier or more labour intense alternatives people with low-income will find it harder to travel to supermarkets and stock up on cheaper food.a low income may push people to choose unhealthy diet, because it can be harder or more expensive to choose a healthier one.

P3- explain the influences of two predictable and two unpredictable major life events on the development of an individual

A life event can change the direction of our lives, affecting our personal development. Some major changes in life can be predicted and even chosen, while others may be unpredicted. Predictable life events, such as starting school, going through puberty and retiring from work, often mark a transition from one stage of life to another, acting as milestones in our personal development. Unpredictable life events, such as sudden illness or injury, redundancy or the death of a friend or relative, occur unexpectedly and are often associated with loss, but may also lead to positive change in our lives.

Predictable: leaving home:
This is a predictable life event. However, it can have an influence on an individual’s development. Firstly, the physical development will have an impact as an individual will have a change in their diet due to lack of cooking experience. In addition, it will also cause a lack of nutrition and an individual would need to change their diet. An individual could go out more and choose the wrong decisions such as drinking or smoking and gain/lose weight. Secondly, would be intellectual development as the individual would need to set up gas and water, learn about mortgages. Thirdly, would be emotional development as the individual would become more independent and have emotions to feel such as feeling lonely, scared or happy. Lastly, would be social development as an individual would be on their own and therefore, have no social to be around with. In addition, an individual could go out more and be around with more social class people.

starting school: This is a predictable life event. However, it can have an influence on an individual’s development. Firstly, the physical development will have an impact as an individual would be that they would start doing a subject of P.E which would give them a boost in psychical development and some individuals who do not get enough run around would be able to do their physical development at school. In addition, some individuals who do no get enough nutrition or meals at home could have school dinners and therefore, increase their psychical development. Secondly, would be intellectual development as the individual would need to know which classes they are meant to be at or to remember a teacher’s name. Thirdly, would be emotional development as the individual would become more independent and have emotions to feel such as feeling lonely, scared or happy. Socially starting school should allow an individual to make friends and adjust to certain peer groups..

Unpredictable:
Illness/serious accident:
Most people will have some sort of illness in our lives, which aren’t usually serious. However sometimes people develop a condition or become ill where the consequences are permanent, some of these could be a result of genetic, developmental or environmental because of accidents or they may have developed as a result of infection. There are many types of disabilities, which could be a result of any of these conditions.

Relationship changes:
As we get older we change as people, this means that we can grow together and grow apart. A relationship can either get stronger as time goes on or it can get weak, this means that people may leave a relationship because they aren’t getting what they need from it (attention, love, affection etc.).

P4-explain two theories of ageing

Disengagement theory states that as people age, they tend to withdraw from society and society withdraws from them. As people age, they tend to grow more fragile and their social circles shrink as they start to pull away and are less actively involved in most activities. A lot of people point out that often this disengagement is enforced, rather than voluntary.
Ill health : They may have health problems or diseases that stop them from interacting with other people. Some of these could be hearing impairment, visual impairment, mobility or breathing etc.
Geographical mobility : They may move to a place that is quiet and peaceful as they may become easily irritated by noisy environments. It could also mean that family members want more privacy. They move away to find a better job in another place.
Retirement : Is when they stop working completely as they will not be able to do their job as effective as before due to ageing. This means that they will no longer or have less contact with their colleagues.
Travel and technology : Technology – Some older people don’t know how to use computers or phones. Everything is technology based in this era, computers and phones are the most important thing to have as it will help you connect or communicate with your loved ones, friends and relatives. Older people who don’t have children or grandchildren the seclusion they face is even worse as they have no way to learn how to use any of the new technology that’s being offered on the market at the moment. Travelling – for older people travelling can consume too much time they may also find it difficult to sit in the same position for to long. The lack of travelling services may also be an issue, as if your over a certain age it might be difficult to travel aboard as the health insurance may not cover you. Older people also face difficulty with day-to-day activities by lack of mobility (not being able walk, or not owning a car).
Activity theory:
The activity theory of aging is the theory that there is a positive relationship between satisfaction and a persons level of activity. The persons level of activity actually influences how a person views his or her self. This theory also coincides with the disengagement theory. The disengagement theory is when an elderly person gives up some of their roles in life while still managing a sense of self-worth. This theory was proposed by Henry and Cummings in 1961.
It means that if older people will remain physically and mentally active and maintain social interactions their happiness will increase and this will also prevent them from disengagement.

This theory was made to believe that retiring from work is a good opportunity for older people to engage with the activities that they hadn’t yet experienced. When they reach retirement they will have enough time to travel to places that they would like to visit and spend their money on whatever they like.

P5- explain the physical and psychological changes which may be associated with ageing.

During this task I am going to explain the physical and psychological changes that occur in individuals when ageing. As individuals grow older many changes take place within appreance and the inner body. This is all linked through psychological changes and how the individual copes with elderly life.

Physical changes associated with changes:
Skin, bones, joints and muscles.
As people age there are many physical changes that take place such as the skin becomes thinner, less elastic and more wrinkled. Bones can become less dense and more likely to fracture. Joints can become stiffer as the bone becomes thinner. Their height decreases as the cartilage that separates the backbone becomes compressed. Muscles also become weaker.

Senses.
Other physical changes that take place include: senses becoming impaired. The ability to taste and smell can deteriorate. Vision and hearing can also deteriorate and the skin is more sensitive.

Organs.
Other physical changes include muscles in the digestive tract can become weaker creating risk of constipation. The heart is less efficient at pumping blood. Blood pressure can rise. Breathing can become less efficient.

Hormones and the menopause- Women usually experience a major decrease in the hormone oestrogen following the menopause. This decrease in Oestrogen is associated with osteoporosis. Women are more at risk of this rather than men because bone strength is influenced by the reduction of oestrogen.

Cognitive changes- Ageing can involve a loss of nerve cells in the brain and a reduction in the ability of nerves to transmit electrical signals. Older people often report that it takes them longer to do things; there may be a feeling of slowing down, as their response times are slower.

Arthritis- This involves damage to joints within the body. A substance called cartilage covers the ends of our bones and helps to cushion them as we move. Cartilage can become thinner and less elastic as we get older.

Psychological changes associated with ageing.
Ageism- Older people are sometimes stereotyped as being useless, diseased, demented and unable to cope. Older people may experience predjudice from younger people who see them as ‘having had their lives’.
Role changes- older people enjoy effective social networks with only one person in five from which they experience some isolation. For many people retirement provides more opportunity to socialise with grandchildren and other family members.
Loss of partner- Bereavement may result in a range of changes and losses including role changes. This may cause anxiety and depression.